“Hey, Mom.” Emma’s lips curled into a Cheshire grin when she slinked into the kitchen. She bent over the counter and all but batted her lashes—her signature move when she wanted something. “Tori’s going to the mall. Do you mind if I go with her?”

I knew her too well.

Tori wasn’t what I considered a good influence. However, she wasn’t necessarily bad, either. Emma was always honest with me—at least I hoped she was—and from what she’d told me, Tori was a bit boy crazy. I couldn’t protect my child from everything, but the idea of her hanging out with a girl who snuck boys into her room didn’t exactly excite me. Granted, it wasn’t like I could really say much—I had Emma two weeks before I turned seventeen. I would do anything to keep my child from going through what I did at her age.

“Only you and Tori?”

She rolled her eyes, knowing exactly where my thoughts were. I guess that’s what happens when you practically grow up with your kid. We’d always been super close and very open with one another—sometimes a little too comfortable sharing things. Regardless, I never hesitated to be her mother. I knew when to put my foot down and when to give in. I had mastered the art of picking my battles, and so far, it seemed to have paid off. Emma was a good kid; she made straight As, never broke curfew, and as far as I knew, never did drugs. Short of checking to see if her hymen was still intact, I was rather confident she was still a virgin, too.

“Yes, Mom, just the two of us. It’s ten thirty on a Saturday morning. What is it you think we could possibly get into?”

If only she knew she’d been conceived before noon on a weekend at an arcade. But I wasn’t about to tell her that. We were close, but not that close. She didn’t need all the details to know the end result. “Sure, go ahead. Do you need money?”

With a small bounce on the balls of her feet, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. “No, but thank you.” She never accepted money when I offered, probably because she knew I didn’t have much to spare. Then again, she never needed to take mine when she had a father who tried to buy her affection—and based on how much he gave her, I could only assume he thought her love was expensive.

Emma grabbed her keys from the bowl on the counter and ran out of the house. She’d turned sixteen two months ago, so the thought of her behind the wheel of a car did nothing but give me chest pains. It was hard to acknowledge that my baby was growing up—my only baby.

Summers were hard enough without her constant need to meet up with her friends. During the months she was out of school, she lived with her dad—part of the custody arrangement we’d agreed to when she was little. His wife had worked from home, so at the time, it made sense for Emma to stay there. Even with a full-time job, I couldn’t have afforded daycare five days a week, which had left me in no position to argue. And even though she wasn’t a kid anymore, we’d never changed the agreement. Emma had always enjoyed the time with her dad and half-sister, so I hadn’t pushed it.

Not only was this her first weekend of the summer with me, but it was her first weekend at the new house, too. I’d managed to get everything unpacked, anticipating spending time with her. Yet it seemed the second she had her room set up, she was out the door. As much as I wanted to make her stay home, I didn’t have the heart to keep her from her friends. I knew too well how quickly a person’s world could change, and while I prayed every day that she’d never experience that, in the event she did, I wanted her to live her life while she could.

With Emma out of the house, the boxes unpacked, and nothing else to do, I decided to take a little time for myself. One of the selling points for this house was the neighborhood pool located in the center of the subdivision—one street away. Actually, it was the only selling point. I hadn’t taken a swim yet, considering I’d spent my entire vacation unloading boxes and putting things where they belonged. So, I slipped into a bikini, slathered on sunscreen, and grabbed a towel on my way out the door.

I was surprised when I approached the gate and noticed I was the only one there. It was almost noon on a Saturday in the middle of summer. I had imagined there would be at least seven families, nine Super Soakers, and a minimum of two radios playing vastly different music. Then again, I pretty much lived in a retirement village.

As I draped my towel over a lounge chair, I giggled when I thought about Ash’s assessment of our neighbors. He wasn’t wrong. I still hadn’t met any of them, but I’d seen a few in their yards or walking down the sidewalk, and so far, every last one of them had been over the age of sixty-five. At least they seemed friendly, waving or smiling as I passed.

I settled onto the chair and closed my eyes, happy I’d picked this house to buy—the peace and quiet made the older home well worth it. With as hot as it was outside, I hadn’t planned to lay out for long. And after less than twenty minutes, the heat had already started to get to me. Yet it was the slow creak of the gate that made my eyes fly open, signaling I was no longer alone.

