Page 11 of Between Now and Forever
“He signed off. I think he would’ve kept us there indefinitely, spinning our wheels, thanks to his pissing match with the inspector.” I roll my head side to side to keep tension from settling in the back of my neck. “But the owner happened to come by the house—pure happenstance—and gushed over how much she loved the woodwork. I think that helped get us out of there.”
“Probably. What are you working on next?”
“We’re starting on a farmhouse out by Fell’s Creek. It’s not a huge job. We’re renovating what’s there and adding a sunroom on the south side. It’s good money for what it is.”
“That’s how we like it.”
I grin. “That’s how we like it.”
“You know what else we like?”
“What’s that?”
A slow, mischievous smile splits his cheeks. It’s his feral smile, and enough to strike fear in a mere mortal. But I’ve known Lark long enough to know not to be scared. Just wary.
“We like five foot one, maybe five two, dark-blond or light-brown-haired women who are wrapped in a towel in the middle of the yard and look at us like we’re the man of their dreams.”
I sigh, tilting my chin toward the ceiling. That wasnothow Gabrielle looked at me.Damn it.
Somehow, the idea that someone saw the snake debacle a few hours ago didn’t cross my mind. But it should’ve.
And I should’ve known the news would make its way to Lark.
Nothing about what happened should make this conversation awkward. Aside from Gabrielle being beyond beautiful and knowing how she feels in my arms being impossible to wipe from my memory—especially after not having a woman in them except for superficial encounters—our interaction wasa thing that happened. Maybe it’s a story brought up over beers or a laugh to be had when I see a snake going forward, but it wasn’t a big deal.
So why does it feel like one?
“I’ve waited the entire meal for you to bring this up,” he says, smirking. “It’s funny that you didn’t.”
“Is it? Because I’m sure you had things happen today that you haven’t told me.”
“Trust me, my man. If I had an angel fall from heaven and land in my arms—”
“Shut the fuck up.” I chuckle in disbelief.
He leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “See, if you would’ve brought it up, I wouldn’t have thought anything about it. But ... you didn’t. And that makes me think there’s fire behind that smoke.”
“What?”
“You know, that whole ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’ thing. That’s this.”
I take the bill from Taylor, wishing she’d stay and chat. Much to my dismay, she slips the paper into my hand and keeps moving.
Lark sits back. “Did she have a bad personality? Bad breath? Was she mean?”
I fight a smile from forming on my lips.
I’ve known Lark since I moved to town. The first day I came to Betty Lou’s, he sat in the chair he currently occupies. When he commented he’d never seen me before, I said I was new to Alden. The next thing I knew, he was helping me move boxes and invited me to his house to watch a football game.
Our friendship is the easiest relationship I’ve ever shared. We both love sports, trucks, and the outdoors. Neither of us likes to text or use social media too much. We can go days without talking, meet for Fish Friday, and fall back to where we left off.
Despite his being my closest and only friend, I know Lark is puzzled. He wonders why I might see a woman for a week or two and then break it off, and he’s curious about my disinterest in relationships. Lark would love to understand why I change the subject when he starts discussing getting married and having a family.
But he never asks. And I respect him for that.
“Great personality,” I say honestly, because I can’t let my frustration with Lark’s questions unfairly paint Gabrielle in a bad light. “Breath was a little like pizza, but I’m not mad about that.”
Lark laughs.
