Page 32 of Mountain Grump
He sighs, then rips the top sheet off the pad and holds it out to me.
I stare at it.
The urge to use my scissors and cut it into a dozen pieces flares bright.
He gives the paper a little shake. “You gonna take it?”
“You gonna admit your butthole looks like an asshole?”
My eyes widen as they snap up to meet his.
I didn’t mean to say that.
Not out loud.
Ethan’s mouth opens.
And I prepare myself for anger.
But then… he laughs.
A full-body,so loud it scares the birds out of the treeskind of laugh.
Andwhyyyydoes that make him even hotter?
He closes his fingers around the ticket, crinkling the paper in his large grip.
“Just go,” he laughs, shaking his head.
I look from his smiling mouth to the crumbled ticket in his hand, then back up to his eyes.
He uses the back of his hand to wipe at his eyes.
Is this man crying?
He points back toward my property. “Before I change my mind.”
I’m torn between wanting to laugh with him and wanting to shove that ticket into his open mouth.
But… if he’s letting me go.
I turn my back on him and pick my way back to the fence, avoiding stepping on flowers and branches.
When I reach the property line, I want to wait. Want to stand here and wait until he’s disappeared back into the woods, so he won’t watch me struggle again.
Because I’m sure I’m going to make an even bigger mess of this than I did coming through it the first time.
But I also don’t have money to burn on wildflower tickets, so I’m taking this getaway opportunity. Even if it makes me lookridiculous.
I toss my scissors to the ground on the other side of the fence and bunch up my skirt in my free hand.
But I can’t toss the flowers. I don’t want to damage them. And I can’t hold up the top wire with my hand full.
A hand reaches past me, gripping the top wire and lifting it.
I don’t turn to face him.
He’s close.
