Page 3 of Mr. Fix-It

My heart sinks slightly. Of course. This is really about her father. It’s stupid to think she’s agreed to this because she’s actually attracted to me. I’m an old guy and she’s in the prime of her young adulthood. Can’t be a day over twenty-five. What would she want with a forty-five-year-old man like me?

Help fixing up her cabin you fucking idiot.

“Anything I can do to help.” I nod, shoving my hands in my pocket.

“You know the address, right?”

“I do.” I lick my lips, defeated. “You want me to come over now?”

“Oh!” Her eyes do that thing again where she traces the ground at my feet. “I thought…that would actually be ideal. I’d die for a hot shower at the end of the day.”

Damn, my filthy fucking mind.

“If that’s not a problem.” Her fingertips brush my bare arm.

“No.” I pull away, not wanting to get all worked up over nothing. “I can meet you there right now. One question though.” The breeze lifts her hair, showing off her rounded, heart-shaped face. “You got coffee?”

Another killer smile from this sweet little angel. “Yeah. Plenty.”

“Then I’ll see ya soon.” I nod and head toward my truck across the parking lot.

As I turn the key in the ignition, I tell myself to get it out of my head that anything can happen between us. She’s just my old best friend’s kid, whom I’m helping because her dad isn't around. But as I look in the rearview mirror, pining for one more glimpse of her before we go our separate ways, I know it’s going to be a lot harder than I think.

Chapter Three

Juno

Stay calm.I repeat this mantra as Calder works, shirtless, in my shower. It’s hot as hell, no air conditioning and the man’s jeans are riding just below that elusive, sexy v that guys my own age don’t even have. How can this man be…wait.

“How old are you?” The words slip from my mouth. His slow turn toward me makes me want to crawl under a rock. “I mean, I’m just curious.”

“I just turned forty-five.”

“Oh.”

“I know. Ancient right?” His shoulder muscles pop and stretch, arms above his head screwing in my brand-new showerhead.

“Actually, you’re a lot younger than my dad.”

A laugh escapes his gorgeous lips. “No shit.”

“He’s in his fifties, but he looks a lot older than his age. You look young for forty-five, except for the gray hairs.” Jesus, I can’t shut the fuck up. He continues twisting the wrench.

“How old are you?” He asks, and I suddenly feel like a child. One that shouldn’t be subtly hitting on a man who’s mature and has probably had many women. Hot, sexy, confident women.

“Twenty-five. A baby, right?” I pick at the skin near my thumbnail, feeling totally immature.

Calder drops his arms to his sides. His steely blue eyes find mine. My entire body erupts in flames. The thin layer of sweat highlights his bulging physique. If he unbuckled his pants right now I’d spread wide open, ready to receive whatever he’s packing under that tool belt.

“Nah. You’re old enough to buy a house.” He high steps out of the tub. “So you’re old enough to make your own decisions. Not a baby at all, a grown-ass woman.” The slight twang of natural musk radiating off him sends my panties into melt mode. I wiggle my hip to the side, aching for relief from the seam of my jean shorts.

Fuck me. Is he flirting with me? He has to be, right? Calder has turned my brain to scrambled eggs. He moves an inch closer, staring into my eyes for a moment, and I’m on the brink of going for it. Throwing my arms around his neck and breaking this six-month dry spell with my dad’s fucking best fucking friend.

“I’ll go turn the water back on.” He growls, zapping the energy between us to a dull spark.

“Yeah, let’s try her out.” I don’t recognize my voice, meek and wavering.

He steps around me, his heavy work boots sounding through the house as he makes his way to the fuse box in the basement. Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I run a hand through my hair. My palm comes away slightly slick. Of course I’m sweating like a pig. Being this close to an actual man who isn’t a man-child, like every other dude I’ve ever dated, is doing strange things to me. But I have to remind myself that he’s only doing this out of the kindness of his heart. Because my father would want him to. They certainly didn’t end things on good terms, so this is probably a way for him to seek atonement or to at least bridge the gap of a friendship that faded to a former colleague.

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