Page 22 of Whatever You Want

“Thank you for saying that.” I lowered my voice and looked away. “And thank you for the snacks and for taking me to your secret spot. And for not burying me in the woods.”

“You’re welcome for the snacks, but I have to be honest, I’m going to have to do some extra cardio to work off all that sugar. I’m not as young as I used to be. I can’t eat like that and not pay for it the next day. Maybe I could do some landscaping around my house and practice my digging.”

I laughed. “I don’t know, Detective, your arms seemed pretty strong and solid last night when you had to help me into your truck.”

“Why, Ava Donavon, were you objectifying me when I was trying to be a gentleman by lending you a hand during your time of need? If you were, I would totally be okay with it.”

Was he really flirting with me? It was hard to tell because it was such a big part of his personality. I always felt there was a physical attraction on his end, well, until he rejected me.

“There you go again fishing for compliments.”

“Did it work? Or should I float by again and…”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“Wait.” He laughed. “Marco called and asked if I could lend him my truck next weekend to help you move. I figured you might need some manual labor too.”

“Oh.” I sunk my teeth into my lower lip. My thoughts went back and forth on why this wouldn’t be a good idea. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, an extra pair of hands would be nice. So, whatever reasons I came up with wouldn’t be very good.

“You don’t have to, but I appreciate the offer. I could use all the help I can get.”

“Then it’s settled. I also wanted to ask if it was okay if Brina came with me. It’s my weekend with her and my ex will give me shit if I’m late picking her up.”

I remembered him telling me how difficult she could be.

“Absolutely. Madison will be excited to have her tag along. They could keep each other busy.”

“Great. I look forward to seeing you.”

I laughed. “You mean helping me move, lifting heavy boxes, and probably getting sucked into putting furniture together.”

“More than you know.” He ended the call before I could say anything else. What the hell did that mean? I tossed my phone on the table and looked up. Kara was smiling at me.

“Why do you look so amused with yourself?”

She swept her long blond hair over her shoulder. “You are smitten.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

She pushed away from the counter and stalked over to me. “Listen to me. You are going to let that gorgeous hunk help you. He obviously wants to or he never would have offered.”

“Marco asked him too,” I pointed out, but she just ignored me.

“After he’s done his part, you are going to thank him, by cooking him dinner and maybe enjoying a little dessert after too.” She waggled her eyebrows, and I tipped my head back on a groan.

“I will do no such thing.” I got to my feet and started to walk away from her.

“This isn’t over,” she hollered, and being the mature adult I was, I flipped her off as I walked to the backroom to pull myself together.

CHAPTER NINE

My jaw hung open when I saw what she was wearing. It felt like my eyes were going to bulge right out of their sockets at the sight. I scrubbed a hand along my eyebrow, praying that I could get through these next few hours.

I gripped the steering wheel, squinting my eyes through the windshield of the car. The sun wasn’t the only thing warming my skin. Ava was carrying a box to the end of the driveway, wearing a pair of white shorts that were so small you could practically see her bottom sticking out. She couldn’t possibly think that they were going to cover anything. The blue tank top that showed hints of skin underneath every time it blew in the breeze wasn’t much better. There was no doubt that my self-restraint was going to be tested today. Groaning in frustration, I silently debated turning my truck around and peeling out of here before anyone could notice.

Brina’s fingers were tapping against her iPad. She had her headphones in, listening to “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift. She was distracted, and I was grateful for the silence. I needed a minute to clear my head.

“Dad.” Brina’s feet pressed against the back of my seat. “Can you unlock the door please?”

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