Page 64 of Just One of the Groomsmen
He chuckled. “Because I spent hours sanding it, and wanted someone to appreciate it.”
“Ooh, nice. So big and sleek, I want to pet it all day.”
The joke would be a lot funnier if it wasn’t turning him on.
Pond scum, pond scum, pond scum.
Her ass pressed against his crotch as she bent to run her hands over the line of the hull, and then the thought of pond scum wasn’t enough.
She glanced over her shoulder, the dim lights of the shed reflected in her big brown eyes. “I’m still waitin’ for you to unveil your new mystery profession.”
Working on redirecting his thoughts, he inhaled through his nose and blew out through his mouth. “The hardest part about unveiling it is I’m not rightly sure how to define it. Do you remember how my grandpa had that side business fixing up boats? Sometimes he also bought old ones, restored them, and then sold them.”
“Yeah. I was always so bored on those weekends and summer days you disappeared to work on boats with your grandpa. When he passed away, I was glad I hadn’t let my selfish side keep you from spending time with him.”
“Sometimes I resented how many hours it ate up, but I learned to love it, and after working in an office for two years, I found a new appreciation for it. It’s something I enjoy, and you can hardly toss a football in this part of Alabama without hitting an old boat that needs serious repairs.
“I thought maybe I’d open up a workshop for all things boating, from accessories to renovations. Or I could do tours of the lake, or all of the above, or…” He let out a long exhale. “This is why I haven’t told anyone my plan yet. I can’t quite pin down the best course of action. First things first, I needed to prove to myself I could do it.”
“I’m guessing your dad wouldn’t be very supportive?”
He curled her hand into his and lowered his lips until they rested on the back of her head, the scent of her shampoo helping calm his nerves. “I didn’t tell him I was leaving the law firm until I was on my way back to Uncertainty, and he spent an hour trying to talk me out of it. I get that a lot of new businesses fail, and that it’s not as lucrative as being an attorney. If I don’t ever try, though, how will I know? And I can always go back to being a lawyer.”
“I’m not sure you can ever get out of being one here, not with my grandma sending so many clients your way.”
He smiled, then waited a beat, wanting her to say…he didn’t know. Maybe that he hadn’t lost his mind, and that this kind of life would be good enough for her, in case they crossed lines and things went well, and…
Wow. Now I’m getting way ahead of myself.
“Do you have the before pictures?” she asked.
He dug his cell out of his pocket, pulled up the pictures he’d taken the first day he’d opened the shed, and it wasn’t exactly a hardship that he practically had to hug Addie to show her the images.
“Are you sure this is the same boat?”
“Unless fairies replaced it while I wasn’t paying attention.”
She took the phone from him to study the pictures, then glanced from the screen to the boat, back to him. “It’s very impressive, Tucker. I think you’ve got something here. I’ll help however I can.”
Several threads from the tight ball of nerves that’d been his constant companion since moving here unraveled, allowing enough room for hope to filter in.
Her words made it okay to let himself be optimistic about this new prospect.
She extended his phone to him and he wrapped his fingers around it and her hand, wanting to test the boundaries—hell, wanting to break them right down.
“You wouldn’t wanna take a ride out on the lake with me, would you?” He dragged his hand up the silky-smooth skin of her arm. Her shallow breath spurred him on, only when he reached her shoulder, she spun to face him.
Her pupils had taken over the brown, and he couldn’t tell if that meant she was feeling the tug between them or if she was scared.
“Tonight? It’s all but dark.”
Great. She was thinking about alligators.
Clearly, her thoughts were miles away from his.
Yep. Just call me Luke Skywalker. The pathetic, pre-Force version at that.
“I’ve got a light at the front.” He jerked his chin toward where it sat. “But if you’re scared…”
