Page 59 of Faking I Do
“How’s it going?” I tipped my hat at the man.
“Been at it all weekend. You’ve got some wily critters, that’s for sure.” He held up the trap in his right hand. A small armadillo peered at me through the wire cage. “Just got two more. The traps have been snapping all night.”
“What are you going to do with them now that you’ve caught them?” As much as I wanted the damn critters long gone, I didn’t want them turned into boots or belts or something else.
“We release ’em way out in the country.” He shrugged. “It’s the most humane thing to do. Got about six already. I’ll reset the traps again tonight but I think we may have caught them all.”
I nodded. “Great, thanks. Y’all planning on filling in the holes all over the yard, too?”
“Sorry, Deputy. Mayor Cherish didn’t pay for the all-in-one service. Said she’d take care of that herself.”
Figured. Lacey would cut as many corners as she could to save a few bucks. “All right, then. I’ll figure that out.”
“Saw a shovel in the garage.” The man nodded toward the building that used to operate as the carriage house.
“Thanks.” I waited until I reached my truck and loaded the traps into the back. With nothing but time on my hands and a giant hole I needed to dig myself out of, I might as well start by filling some in. I found the shovel in the garage and got towork. An hour passed, then two. By the time the sun began to disappear behind a bank of heavy gray clouds, I’d filled in all the holes I could find. That ought to put a smile on Lacey’s face. One less thing for her to have to worry about.
Thinking of Lacey made me wonder where she was. Had she blown off some of the anger I’d created? Hopefully giving her the afternoon to cool down would work in my favor. As I put the shovel back in the garage, I pulled out my phone, ready to track her down again and try to make amends.
“Hey, Bodie.” She answered on the second ring, her voice calm, clear, and sounding the slightest bit happy.
“Hi. Where have you been this afternoon? I stopped by the house.”
“My dad gave me the flowers you dropped off. That was so sweet of you. Thanks for thinking of me.”
Why wasn’t she swearing up a storm? Did I get it wrong? My gut told me to proceed with caution. Something wasn’t right. The singsong tone in her voice was a dead giveaway. “You’re welcome.”
“I went out for a ride. It’s been so long since the poor horse got a chance to stretch his legs. I’m sorry I missed you. You should have told me you’d be stopping by. I made a brisket and some apple crumble for dessert. Do we still have dinner plans?”
I checked my watch. It was almost six and the only thing waiting on me at home was a knocked-up dog and a freezer full of frozen tamales. “I’m over at the Phillips House right now. I need to swing by home and feed Shotgun but other than that I’m not doing anything tonight.”
“I could make up a couple of plates for us and run them over. What do you think?”
She sounded genuine. My gut warmed at the thought of a home-cooked meal and practically sparked as I envisioned the kind of things we might be able to get to after we ate and Icame clean about the offer from Mayor Little. “Yeah, that sounds great.”
“I’ll see you in a little while, then.” Her smile traveled right through the phone. There was no way she was pissed at me. I’d seen her angry before and if Lacey had one area where she struggled it was in wearing her heart on her sleeve. She’d always been like an open book. A weight lifted from my shoulders and I smiled.
“Looking forward to it, Sweets.”
“Oh, me, too.” She disconnected.
Hell, what had I been so worried about? I looked around the yard. I’d just wasted a couple of hours filling in holes for no reason. Granted, Lacey wouldn’t have to worry about it now but I’d wasted hours’ worth of energy worried she’d never want to see hide nor hair of me again.
The thing with my dad and pops must be making me paranoid. I’d do best to come clean with Lacey tonight before she caught wind of it otherwise. Having her find out from someone else would definitely put a kink in our budding relationship. A relationship… is that what I wanted?
Luke wouldn’t like it. But he was thousands of miles away. By the time he made it home it would be old news. Mr. Cherish might have a bone or two to pick. It’s not every day he was arrested by the man who’d become his daughter’s boyfriend. I shook my head. Boyfriend sounded too juvenile. Lover. No, that didn’t work, either. Made it sound like we were having some sort of illicit fling. Significant other?
Was I ready for a significant other? She couldn’t just be an “other.” I spent the drive home trying to come up with a way to classify whatever was growing between me and Lacey but made no progress. By the time I’d taken a shower and put on a fresh pair of jeans and a pressed button-down flannel I’d about given up. Why did I have to name it?
I’d let it grow naturally. Someday in the future, the distant future, we’d figure it out together. So when the doorbell rang, I rose from the couch, a little extra pep in my step.
Shotgun got there first, her rear end wiggling so fast she knocked herself over. I pulled the door open, a smile on my lips, ready for a kiss from whatever she wanted to call herself.
“Hey there, Lacey.” My smile faded slightly at the sight of Lacey standing on my doorstep, a familiar woman in tow.
“You remember Samantha, don’t you, sugar pie?” Her eyes widened then narrowed.
“Sure I do.” I held out my hand to the reporter. Why would Lacey be coming over with the magazine reporter? Especially on a Sunday night?
