“You’re young and pretty. I think a man like him would be rather taken by you,” she says.
“A man like him dates cheerleaders with bleached-blonde hair and a perky personality.”
“A woman that thinks they know what a man wants without asking him is a fool.”
I glance quickly out the window again and catch Jake stretching upward, his firm muscles putting on a mouth-watering display.
“I’m going to go take a shower.”
She looks up at me with a smirk, emitting a knowing hum.
I cast her a glare before leaving to force myself into a more celibate mind state.
?
Jake
Nebraska heat can be brutal, especially when there’s over an acre of land that needs mowing. The terrain is laid out in such a way that makes a riding lawnmower an impossibility, but I’m not going to complain. I’m getting a good workout in, and I have a roof over my head.
Ashlyn’s grandma is visible through the bay window, where she’s sitting. At one point, Ashlyn was beside her, and I could have sworn she was eyeing me for a good minute.
Maybe it was just wishful thinking.
My phone buzzes with a text from Casey. Apparently, she’s gotten engaged to her boyfriend, Jeff. I want to be happy for her; I just wished I liked the guy a little more.
A headline from the local newsfeed catches my attention.
Andy Clayton Reunites With Ex-Lover Ashlyn Reed
A picture is featured below of Andy standing about ten feet away from Ashlyn in the drugstore parking lot.
My hand clenches around my phone. Now, I fully admit to being a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy, and generally not a very good boyfriend all around, but I would never do anything to hurt or dishonor a woman. When they’re with me, they know what they’re getting, and if they want to try to change me, so be it, but it hasn’t worked yet.
I go inside to pour myself a glass of lemonade, hoping to catch another glimpse of Ashlyn, but when I enter the sitting room to say hi, her gran is sitting alone, and Ashlyn’s workspace is empty.
The older woman turns to me and says, “You must be Jake.”
“I am.” I smile back at her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
“Mind doing me a favor?”
“Sure.”
“My eyes aren’t what they used to be. Could you read me a few passages from my favorite book?”
?
Ashlyn
What the fuck is wrong with me? Taking a shower in the middle of the day so I stop molesting the groundskeeper in my head is a level beyond insane.
But that’s not all I have to be embarrassed about. I spent a good hour stalking him last night on the internet, finding a trail of broken hearts in his wake, or at least that’s what I gather from the numerous women that post pictures with him on FaceBook.
I can’t say I blame him. With a body like his, he must have women throwing themselves at him.
I don’t even know how much longer I can resist him, and I’ve barely been in his presence.
Just what you need, another mistake. One to prove for the umpteenth time that you can’ttrust anyone.