Ash strolled in, set his things on a white, plastic table near the entrance, and reached behind him to pull his shirt over his head. He hadn’t once looked my way, so I wasn’t sure if he’d seen me. Although, I doubted he could’ve missed me when he’d walked up.

I just lay there, watching him from behind my tinted glasses, hating myself for how attracted I was to someone so much younger. A trickle of perspiration fell between my breasts, though I doubted it had to do with the summer sun or insane level of humidity. Even though it may have been nearly a hundred degrees outside, it didn’t come close to how hot my neighbor was.

The muscles in his shoulders rippled with every step he made toward the pool. The dimples on either side of his spine, just above the waistband of his swim shorts, left me drooling. And then he dove in, offering me a moment to pull myself together.

This was insane. Ash couldn’t have been more than twenty-five, though I figured he was around twenty-two. At least, that was what I told myself at night when I was alone in my room with thoughts of his deep voice, hard biceps, and sexy grin. I’d feel dirty if he wasn’t even twenty-one. Not that it really mattered. Whether he was twenty or twenty-five, he was too young for me.

When he surfaced, he swam to the side and wiped the water from his face—directly in front of my chair. He crossed his arms on the concrete ledge, dropped his chin onto his folded hands, and stared right at me.

For a second, I wondered if he’d believe I was asleep. But when he smiled, I realized I had a better chance of convincing him I was the Queen of England. My sunglasses weren’t fooling anyone—especially him.

“Hey, Kristy.” His voice was low and gravelly, and my name was nothing more than a rumble coated in a hint of seduction. “You plan on getting in?”

I thought about acting surprised, like I hadn’t seen him there, but then I thought better of it. Instead, I shrugged. “Yeah. Actually, I was just about to cool off when you showed up. I figured you came here to relax, so I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. The pool’s big enough for both of us.” He jerked his head the way guys did when calling someone over. “Come on, jump in. It feels great, and you’re hot.”

I couldn’t be sure, but I doubted he meant overheated. My suspicion only grew worse once I slid off the chair and noticed his bottom lip roll between his teeth. As I ambled toward the shallow end, choosing to use the steps rather than jump in, I could almost feel his eyes follow me. But it was when I stepped into the water, facing him, that I became convinced I hadn’t misinterpreted his words. With his arms still crossed over the ledge, his head turned toward me, he raked his gaze down my chest until I’d lowered myself enough to hide the view.

Crouching in the shallow end wasn’t very comfortable, yet I couldn’t stand up straight, and if I went into the middle where it was deep enough to touch without my shoulders being above the surface, I’d be even closer to Ash. While my body thought that was a great idea, my brain warned against it. Getting involved with a neighbor could be disastrous. Not only that, but I was sure Emma would have a lot to say about her mother sleeping with someone closer to her age than mine.

Thankfully, Ash didn’t leave his post along the side. He did, however, turn around to face me. And with the way he held himself up with his elbows on the ledge behind him, it made it very difficult to pay attention to anything other than his hard, bare chest and broad shoulders.

I wondered how long it’d take to convince myself he was thirty.

“I haven’t seen you around this week. Have you been hiding?” His deep timbre traveled over the surface of the pool with ease, eliminating the need to raise his voice. It took no effort at all to hear every word he uttered in his baritone vibrato.

“No.” I circled my arms through the water, yet I kept my feet firmly planted on the smooth bottom. “I work during the week, and since I used vacation time to move, I had a lot to catch up on—late nights.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a bank manager.”

“Nice. How exactly does one become the manager of a whole bank?”

“I started as a teller when I was about your age and just worked my way up.”

His brows knitted when he asked, “And how old do you think I am?”

“Twenty-two?” I phrased it as a question in the hopes he’d answer, and then I held my breath as I waited for confirmation. I refused to analyze my need to know, considering it wouldn’t change anything. Unless, of course, he told me he was thirty and just looked younger. If that happened…so much would change. Such as, I wouldn’t need to keep my knees bent in the shallow end anymore.

He didn’t do or say anything for a moment, only regarded me with a slightly furrowed brow. Then his expression relaxed. His head bobbed like one of those dashboard ornaments, a hint of a smirk dancing at the corners of his mouth and something akin to mischief glimmering in his eyes.

I wasn’t entirely sure how to take his response. Although, before I could question it, he asked, “Do you have to be any good at guessing someone’s age in order to hold your position?” Which only further confused me.

“No. Why?”

He shrugged, the twinkle in his eye nearly blinding me. “No reason. I just didn’t know if you had any special training, or if your ability to guess someone’s age was natural.”

