Page 90 of All Autumn
A ton of grumbling accompanied the removal of our shirts. Once our chests were bared, every single one of us darted glances at each other to identify who had the most chest hair, and who was going to scream the loudest. I winced at seeing the thick pelt on Roger Cummings, one of our firefighters.
Then I narrowed my gaze on Dylan’s chest. “Dude, you’ve been waxed already.”
He gave me a smug grin. “Had Jenny do it before she left for New York. I had a suspicion Mary would pull something like this, and I wasn’t about to sit here and scream like a girl in front of half the town.”
Adam leaned around me. “Could have warned us, Chief.”
“And miss the fun of hearing the Hunter brothers cry like babies?”
“Bastard,” Adam and I said together, which, by his laughter, Dylan found hilarious.
Mary, Renee, and the other stylist spread out, and forty minutes later, everyone except Dylan had been stripped of every hair on his chest. Roger Cummings won the award for loudest screams—still ringing in my ears—with several of us coming in a close second.
“I’ll risk getting shot before I’ll ever do this again,” I said, aiming my words at Sarah and Kim, who had thoroughly enjoyed themselves at our expense. Although Adam and I weren’t all that hairy, it still hurt like a son of a bitch.
Mary clapped her hands to get our attention. “You boys are eye candy. The minute the finished calendar goes up on Facebook, we’re going to be bombarded with orders.” She beamed. “The photographer will begin with Mr. January at nine tomorrow morning. Sarah and Kim will give you an appointment card for your time as you leave. Do not be late for your turn. Also, I expect every single one of you to attend the June Bug Dance Saturday night. The theme is heroes, which means costumes. Any questions?”
Not a one of us had a question. We just wanted our shirts back on and to get out of here. Finally we were dismissed. As I walked out, I slipped my hand under my T-shirt and rubbed my smooth chest. Would Autumn like it? Not that I’d ever get a chance to find out if I didn’t get off my butt and come up with a plan to win her back.
45
~ Autumn ~
I’d calledLucas as soon as I arrived home, asking when he’d be back in Asheville. Turned out he’d returned to Asheville to meet with his contractor one more time. Lucas hadn’t closed on the land yet, and I meant to have a say in whether or not that happened. He’d given me a choice of driving to his Asheville home or waiting until the next day to talk to him when he was in the valley. Since I wanted to get what I had to say over with, I’d elected to see him this afternoon.
On our flight home Jenn had asked me one question. “What makes you happy, Autumn?”
“Connor,” I’d whispered.
She’d smiled. “Thought so. I ran to the other side of the world from Dylan before admitting to myself that I loved him. Don’t do that with Connor, okay?”
I had no intention of going to Greece or any other country, but I was going to Asheville on Connor’s behalf. When I pulled up outside Lucas’s home, instead of the butler greeting me, it was Lucas himself.
“Hello, Autumn. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon, but I’m delighted.” He tucked my arm around his and led me up the steps. “It’s a lovely day, and I thought we could enjoy a glass of iced tea or lemonade out on the veranda.”
I pulled to a stop. “Lucas, this isn’t a social call.”
“No?” He glanced down at me and smiled. “I thought you probably had some questions about our project. But whatever it is, we can still enjoy refreshments.”
He escorted me through the house, then out to a lovely covered porch, where a table was set with pitchers of iced tea and lemonade and assorted cookies. Lucas pulled out a chair, and after I was seated, he sat across from me.
“What’s your pleasure?”
“I’m fine, really.” I just wanted to plead my case and then go home. Although I didn’t have high hopes I’d be successful, I had to try.
He poured an iced tea for himself, studied me for a moment, and then filled my glass. “You don’t have to drink it, but Mother would skin me alive if she got word that I enjoyed a glass of tea in front of a lady and didn’t offer her any.” He glanced behind him with a sneaky look on his face. “Charles—that’s our butler—is her spy, and he tattles on me every chance he gets.”
He smiled and winked, letting me know he was teasing. It was impossible not to like the man. “Heavens, can’t have that.” I took a sip of the tea, getting another smile from him.
“So, Autumn, what is this ‘not a social call’ about?”
I’d practiced what I was going to say, but couldn’t remember a single word I’d planned. “I want you not to buy the Humphrey property,” I blurted.
Lucas leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands, resting his chin on his index fingers. “Because?”
He seemed to have taken that in stride, but maybe because as a senator, he was used to hiding his reactions to absurd statements. “Because Connor and Adam wanted that property. They made an offer, but your offer was higher.”
“That’s business, Autumn,” he said, not unkindly.
