Page 3 of Overdue

“I had to move back to help my Gran after she had her stroke.”

“Oh, that’s right. I’m sorry.” Now who looks like a jerk? How could I have forgotten our sweet neighbor had a stroke a month ago? Am I a monster?

I should take a casserole over this weekend. There’s not much money in my checking account, but surely I can throw something together to help out a neighbor. I’ll just dig through Mom’s pantry and see what I can do.

“Just let me know when you’re ready. I wouldn’t want to interrupt that vastly superior brain of yours.” He’s now slumped on the couch across from my desk. Is that a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth? Asshat. Wait, when did he get so good-looking all manspread on the couch and stuff? Ugh, he drives me nuts. Still.

“What do you want, Reed? I’m very busy.” I’m not, but whatever.

“It looked like it from the door a moment ago. Nice skirt, by the way.” Was that sexual harassment? Sounded like it. Typical of the Reed I remember. I should educate him with Mom’s lecture on sexual harassment rules in the workplace. Oh, what’s the point?

“Were you looking at my ass?”

“It was in the air in a tight skirt. Of course, I was. Come on, brat, do you really think I could resist that?”

What in the hell? And to make it worse, I can feel my face growing red. I’m not a blusher. None of his taunts in the past have resulted in this response. I’ll just chalk it up to a long week. Exhaustion, that must be it.

“Stop calling me that.” I’m trying to snarl. If he would stop staring at me with those eyes the color of the Caribbean Sea on a sunny day, it would help. And the publishing houses said I have no talent for description. Hah! They should see me now.

“Yes, Miss Caraway.” No, that’s much worse. That makes things tingle that shouldn’t be tingling. “Can you please order me a couple of books on landscaping? I don’t care which ones, just so they’re current.”

Landscaping? That’s an odd choice. Since when did the high school baseball star with the panty-melting smile become interested in plants?

“Uhh, sure. Let me look.” My fingers start flying over the keys on my ancient computer.

“No hurry. Just let me know when you get them in. I have to go start supper.” Reed pushes off the couch. Damn, he’s stacked. No! Bad Austen.

“Hey, Austen.” How is he already at the door? Good, he can just walk his tight ass… I mean asshole self out of here. “It’s good to see you again, brat.” He flashes me with one last “you know you want to climb me like a tree” smile and then he’s gone.

Wow, what just happened? I mean, I won’t deny that Reed Campbell grew up well. Even in high school, it was easy to tell he was maturing into a beautiful man.

Can a man be considered beautiful? If so, Reed hits the mark. If you looked up beautiful in the dictionary, his picture would be there. Next to the one labeled twat. I giggle snort and return to my computer.

It takes all of five seconds for my wanton brain to turn back to thoughts of Reed. He still has the same pretty, long blonde hair. Today it was pulled up in the back into a ponytail. It’s more than obvious that he works out regularly based on the T-shirt stretched over his pectorals. That perpetual tan is still there. It never seems to fade, even in the dead of winter.

But it’s those eyes that make women stupid. They’re light blue with laugh lines already imprinted in the corners. When he focuses on me, it feels like I’m the only person in the world. It’s just too bad they’ve always been focused on me at my expense.

Yeah, Reed has it all. But I spent too many years being the butt of his jokes in school. I’m not interested in anything to do with him. As a matter of fact, I need to be on my guard. A leopard never changes his spots. Or is it a zebra changing his stripes? No matter, I need to keep him at arm's length regardless. I don’t think I can handle getting kicked anymore now that I’ve hit rock bottom.

two

REED

Austen Caraway. There’s a name I’ve never been able to forget. Gran mentioned she was moving home to become the head librarian. I didn’t consider I’d run into her when I walked through the library door.

Okay, that’s a lie. I totally knew she was who I’d find when I showed up. She’s all I’ve thought about since she moved back in down the street.

I hadn’t counted on how incredibly gorgeous she has become, though. She had been pretty in high school, even with the braces. But, with her ass being caressed by the tightest skirt in history as she leaned over the file cabinet. Holy hell. My instant semi almost proved an embarrassment when she turned around.

Except it got worse when she did turn around. Just looking into those deep brown eyes again made my heart skip a beat. Corny, I know. But that’s what happened. That’s what always happened when she looked at me growing up.

Her rich brunette hair with the gold highlights, the sexy as fuck glasses, and full lips the color of bubble gum almost brought me to my knees. My mind races to another place. One with her leg hiked up on my shoulder. My tongue slowly… but I digress.

She wasn't interested in me in school, and chances are good she’s not interested in me now. Granted, I did turn into a complete douchebag trying to get her attention after that first introduction. The harder I tried to get her to notice me, the more she ignored me. It drove me crazy.

I doubt pissing her off enough to break my nose that first time helped, either. I started my first day of high school in a new place with two fading black eyes. Luckily, no one ever found out I got my ass handed to me by a girl. A younger girl at that. Damn, that girl had a hell of an arm. Puberty hit me hard after that.

Now I have a raging hard-on as I stomp to my truck in the parking lot. Just once I’d like to engage Austen in sophisticated conversation, resulting in her accepting an invitation to dinner.

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