The smile that burned my cheeks was instant, and I couldn’t fight against it. Excitement fluttered low in my stomach at the confirmation that he was at least twenty-one. Again, I refused to question why. Nothing had changed in the last ten minutes—or even the last week. A guy his age was still considered a baby to anyone with a sixteen-year-old child.

I needed to change the subject before my uncontrollable grin gave him the impression I was crazy. “So, if you don’t go to college, what do you do for a living?”

Finding myself near the deep end, I no longer needed to squat as much; although, I didn’t recall moving from where I was, let alone getting any closer to him.

He abandoned his position along the wall, slowly sank into the water, and drifted toward me. “Right now, I build furniture out of my garage.”

“What kind of furniture?” It didn’t matter, but the way he crept in my direction left me desperate to keep the conversation going.

“Namely tables, but I also do benches, bookshelves, TV stands, entertainment units—you name it, I can probably make it.”

“Wow, that’s really impressive. Do you sell them at a store or something?”

“Not yet. Right now, I work off word of mouth—at least, for custom pieces. During downtime, I’ll build something easy and cheap just to post in online marketplaces. People will reach out and ask if I have it in a smaller size or a different stain. Once I tell them I can make whatever they want, I have a new custom order.”

I was beyond impressed, and slightly jealous that I wasn’t nearly as put-together at his age. Then again, I doubted he had a five-year-old running his life and calling the shots. “How’d you learn to do all that?”

“I taught myself.”

Somehow, as he advanced toward me, I’d inadvertently shifted closer to the other side. I didn’t realize it until I bumped into the smooth wall. He pretty much had me cornered. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he continued his slow prowl until he sidled up next to me. Grabbing onto the ledge, I discreetly shimmied toward the deep end.

To keep from being obvious, I continued the conversation. “You just woke up one morning and decided to teach yourself how to build furniture?”

“Not exactly.” His laughter rumbled in his chest, sounding far deeper than before. Then again, he was much closer now. “I needed a hobby, so one day, I researched what I would need to build a desk.”

“Why did you choose that?”

In the sun, his brown eyes had an orange hue to them. I hadn’t remembered that last weekend in my driveway—then again, that had been later in the day when the sun had already started to set, leaving us in the shadow of my house. But now that I had noticed it, I couldn’t look away. For some reason, the color reminded me of Halloween.

“When I said I needed a hobby, what I really meant was…I wanted something I could do from home that would make money. And the only way anyone would take a teenager seriously, was if I had a desk.”

“Oh, how old were you? Still in high school?”

He paused for a second and then nodded. “Yeah. I was sixteen. Anyway, once I had all the materials and tools, I watched about a million videos on how to incorporate drawers that would actually slide without rollers or metal tracks. The rest is history.”

I stopped shimmying away from him, needing to hear the entire story. “That’s it? You made one piece of furniture and that turned into a job?”

“Not quite. I still don’t have a desk.” He shook his head and laughed, forcing my lips to curl in response. “But boy did I try…like thirty-seven times. I’d master one part only to mess up another, and then I’d have to start over until I understood how to do it right. It was an endless cycle. I finally gave up, although now it’s my utility bench. So, I guess you can say it wasn’t a total failure.”

“Damn…you really know how to crush a person’s pride, don’t you?” It’d been a joke, though I wasn’t sure he got the punchline. “You let me boast about moving up from a bank teller to manager; meanwhile, you literally taught yourself how to turn wood into something useful—and I can only imagine beautiful, as well.”

“You shouldn’t diminish your accomplishments. Staying in a job and advancing to the top is admirable. And considering your daughter is sixteen, I can only assume you had her at a young age. So, to do all of that with a kid is definitely something to be proud of.”

I swallowed thickly, suddenly unsure of how to respond to a compliment, which had never been an issue before now. “Yeah, I was seventeen when I had her. Well, almost. Having a baby before graduating from high school didn’t leave me much choice. Bouncing from job to job wasn’t an option—paying the bills was hard enough; I didn’t need the added worry of where my next paycheck would come from.”

He remained silent while staring into my eyes, making me wonder if he could read my mind. After a few seconds, the corners of his mouth tilted the tiniest bit, as if silently taunting me with a secret he couldn’t share. Normally, that would’ve irritated me. But on Ash, it was sexy and alluring.

