Page 12 of Thinking It Over

“Wow,” I said as I exited my car. “This is incredible.” It didn’t matter that the one banister railing was a little rotten or that the paint was peeling. The whole house wasn’t quite what I associated with the misunderstood Heathcliff or the genius that was Shelley and the hundreds of thousands of words I’d devoured when studying gothic literature. But in its loved and well-worn state, there were enough stunning features to send my romantic heart a little crazy.

Austin moved to stand at my side, his focus on the house. “Thank you. When it came on the market not long after I moved here, I couldn’t resist.”

“It really is beautiful.” My wide eyes didn’t stray from the steep lines of the roof. I couldn’t wait to see what it was like inside.

“I think so. Rupert hated it. We only lived together for a couple of years, and he tried time and time again to convince me to sell and buy in town.” From my peripheral vision, I saw he was shaking his head. “Sorry, the last thing I want to talk about is Rupert.”

“No, honestly, it’s fine,” I reassured quickly. Still with no idea what had gone down at work, I didn’t push. Admittedly I was curious, but there was no way I’d pry. “I’m so glad you didn’t.” I angled to look at him when I caught his movement to face me. I indicated toward his home. “Sell up. It would have been a tragedy.” Even though I smiled, I was deadly serious. Wanting to give up a place like this…. Rupert really was a dickhead.

“Well, it’s a work in progress, but I’m getting there, slowly but surely.” He took a few steps forward and glanced back at me. “You want a quick tour before heading out?”

My head was bobbing up and down on the first syllable.

Austin laughed. “Come on then. It’ll have to bequick, as there’s no way Penny will let us get away with a long tour.”

Following him up the stairs, I admired the view. His ass looked mighty fine in his pressed pants, and the latticework on the staircase was incredible too. Multitasking was a talent of mine, and I’d never been more grateful for that.

“Shoes off?” I asked before I entered, Austin holding the door open for me. My mom would have whipped my butt if I hadn’t at least asked.

“You’re all good. Dress shoes tend not to be caked in anything we need to be worried about.” A small wink followed his words, and once more, my heart increased in speed.

After a quick tour where I continued to mimic a gasping fish out of water and was almost bowled over by Penny, I stared across his grounds. This place really was incredible.

“How much land do you have?”

“Just a couple of acres. Enough to keep me busy.” There was the distinct sound of the fridge door opening. “Bottle of water to take out?”

I nodded and threw him a smile from over my shoulder. “That’d be great, thanks.” I turned and faced him. “We ready?” He bobbed his head. “I’ll switch to my sneakers.”

We walked out together toward his truck, Penny bounding happily by his side. After changing into my Nikes, I headed over to the truck and pulled myself inside the cab. Another grin curled my lips high. It really was an amazing vehicle.

Austin’s soft laugh pulled my gaze to him. His smile was wide as he looked over at me. “Pass your inspection?” He tilted his head, his eyes bright with amusement.

“Start her up and get us on the road, and I’ll let you know.” I mirrored his movement, and he snorted, starting the engine. I looked over my shoulder at Penny, who was safely secured in the bed of the truck. She couldn’t reach the side, but she sat calmly, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she gazed around. “She knows the routine?” I indicated behind me.

“You could say that. She loves coming out in the truck. Not that I can blame her.” He flicked his eyes briefly in my direction, a self-assured grin on his mouth before he returned his attention to the road. “Seriously, though. I tried just walking around the property, throwing her a ball. While she loved it, she doesn’t react quite the same as me taking her out and to the dog park. Plus it’s good to socialize her, you know?”

“There’s a dog park back in town?” I asked, not really knowing the town all that well. “I thought maybewe were just taking her to some open land or something,” While it was bigger than Kirkby, it was a far cry from a city. Truth be told, I’d only stopped there a couple of times. My parents had moved to Kirkby when I was just eighteen. They hadn’t been ready for retirement, far from it, but they’d been looking for somewhere quieter and had been able to live pretty much anywhere with good internet as Dad had worked remotely. It meant beyond the basics of having heard that the school was a decent one and that there was a two-screen movie theater, I didn’t know much else about this town.

But what I’d seen, I liked.

“Yes,” Austin answered. “I think it opened just before I moved into the area. Penny loves it. Plus it’s close to the ice-cream place.”

“There’s an ice cream place in town?” I practically gushed as my voice took on a dreamy sigh. Anyone who knew me well was fully aware of my weakness—some said fixation—on the cold stuff.

“Yes, a really good one too.” His eyes briefly connected with mine. “They even stay open a little later on Friday and Saturday nights.”

“It would be rude not to check out the place,” I teased. Jesting aside, there was no way I couldn’t get ice cream. I deserved a treat after my long-ass week.

“I agree,” he answered, his humor evident. “Plus, it’s my treat for surviving your first week.”

My stomach did a weird nervous flip at that. It should have been weird that I was out with my boss. But there was nothing about our time together that screamed strange or uncomfortable, apart from the regular moments I maybe rambled too much or left myself open for innuendo. Though his reaction, every single time so far, was far from awkward. And while I was certainly no expert in pretty much anything other than—I hoped—teaching high school English, we had a connection, quite possibly a mutual attraction. And if I was way off the mark with the latter, I was enjoying his company a lot.

With all of this playing in my head, it took me a moment to register that I’d gone quiet and that Austin had said my name, maybe even asked me a question.

“What, sorry?” I pulled my focus away from staring into the distance and glanced at him.

“You okay?” Concern marred his features. “If you’re too tired…?”

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