Page 92 of Perfect Mess

“Wow, a microwave. How many anniversaries would that take?”

“A lot. But I’m still not connecting the dots on what any of this has to do with your grudge against Justin Bieber.”

“We were supposed to playAs Long as You Love Meat the wedding. Ever since I called off the engagement, well, let’s just say Justin Bieber songs don’t quite sound the same.”

Once again, my eyes wandered over the dimple in Gary’s left cheek. Then the way his throat bobbed when he swallowed.Whirlpool eyes.I had to remind myself to stop staring. But not before I caught his eyes drifting back over me.

Obviously Gary and I would have nothing to do with each other a year from now, let alone two years or ten years or however long it took to get a new microwave. That whole conversation, of course, we were just playing around. Unless, maybe, I was successful in setting him up with Janet. Who knows, then maybe Gary and Janet and Jack and I could all hang out. Go on couple’s dates. Grow old together. We could all play bridge on Wednesday nights.

“I suppose I should thank you.”

“For helping with the dishes? It’s the least I could do.”

“No,” I said, wandering across the kitchen. “For the wallpaper.” I traced the pencil markings with my hand. “If you had torn it all down, like I asked you to, I wouldn’t have seen these.”

Gary walked over to stand beside me. “Sometimes there’s more there than you see at first,” he said. “If you look a little closer.”

“You win.” I said.

“I win?”

“You’re right, the wallpaper would make a nice accent. Just this wall, though.”

“We’re negotiating?”

“Not really. Deal?”

“Deal,” Gary agreed, smiling right back.

There was that damn dimple again. Along with a very familiar warm feeling in my chest, a feeling which started sinking lower. And lower. And lower still.

“Now what do you say we go jump in the pool?” asked Gary.

“We?”

ChapterTwenty-One

The warmth that had been sitting in my chest and my knees and every body part in between now went ice cold. “Me go swimming?” That wasn’t part of the deal. When I invited Gary over, I was expecting just Kyle to go swimming. While Gary and I sat down at a table, fully clothed, and planned our next move to woo Janet.

“I don’t have a bathing suit,” I said, thinking fast. It was the truth, too. I had left my bathing suit back at my apartment. And even if I had a bathing suit, I certainly wouldn’t be prancing around half naked in front of Gary. “You brought your swim suit too?” I asked, just to clarify his intentions.

“Well yeah. Of course,” Gary said, as if him prancing around half naked in front of me was never in question. “You don’t have a swimsuit?”

“I never brought it with me,” I explained. “It’s still at my apartment.” My breath quickened and that warmth in various parts of my body suddenly returned.

“But you have a pool.” Gary pointed to the pool out the window, as if I didn’t realize it was there.

“Correction. Aunt Catherine had a pool. This was her house. Not mine.”

“But didn’t you move in?”

“Temporarily. Just until I’m done renovating so I can sell it.”

Gary looked at me like I was a crazy woman. “Why would you go back to an apartment when you now have this home?”

“Houses aren’t homes,” I said. It was a common mistake. One of the many myths propagated by the financial services industry. “Houses are assets,” I explained. “A piece of property to be bought and sold.”

“So you’re definitely not staying?”

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