Then he blinked, breaking free from the moment, and his smile widened. His lips no longer held the secrecy from before, yet they hadn’t lost their appeal. “I knew you were too young to have a kid with a driver’s license. When I first saw you, I thought you were in your late twenties, maybe thirty. Damn, Kristy…how many times has one of Emma’s boyfriends hit on you?”

My cheeks instantly burned, and it had nothing to do with the sun. “Uh…never.”

“That’s surprising.” He licked his lips, his eyes briefly falling to mine. “You don’t have to worry about me sneaking into her room. Instead, you’ll have to worry about me sneaking into yours.”

His voice had grown so low and gritty it made me wonder what he sounded like first thing in the morning. Which, of course, left me with an image of him in bed. Before I knew it, my mind had gotten away from me, picturing what we could do together under those sheets while he uttered the dirtiest things in that husky tone.

The way he regarded me with such intensity in his dark eyes caused a pulse to throb between my legs, reminding me how long it’d been since a man had touched me. I couldn’t think straight, let alone breathe properly or hold my head above water. So, I gripped the ledge until the concrete bit into my palms, hoping that would be enough to keep the weight of my desire from dragging me to the bottom.

Fuck it.

Two years was too damn long to go without the feel of a man’s hands on my skin. I craved the passion I could only get from someone skilled in the bedroom—someone who knew when to be rough and when to be gentle. And the way Ash looked at me right now, with hunger so tangible he could eat me at any second, I had no doubt he could leave me satisfied and smiling.

Disregarding my concerns for our age difference, I asked, “What are your plans for tonight?”

Emma would be home, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t hide out in his room for a few hours. Maybe having him for a neighbor wouldn’t be so bad, after all. If we kept our relationship strictly sexual—nothing serious—and Emma never found out, there would be no reason for it to end badly.

“My dad will be here. In fact”—he lifted his wrist and checked his watch—“his flight lands in about three hours.”

“Oh, your dad’s coming to visit?” I prayed he would only be here for the weekend, because I had an itch that needed scratching. And if I had to wait much longer, especially after the way he looked at me today, that itch just might become a rash.

His brows knitted, yet he quickly blinked it away. “Uh, no. He lives there.”

“Your dad lives with you?”

“I guess you can say that.” He shook his head and smiled. “He travels a lot for work, so he’s never home. Like he comes in today, but he flies out again either tomorrow night or really early Monday morning. I basically live by myself, so it doesn’t bother me.”

“That’s not too bad. I can’t really blame you, though. I mean, had I not gotten pregnant, I probably would’ve stayed at my parents’ house for as long as they’d let me. And if they were always gone, they’d never get me to leave.”

“Yeah, exactly,” he said with his chin tucked, humor almost muffling his words. At first, it sounded like he was uncomfortable, maybe even nervous. But when he returned his attention to me, his brilliant smile set the record straight. “Why did you want to know my plans?”

“I thought maybe you’d want to hang out or something? But we can do it some other time. Emma will be home, and I haven’t spent much time with her. So, it works out for the best that your dad will be around.”

He nodded, the orange glow in his chocolate eyes holding me captive, silently at his mercy. “We’ll definitely have to do that sometime.”

It was all I could do to nod without the excitement of a teenager finding out her crush knew her name. Clearly, I needed to get laid before I reached the hysteria of a tween. There was a good chance if that happened, I would never be able to come back from it.

“Well, I should probably get home and clean up a little before my dad gets in.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” With all my blood circulating near the apex of my thighs, I was surprised I could speak a full sentence. However, after replaying it in my head, I wished I had just kept my mouth shut.

“See ya later, Kristy.” His smile was so broad, there was a good chance he was laughing at me, though I ignored that possibility and returned an equally brilliant grin in response.

Without releasing my hold on the ledge, I craned my neck to watch him over my shoulder. He grabbed the metal railing and slowly climbed the three steps until he was completely out of the water. Dripping wet, he sauntered to the table where he’d dropped his belongings, wrapped his towel around his waist, and slipped his feet into his sandals.

I began to wonder if he’d leave without glancing at me one last time. It wasn’t like I cared if he didn’t—okay, I would’ve cared a tiny bit, considering that would suggest he wasn’t interested in “hanging out.” And there was no way he’d understood that to mean watch movies on a couch. And if that were the case, I needed sex more than I thought—misreading a casual conversation as something sexual could have catastrophic consequences.

