Page 8 of The Last Time

Now, I’m in just my shorts and a sports bra. When a second knock comes, I throw the sponge in the bucket and run to the door.

I open it to find Asher looking down at his phone.

He’s in light jeans, work boots, a white t-shirt that fits his clearly defined body like a damn glove, and sunglasses.

If I thought twenty-two-year-old Asher was good-looking, he was nothing compared to thirty-two-year-old Asher. This man is all muscle—tan, broody, perfectly sculpted face with such defined features. It actually takes my breath away.

But when he looks up at me, his mouth turns down as if he isn’t happy with what he sees. It kind of makes my entire body deflate with disappointment.

“Hi. I’m so sorry. I’ve been busy cleaning. I didn’t hear my phone go off,” I say as I run a hand through the loose hair that has fallen from my ponytail.

I must look like a complete mess. Maybe he’s grossed out.

“It’s fine,” is all he says as he steps inside the house. “I’ll just go ahead and look around.”

“Um, okay,” I whisper to myself as I shut the door, but he’s already gone.

My initial impression of him on the phone last night seems to be spot on. Asher Williams has turned into adick.

I didn’t even invite him in. He all but pushed me aside to get in and get to work. Not even ahow are youorhow have you been since the last time I saw you ten years ago?

I walk back to the kitchen to grab my bucket just as he’s coming up from the basement. I presume to shut the water off like a smart person would do before they take a look at the plumbing.

Instead of saying anything to me or offering a smile, he looks me up and down and then grunts to himself.

Seriously, what the hell happened to this man? This is not the Asher I once knew and pined over secretly for years.

Well, I don’t know how long it’s going to take him so I might as well get back to work. I was initially planning on showing him around and watching him inspect in case he had any questions for me. But he clearly is not interested in my company.

So, I grab my bucket and bring it to the foyer to start to work on cleaning the walls. I turn my stereo back on and do my best to tune out the gorgeous yet rude man upstairs.

The walls have so much filth on them that I’m shocked to see how much cleaner they look with just a glide of the sponge. I still think they could use a coat of fresh paint, as can the baseboards, but this is a good start to breathing in some fresh air.

I don’t know how long I get lost in the music as I scrub my little heart away. At some point, when I’m shaking my behind to Shake It Off, I hear a loud throat clearing behind me, which makes me throw my sponge in the air and jump.

“Oh my gosh!” I shout over the music as my hand flies to my heart. “You scared me. I forgot you were here.”

It’s been over an hour. I finished the foyer and just about done with the family room. I’m almost done with the entire first floor, actually.

“I think I know what’s going on," he starts, ignoring the fact that he scared me half to death. “I also did an inspection of different areas I saw that needed work. Do you want to sit down outside and go over everything?”

“Um, sure. The back deck is the only place with seating anyway. We can go out there,” I tell him as I return the sponge back to the bucket and lead him outside.

We walk in awkward silence the entire way to the deck. I take a seat across from him and watch as he pulls out his notepad.

I’m still waiting for him to show any signs of recognition or interest in my life since I’ve been gone, but it seems southern hospitality doesn’t apply anymore where Asher Williams is concerned.

Instead, he gets straight to business.

“So, let’s start with the plumbing. I had to take apart some of the pipes, but I did find corrosion inside the parts that I dismantled. The discoloration of the outside of the pipes is enough for me to say that all of the pipes need to be replaced.”

I’m sure he can see the look of horror on my face. I need to shower and use the bathroom. Although the toilets have flushed so far, I’m just waiting for them to give out on me.

“How long does that take?” I ask.

He scratches the back of his head. “Well, I could get it done in two days with the help of a buddy of mine. Since we aren’t talking about commercial pipes, we could get them from our distributor immediately.”

“And the cost?”

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