Page 5 of Hazel
I loosen my hands and smile at him. “So what’s the plan?” I ask. “How’m I gonna get this done?”
“Get this done?” he laughs. “You can’t get it done. No way. My advice to you is, go back over there and tell that woman the truth. Tell her you’ve signed a check you can’t cash. She’ll understand. She might not be happy about it. But that’s life. And then you can come back and get on with the work you’ve left me to finish all by myself.”
“No can do,” I say, “I’ve made her a promise and I'm not going to break it.”
“Well,” he stands up and brushes the bread crumbs off his jeans. He chucks a couple of twenties on the table. “You can’t say I didn’t try. What you want me to tell Ma?”
“Tell her I’m sorry, and I’ll be home tonight. My phone ran out of battery and I was working late. And tell Mary-Anne I’ll pick her up after school. And if she hasn’t got good grades on her homework she’ll be finding out what it was like to grow up without a phone.”
Seamus shakes his head from side to side with a tired expression on his face. “These kids and their phones,” he says, “if I have to watch another TikTok video, I’m liable to shoot myself.”
“Aye, TikTok,” I say, wiping my tired eyes, “drives me mad.”
5
Hazel
Jade slams the last bag of flour on the counter and lets out a deep breath. “I could do with a lie-down,” she sighs.
“How about a cup of coffee?”
“Now you’re talking.”
She peaks her head through the door and watches Finn working while I heat the water in our new espresso machine.
I want to say something. Tell her to get her eyes off my man. But the truth is, he’s not my man.
It’s been a few days since his brother caught us making out on the floor, and we’ve hardly spoken to each other.
I don’t know whether it’s something I’ve done, or if he’s decided he’s not interested in me. Either way, it hasn’t stopped me from thinking about him. Visions of his body on top of me flash through my mind every few minutes. It’s even worse when I’m at the bakery. Knowing he’s just a few feet away from me. All hot and sweaty and working with his hands. I want to feel his lips against my skin. His hardness pressing against my aching pussy. The mere thought of him naked makes my lady parts tingle.
Yesterday, I watched him bending over as he sawed some wood. My panties were so wet I nearly had to go home and put on some new ones.
I pass Jade her drink, but she doesn’t take her eyes off Finn for a second.
“You think he’s single?” she asks.
“How would I know?!” The words blurt out of me a little louder than I expected.
Jade looks at me with an eyebrow raised. The last thing I want is her hitting on Finn. She’s prettier than me. Curvy in all the right places. Her full lips sparkle, and there’s always a playful, lively twinkle in her eyes. There’s no way I can compete against her.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t wondered?” she whispers.
“I can assure you,” I say, “that my relationship with Finn has been nothing but professional.”
“Fine,” she says, putting her mug down, “then I reckon I should go over there and find out.”
I want to stop her, but no words come out. She walks confidently across the room towards him. Her high heels click on the wood floor. Her hips swing from side to side in her tight-fitting jeans.
Finn smiles at her graciously as she starts talking to him, but the whole time they’re talking, he’s looking over his shoulder at me.
Jade rests her hand on his arm and leans forward. She’s really giving it all she’s got. The flirtometer is at hundred, but still Finn’s bright green eyes are pointed in my direction.
Jade turns back to me. “What do you think, Hazel?” Her hand is still squeezing his bicep. I can’t take my eyes off her fingers. “Finn’s done an amazing job, hasn’t he? Don’t you think he deserves a special treat?”
I walk nervously into the room. My legs feel wobbly. It’s all I can do to stop myself from falling down. My head is dizzy. Being near him has me hot all over.
Pretending to inspect Finn’s work, I take a quick glimpse at the lump in his pants. My tongue runs over my lower lip. When I speak, my voice is a feeble whisper. “He’s amazing,” I say.