But before he walked through the gate, he stilled with his hand on the fencepost and twisted at the hips to face me. His mischievous smirk caused my breathing to hitch until my exhalations were shaky and labored. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he noticed—or at least, I assumed he had based on the slow stretch of his lips, transforming his grin from sly to devious. He slung his shirt over his wet shoulder and wagged his brows.

And then he was gone.

Making the turn around the bend toward my house, I pressed the button on the controller to open the garage. Then I pushed it again. By the third time, I was already in my driveway, yet the damn thing still hadn’t lifted.

This was the last thing I needed after a crappy day at work.

I slammed the gearshift into park and threw my car door open. With the remote aimed directly at the center of the garage, I pressed it seventeen more times before throwing it at the metal door.

“Whoa.” A deep rumble came from over my shoulder.

I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

Yet I did anyway.

I pivoted on my four-inch heel, but before I made it all the way around, I was stopped still by the sight before me—Ash, standing in my driveway like a perfectly sculpted piece of art.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, too stunned at the utter perfection that was Asher Jenkins to do anything other than drool and imagine what our babies would look like.

He had a toolbelt slung around his hips, causing his cargo shorts to sag the tiniest bit. I’d never been one to gawk at construction workers as I drove past. Then again, I’d never seen one look anything like Ash did right now. Which was a good thing; otherwise, I would’ve had my license revoked a long time ago.

His eyes took me in from head to toe, but rather than say anything, he ran his hand down his cheek, along his jaw, and over his mouth. The short hairs on his face scratched against his palm, reminding me of the wheel of a Zippo flicking the flint, only slower, and the flame it sparked burned in the pit of my stomach.

He was a man on the edge, holding himself back by a bare thread. “Hey, Kristy.” Even his voice was deeper than a moment ago, scratchier, full of restraint and dirty thoughts.

The whole encounter left me utterly confused. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him in four days, since I’d all but invited him to spend some time between my legs, sans clothes. And after turning me down—for a good reason—he’d disappeared. I’d assumed hiding out had been his way of letting me know he wasn’t interested, and by this morning, I was over it. Well, I thought I was…until I came face to face with him again.

Damn him for wearing a muscle shirt and toolbelt, his golden tan glistening for my viewing pleasure.

I wasn’t sure what to say, and while I wanted to just turn around and walk away, I couldn’t. That would only make things awkward. And considering he’d pretty much witnessed my temper tantrum over the garage door not working, I couldn’t chance making the situation worse.

Apparently, Ash could only wait so long while I did nothing but stand there and blink. And it seemed my time was up. He stalked toward me and lightly held my hand. Well, it was more like the very tips of my fingers, but with the effect that slight touch had, he might as well have wrapped his arm around my waist and hauled my body against his. It caused me to wobble in my heels for a moment, but I managed to catch my balance before falling into him. That might’ve been embarrassing, especially if he thought I’d done it on purpose.

“Are you okay?” The concern in his eyes and sincerity in his voice blew my mind.

I hadn’t expected to hear or see that, and it made me curious if I’d missed an entire conversation between Saturday at the pool and now. I somehow managed to shake it off and say, “Of course…why?”

“You just threw your opener at the garage door.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just not working—no need to stop what you’re doing to deal with my little hissy fit.”

He cradled my face in his hands, forcing my eyes on his. The heat of his palms fried every last functioning brain cell I had, so I wasn’t in any position to pull away. Nor did I have the power to drop my gaze from the fiery glow in his stare.

“Kristy…” He paused for a moment and glanced over his shoulder. When he returned his attention to me, he lowered his voice and asked, “Where’s Emma? Is she home?” It was almost a whisper, though I couldn’t understand the reason for the concern in his tone.

“No, she’s, uh…she’s at her dad’s. Why?”

His brow furrowed while he regarded me, then he asked, “Were you ever married?”

“To who? Emma’s dad?” I balked with a condescending laugh, finally able to pull away from his hold. “No, thank God. We split before she was born.”

“Do you just not get along with him?”

While I understood the curiosity, the constant questions while standing in my driveway threw me for a loop. “Are you writing an article about me or something?”

He huffed and backed away—which wasn’t the safest move. Putting a little distance between us should’ve relaxed me, yet all it did was give me a fuller view. “You didn’t sound very excited about her being there. So, I wasn’t sure if he was a deadbeat or you just didn’t like him. Nasty divorce is off the table since you guys were never married.”

