“No.” She pulled back from him and licked her swollen lips, her chest rising and falling with each breath. “She called you a Neanderthal.”
Tim shook his head, humored. “A what?”
“A Neanderthal,” she giggled. “I told her you were harmless, and not to worry.”
“Hmmmm….”
“You wanna come back in?” Her expression was hopeful.
He wiped rain droplets off her face with his thumb. “I think I’d better call it a night. Don’t need your folks doing a drive-by and spying on us.”
Jessica exhaled through her nose with disappointment. “They won’t be coming back, I promise. And you could park your truck next to my car in the garage if you want to. Daddy is a stickler for his evening routine, and Mama will probably call her best friend to give her the latest gossip about her only daughter kissing the gardener.” A giggle erupted. “I like kissing the gardener.”
Tim couldn’t help but beam. “I like being the gardener who gets kissed.” He poignantly gazed at the cheerful expression on his Southern belle knowing it would mean the world to her. “My truck is too big to fit in your garage. But if you really don’t think they’ll come by again, I guess I could stay for a while longer.” His tiny, private world was starting to expand, his grip slipping. The woman sitting next to him had lit a spark in his cold, dead heart, and he had the feeling he was willingly about to let go into a free fall.
