Page 50 of Any Second Now
“Yes, that’s right. It’s a pink RV. You can’t miss it.”
“You know this coop is not exactly portable?” The man drawsout the last three words and furrows his brow with a deep sigh. He knows I have no clue what’s going on.
“The sales guy told me.” I shrug. It’s possible I’m going a bit over the top with the latest gift. It’s possible she is going to think I’m ridiculous.
“And I can’t imagine it’s allowed under the campsite rules.”
I shrug again. Her current flimsy coop is pretty well hidden behind the RV, so we can tuck this away in the same spot. What’s the worst that happens?
I need to make last night up to her. I know I crossed the line kissing her. But she egged me on. What’d she say,any second now, Atticus?Damn, that was hot. And when I pulled her onto my lap… a sheen of sweat pops onto my forehead and I get half hard at the memory.
Raleigh makes me feel like a normal human being. She rolls her eyes at me, makes fun of me, and the way she twitches her lips when she’s trying to hold back a laugh? I couldn’t help but kiss that mouth.
I wanted to do so much more to her.
Especially when she let that little whimper slip and wiggled against my groin. Fuck.
But she pulled away. She hesitated.
I know why.
She thinks—knows—I’m not a serious human being. Maybe I’d be good for a hookup, but not for Raleigh. She’s for real. She deserves more than me taking advantage of her.
And I confirmed it last night.
“How long will you be at the campsite?” the cashier asks, jarring me out of my daydream. He taps a few buttons and the receipt prints.
“A few weeks, I think.”
“Well, if you want to sell the coup when you’re ready to move on—if you’re not taking it with you—let me know.” He raises hiseyebrows, knowing that I’m not taking a giant chicken coup with me in an RV.
I picture Raleigh driving away in the Pink Palace, without the coop or the chicken, and without me.
“I have a friend who would probably buy it from you for half the original price.” He flips the receipt and scribbles a name and number. “He’d also probably take the chicken.”
“The chicken is not for sale.” How dare he try to buy Megghen?
“Yeah. He wouldn’t pay for it. He’d take it.”
“Her. It’s a girl.” The nerve of this dude.
“Sure. Whatever.”
I accept the receipt, yanking it a bit too hard from his hand.
“Someone will be there in about an hour to set it up.”
I leave the farm store and make one more stop before heading to the campsite.
The Pink Palace is quiet when I pull up. I peak around the RV. Megghen’s not in her flimsy coop and Raleigh’s not in one of the captain’s chairs I left yesterday. Maybe they’re snuggling up on the couch together.
My heart pounds a bit harder as I approach the door to the RV.Boom boom boom. What in the actual fuck am I doing?Boom. I haven’t even been away for twelve hours after bailing post-kiss and I show up without any notice?BOOM.
I tell my heart to fuck off and knock quietly.
There are footsteps inside, and then the door swings open.
“Atticus.” Raleigh breathes out my name. Her hair’s messy around her head and she’s wearing a tight blue tank top and black leggings.