“She spends the summers with him. She’s only here every other weekend, and I hate it.”

“Because you get lonely?”

I leaned against the side of my car, settling in for whatever kind of conversation this was. “I always miss her, but now that she can drive and has friends and a boyfriend, even when she is with me, she’s not usually around. I have two more years before she leaves for college, and I just wish I could spend that time with her.”

“I get it. But at least it’s only for a couple of months. You should spend your free time doing something for you. Find a hobby, pick up something you used to love but haven’t been able to do in a while, or just be lazy and enjoy life.”

That was easier said than done.

I shrugged and glanced away. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

“I’m sure you could come up with something.” He rested the heel of his palm on his toolbelt, looking all kinds of sexy with the evening sun spread out behind him. The muscle tank he wore did a perfect job showcasing his golden skin tone, giving him that rugged appearance that turned me on so much.

“Well, if there’s anything around the house you want fixed, replaced, updated…you know, like that.” He hitched his thumb to the side, reminding me what had sparked this conversation and why we were in the middle of my driveway.

“That’s not necessary; I’m sure it just needs a new battery.”

Confidence radiated through his dark, promising eyes. “You might as well put me to work. Feel free to use me…for whatever you need.”

“As nice as it is for you to offer your assistance, I think I can handle it.” I mentally rolled my eyes and groaned at myself for the lack of gratitude I showed. “But really, I appreciate it. If I can’t figure it out, I’ll come get you.”

He quirked an eyebrow and raked his gaze down my body. There was no way I’d misread those signals. And the way he tucked his bottom lip between his teeth erased the fears of rejection I’d carried around since Saturday.

“Well, you know where I’ll be.” He sauntered over to the black and grey remote on the ground and picked it up. Without a word, he handed it to me and then headed across the grass to his house. Although, I did not miss the last-minute glance over his shoulder…or the wink he tossed my way.

Then I prayed I would be able to get the door open to keep from looking like an idiot.

After grabbing my purse and keys from the car, I went inside through the front. And in a moment of brilliance, I replaced the battery, opened the door from the laundry room into the garage, and pressed the button. That way, he wouldn’t see me if this attempt also failed.

And considering my day couldn’t get any better if I found a suitcase full of money, the damn thing still didn’t work. Dropping my forehead to the doorframe, I released a frustrated groan and wondered if Ash would believe that I’d chosen to leave my car in the driveway overnight. And if he did, I questioned if he’d also believe that the repair van that would show up was an old friend from high school stopping by to catch up on old times.

Probably not likely.

But it was definitely worth a shot.

After making three calls, only one answered, and they couldn’t make it out until tomorrow morning—after I had to be at work. And unless I went in late, I wouldn’t be able to get it fixed for three more days.

I seriously considered parking my clunker in the driveway until they could make it out to the house. But in the end, I gave in and forced myself to walk next door. Luckily, Ash was still outside, and unless his Machiavellian grin meant something else, he’d expected me to return.

“You really know how to give a girl a complex.” Yeah…I bet he didn’t expect that.

He narrowed his gaze on me, his grin faltering. “What do you mean?”

“This whole act you have going on…it’s as if you actually want to see me, except the last time I saw you, you disappeared for days, like you were avoiding me or something.”

“You think I’ve been avoiding you?” Dammit. He wasn’t supposed to put me on the spot.

“I might not use that particular word, but maybe something similar, yes. We talked about hanging out, yet I haven’t seen so much as your shadow since you took off to clean the house before your dad got there.”

Happiness danced in his smile, while a slight tinge of inhibition darkened his eyes. “Kristy, I have a garage full of orders I have to fill. I’ve been at it nonstop since Sunday. The week I visited my mom put me behind, and somehow, I managed to overlook two tables that are supposed to be finished by this weekend. I promise…I haven’t been avoiding you.”

“As far as excuses go, that’s a pretty decent one.”

His laughter filled his words when he said, “It’s the truth.”

“Fine. But since you’re so busy, I shouldn’t bother you with my garage door.”

Ash didn’t give me a chance to walk away before snatching the remote from my hand. “Come on…let’s go check this out and see what we can do about it.”

To my surprise, he managed to have the thing fixed in less than five minutes. All it needed was a new battery—as in, one that hadn’t previously been used. Seriously, I needed to remember to start throwing those things away when I exchanged them rather than tossing them back into the drawer to mistake for a new one when I needed it.