Page 16 of Poppy Kisses
“I don’t want a relationship, but it’s hard to separate the idea of a marriage with one. Feels wrong.”
“Why?”
She scrunched that pert nose of hers. “I thought you would understand.”
I scratched behind my ear, muddling through her retort. The curiosity was apparent, but the bitterness was a mystery. Had she been hurt before? “Because I’m divorced?” When she nodded, I shrugged. “I still believe in the idea of love and marriage, but I’ve also seen that love doesn’t make it work alone. Now I have Auggie and he’s my main concern, so no, I’m not after a relationship either.”
Her gaze was stricken. This wasn’t easy for her, but she wanted the house. I could help with that. “I get a house. You just get some proofreading.”
“I get a respected project under my name.” I pointed to the Hollis Cabinets sign. In case that wasn’t enough, I had more. “Mom spent much of my early years in school defending me and herself. I couldn’t read well. I shouldn’t be obsessed with graphic novels. My books shouldn’t have so many pictures.”
Poppy held her hand up. “Who the hell said that? Who complained that you weren’t reading and then when you were, in fact, reading, complained about the format?”
“Mr. Gilding.”
Poppy rolled her eyes. “He needed to retire before we even started school.”
“That.” I pointed at her. “That’s why I’m willing to do this. I’ve never had to prove myself to you.”
“We were in competition all the time.”
“Because you were intimidating as fuck.”
She barked out a laugh. “I was not.”
“You were smart and you could kick my ass on the playground. I never could kick as far as you in kickball.” I’d tried. “I used to practice at home, and Dad would help.”
“I learned to boot from soccer. And I used to practice too.”
Pleasure infused me. I’d gotten to her enough that she’d put in extra time to show me up? “Yeah, well, it was impressive and I’d tell Dad that you made it to the swings.”
The corner of her mouth tipped up. “Should I admit to practicing with Clover because you were getting better and better?”
A chuckle burst out of me. “My whole life has been trying to keep up with women.” The humor slowly dwindled. My time with Hassie had been nothing but me trying to keep pace with her, be good enough for her, only to fail over and over. “Anyway, it’s a year, and like kickball, we both have a goal and are using each other to improve. I’ll refurbish the Perez house, and you’ll fix my company. Maybe my brain while you’re at it.”
“Your brain doesn’t need fixing,” she said earnestly. “I can’t fix your company because I doubt it needs fixing either. And we can start lessons whenever. I’m subbing for Debbie. I’d like to talk to the school about doing some workshops over the summer and next fall, but I haven’t been trying to build a client base until I knew which zip code I’d land in.”
“You’re in my zip code now, four-ten.”
Her left cheek twitched. “I’m a little taller than that these days.”
“You sure about that?”
She scowled, her lips forming that mutinous pout that brought back memories. “I’ll call my parents and tell them the news.”
“I’ll talk to Mom. She’ll have to know the truth.” She had been supportive of my marriage, but she wasn’t Hassie’s biggest fan. “I can’t let her think I’m just going to ruin another marriage.”
“Fair. Then we’ll talk to Linda about when we can get into the house.”
Her use of “we” wasn’t lost on me. Us. We. I had been single for years, but before that, those words had been more like a manifestation. In reality, there had been no us. No we. Just her and whatever she wanted.
No. As much as Poppy fascinated me, I wasn’t ready to dive into a relationship. But maybe I could at least experience a marriage that was balanced for once.
ChapterFour
Jensen
Mom sat at my kitchen table, worry lining the corners of her eyes. I’d asked her to come because I had to talk to her and Auggie together. Mom was worried, but I couldn’t deny the lightness inside of me. I had a chance to improve my business, and I got to hang out with Poppy more.
