Page 36 of Mixed Connection
J-babe
PENELOPE! She’s a babe!
Oh, I gotta get back but I love you both.
Lo
Love you more.
Love youuuu.
J-babe
Oh! Can you guys send me something spicy to read? Do your worst.
Lo’s phone chimes once more but it’s not from our group text thread, and I can tell her attention is split with whomever it is texting her. I know she is aware I’m here for her, but it doesn’t stop my concern. I have to trust in knowing that if she needs me, she will tell me. When she’s ready. As soon as she pops her head back up, we finish our drinks, chatting about our new cart, Penelope, and how we can’t wait for the charity tournament. It may be seven months away, but we are officially ready.
15
Alma
Are we still on for our Criminal Minds marathon?
And miss out on what Gideon is gonna do next?
Wiping my hands on my pants, I grab a cold bottle of water from the fridge and chug it. We’ve done nothing but work on this house and watch the days fly by. We’ve finally got the entire house painted in a range of moody colors, my favorite being the first bedroom that has been color drenched from ceiling to baseboards in a deep green. I wipe my brow and double check that the paint cans are all closed up.
The flooring team should be arriving in the next day or two and the install is going to make a world of difference, along with freeing up my schedule for a couple days.
I haven’t been able to see Cassidy as much as I want because of all the work. We’ve been texting and video calling, but it’s not enough, it’s never enough, not when it comes to her. Thelast time I saw her was when we spent the night together, talking about her parents, and enjoying each other’s company. Throwing the tools in my bag, I snatch the towel off my shoulder and wipe my face. Maybe I can find a way to see her tonight, even if just briefly.
“I think I might be calling it a night. The doctor said I need to get Pepper in for a checkup to make sure everything is healing well after being spayed. I don’t want to be a dog grandpa…ever,” Anders yells from the only working bathroom in the house. “And your cheap ass needs to get a hotel because this room is next! No more air mattress!” he says.
“Yeah, I know!” I laugh off his instructions, but he’s right. “Go ahead and head out, I got a few more things I want to finish up.”
“Alright man.” Knocking his fist with mine, he pounds his fist with my outstretched one before heading towards the front door. “Pizza and wings tonight?”
“Hell yeah!” I nod my goodbye and walk through the house, admiring all the work we’ve put in. It’s starting to look more like a house again and all I can think about is showing it to my Babygirl.
Taking what is probably one of my last showers here, I yell to Alexa to play my last audiobook and laugh a bit to myself. It wasn’t that long ago when I first listened to the naughty werewolf book Cassidy lent me. Now I’m stuck on this series of shifters. The action in it is wild, and I can’t lie, knowing exactly what turns her on does it for me. Does she want an angry wolf-shifter man throwing her over his shoulder? Probably not. But I love knowing what she enjoys. A smile starts to creep up my face and if I were to look in the mirror, I know I look like I’m up to something.
And I am. I know exactly what I need to do.
Toweling off from the much needed inferno of a shower, I rub oil onto my scalp and let my hair air dry before pulling on a pairof gray joggers, a deep-green t-shirt, and a flannel. Unplugging my phone from the charger, I can see I have just enough time to grab what I need before meeting Anders at the pizza joint downtown. I clasp the gold watch around my wrist, slide on a few of my favorite rings and I’m toeing my shoes on before making it out of the door. I press the key fob to my truck twice to unlock the doors, hop into the SUV, and my bluetooth speaker connects to resume the second book of the shifter romance I was listening to in the shower.
Is this what it’s like to be a book lover? I’ve listened to plenty of books on business, self-help, and finance, all things that would give me knowledge to better myself, or work on growing Crews. The content in those is enjoyable, but not like this. Not in the way I can completely escape with these stories.
My phone rings and Alma’s name shows on the screen, along with a picture of her smiling. Thumbing the “answer” key on the steering wheel, I greet her, “Alma, what’s up?”
“Jameson, honey, how are you? How’s that pretty young lady doing?” If we were on a video call I know she would be leaning way too close to the phone, giving me that willful look she has.
“She’s incredible. I’m falling hard.” I speak the truth, noting how well Alma and I have gotten to know each other since the night of the reunion. Mixed with her years of life experience and just being one of those people who can see right through others, she reads me like a book. We’ve kept in touch since Babygirl accidentally gave me the wrong number.
I have since learned Alma’s husband passed away several years ago and they never had children. It’s just her unless she visits Europe where her only sibling and their children live. I kind of adopted her in a way. I make the next right on Ridge Street and pull into the parking lot of the farmer’s market.
“So you’re staying then?” she asks, though it sounds more like a statement than a question. “You can’t be travelin’ around if you’re going to settle down.”
“I can’t imagine being anywhere else.” And it’s the truth, but if I am going to make that a reality then I need to make a permanent decision. Traveling to meet new clients is something I enjoy. I love it. But I love— the thought stops me. Do people fall in love this quickly? Am I nuts? I shake the thought away, blinking a few times as my chest fills with a warmth that feels all-encompassing.
