Page 11 of The Last Time

“On time is late in this business,” he says with a smile.

“Thanks for doing this on such late notice and for giving up your Sunday.”

He shrugs. “Work is work.”

We walk up to the front door, but before I can knock, it swings open.

Charlotte is in another sports bra and shorts get up. My jaw clenches in instant anger. What the hell is with this woman and not wearing clothes?

She wipes her forehead with the back of her hand. “Hi. I’m so sorry. I keep losing track of time. I’ve been scrubbing this place from top to bottom for two days now.”

Josh smiles at her. “You do know that we’re about to tear it up. Right?”

Charlotte lets out a soft laugh. “I know. I still needed to do it for my own sanity.”

Watching the two of them smile and laugh with each other stirs something inside of me. I want to tell him to back the fuck off, but she’s not mine. It’s best to remember that I don’t date anymore.

I don’t care what my damn body feels toward Charlotte. Dating went out the window ever since the night my world came crashing down.

But when I see Josh look her body up and down, I’ve never wanted my fist to meet his face more.

“Come on in,” she says directly to Josh. Her eyes meet mine with hesitancy. “Hi, Asher.”

“Hi,” I say to her without meeting her eyes. It feels too intimate, too dangerous to look directly in those beautiful green eyes while I talk.

My apology has gone out the window. All I feel right now is pure adrenaline coursing through me. Since I can’t take it out on her in the way I believe my body would like to, it appears my only other option is through rage.

Josh turns to me in the foyer. “Are we gonna start in the basement and work our way up?”

I nod at him in agreement. “We’ll be downstairs. I’m going to have to shut the water off, so nothing will be functioning for a couple hours.”

“Got it. I’ll refrain from all bathroom use until further notice.”

I do my best to not look directly at the sweat dripping down her cleavage, but it’s not the easiest thing to do. When I move up to her face, her green eyes are just as mesmerizing. Dammit, I don’t know where to look.

I turn around and hustle downstairs like distance is gonna save me from these feelings. As soon as I’m downstairs, I take a much-needed deep breath.

When I look over at Josh, I notice him eyeing me with a smirk.

“What?” I ask in annoyance.

He shrugs. “Nothing. She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t notice,” I reply.

I put down my tools and began inspecting the pipes above me as if I had not just uttered the most ridiculously obvious lie.

Josh chuckles as he sets down his own set of tools. “You didn’t notice, eh?”

“Nope.” I’m short with him. “Okay, you ready to start bringing in the pipes?”

He gives me a knowing smile that I choose to ignore. Josh is one of my buddies that I’ve grown up with. He was around when Lauren passed and has been trying like hell to get me out in the dating scene again.

I’ve told him hundreds of times that I’m not interested in a relationship ever again, but he seems to think I’ll come around.

After we get the pipes that we need to replace downstairs, we begin to work together to take the old ones out.

“You missed an interesting night out last night,” he tells me.

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