Page 13 of Poppy Kisses
Daisy’s mouth formed anO. Lily did a slow nod.
“I see.” Understanding filled Violet’s voice. “You think it’ll be a year of ‘Hassie did it this way’?”
“I couldn’t compete with her at seven or eleven. Or fourteen,” I said. After looking her up, it still held true. “Now she’s a professional barrel racer, sponsored by some boot company—andhat brand, and she’s on posters.” I held a hand up. “I don’t want to compete with her. I’m not interested in Jensen.”
The three of them exchanged knowing looks.
“What?” I snapped.
“Not interested?” Violet asked. “Or afraid you’ll be too interested?”
The image of him in nothing but running shorts that revealed impressive quads shimmered in my brain, crystal clear. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t need to hear that Hassie looks better in a dress than I do.”
Daisy’s scandalized gasp echoed in the room. “He told you that?”
“We were twelve, but yeah.” I rubbed my temples.
“Damn,” Lily said. “He must’ve been afraid he’d lose his crush if he looked too hard anywhere else. It’s still wrong—and he was wrong.”
I shrugged, but my confusion lingered. That didn’t make sense. Jensen had been devoted. He’d been a devoted classmate; he’d just kept me in my place. “It’s insane. I can’t get married to a stranger.”
“I married a stranger.” Lily’s smile was indulgent. “It was pretty nice, honestly.”
I scowled at her. “You’re not helping. None of you are.”
“We can see the big picture better,” Daisy said. “Personal feelings about him and Hassie aside, we can see that you’re disappointed that you might not get the Perez house. You’re frustrated that you can’t find a decent place to set up your tutoring center. And trust me, I’ve seen the places to rent around Coal Haven and Crocus Valley. It’s rough out there.”
“Alder doesn’t have any open units?” He’d invested in a ton of property. Technically, none of his purchases had turned into investments yet. He’d put a fair amount of money into renovating them. Daisy said they got snatched up as soon as the paint dried.
Had he used Jensen for any of his rental improvements? Had Jensen asked, or had his flubs made him hesitant to put himself out there?
I flicked away the thought of Jensen. I was not worried about his business. I needed to concentrate on mine. I had no job, and I couldn’t rely on Debbie to send me her scraps forever.
“And we see the bonus,” Violet said gently. “You’re not marrying a total stranger. You just don’t know the adult him.” She set her phone on the armrest. “Did you get all that, Clover?”
“Oh my god. Jensen actually married Hassie and then they got divorced?” Clover’s scandalized tone rang through the living room. “And now you’re marrying him?”
Shocked but pleased I wouldn’t have to catch Clover up and repeat all of this, I shook my head. “I’m not marry?—”
“You have a chance to own the Perez house,” Clover cut in. “ThePerezhouse. Remember when we trick-or-treated there after Aunt Linda moved out and you were so upset with her? You wanted it to stay in the family.”
Our grandparents might’ve owned it, but the house had been as good as gone. It wasn’t like the new renters would let the owner’s grandkids wander through whenever they wanted.
“Is he hot?” Clover asked.
I huffed. “That’s not the point.”
“He is.” She squealed. No wonder Violet called her. If they wanted me to consider the opportunity, Clover was the one who’d cut through the haze and get me out of my head. “He must’ve turned into a snacky snack if Hassie married him.”
“He’s okay.” I ignored the way the three women exchanged another round of looks and bit back smiles. “He makes cabinets for a living.” It showed in his biceps.
“So, dad-bod hot or could he have a calendar of his own?” she pressed.
“You mean is he one month in a calendar or all of them?” My question was a cover for an instant answer I refused to say.
A whistle came over the line. “He’s that good-looking.”
“I think he has a lot of muscles,” Lily said, loud enough that Clover would hear perfectly.
