Page 90 of Square Deal

“Get like what?” I said with a mouthful of cereal.

“Stubborn as a mule,” he said, pointing his spoon at me. “And a little strippy. Keep your clothes on.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m always stubborn. At least I came willingly. I didn’t even try to drive.”

“Yeah, because you knew I’d just pick you up and throw you in the back of my vehicle if you pulled your keys out.” Chase spooned the last bite out of his bowl before setting it on the coffee table. “You’ve barely been around, and you’re acting all squirrelly. Do I need to be worried about this guy?”

The buzz was gone.

“Nope, I have it handled. It’s just new, and I’m not ready to kiss and tell until I know if it’s going to stick.”

“That’s fair.”

“You know,” I began, taking our dishes to the sink. “You shouldn’t be taking Layla out to Jokers.”

Chase’s smile fell as we walked up the stairs to get to the attic. “Pretty sure I have the same right anyone else does to take whoever I want to Jokers.”

“You know what I mean,” I said, waiting at the bottom of the attic’s pull-down stairs. He handed me box after box, labeledtree ornaments, nativity scenes, and miniature trees.

I went classy with my Christmas decor. No animatronic reindeer or inflatable Santas. It was a white lights, red ribbon, and green garland only kind of house.

Year after year, Chase threatened to put up blinking, colored lights. And, year after year, I threatened to break into his house and poke holes in all his condoms. So, the decorations stayed just the way I wanted them.

“What’s with all the two-by-fours in your truck?” I called up from the bottom of the ladder as I shivered in the wind.

Chase teetered on the top rung, where he was draping garlandalong the outside of my house. “Does that look even to you?” he shouted.

I stepped off the bottom of the ladder and prayed he didn’t fall. I took a quick look from the end of the driveway. “Perfect,” I called back.

“That’s the last one,” Chase said, climbing down the ladder and wiping his hands on his jeans. He pointed to the lumber in the bed of his truck. “Finally fixing up the cottage. Might make it an short-term rental.”

I peered through our middle neighbor’s yard and looked at the sagging cottage in Chase’s backyard.Dilapidated shed was more like it.

I cringed. “Good luck with that.”

Chase chuckled and crossed his arms. “You gonna finally pay up for all my years of Christmas decoration goodwill?”

I grinned. “Let me get my wallet.”

He shook his head. “Nah, I just meant I’ll need help decorating the cottage when it’s ready.”

“You just tell me when and where.”

We gathered up the empty decoration boxes sprawled across the porch and packed them inside one another. “So, you’re really not gonna talk about your new man?” Chase said as he hauled the boxes into the laundry room.

I sighed. I wanted a chance to get settled into things with Isaac before I threw him to the wolves.

When would love stop feeling scary?

I paled at the thought.

“Love” was the one four letter word that should be used with extreme caution.

“You gonna bring him to poker night?” Chase asked.

“Are you gonna bring Layla?” I countered.

Chase cracked a smile. “Maybe.”

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