Kit: Subtle? You? Never.
Kit: Don’t never let someone make you think you have to be subtle about anything.
I shifted around, hating how much I could hear the deep concern in his whiskey-dipped voice.
Kit: Send me over what you’ve got on this sky-blue Bronco.
Smiling for no particular reason, I thumbed over to the tab where I’d saved the information and forwarded it to him.
A few minutes later, he texted again.
Kit: I like this smaller SUV for you, but I’m surprised you’re looking at used. Are you sure you don’t want to buy a brand-new model?
Me: I thought about it, but I want something I can buy cash while not depleting my savings too much. The seller said the warranty is transferable, and it doesn’t have a lot of miles on it.
Kit: True enough. I also like that you’re buying it cash.
Me: I have a good little nest egg, but I know how expensive it can be to set up this kind of a business.
Kit: Once you’re ready to get into the nitty-gritty of things, we’ll discuss when it’s best to buy something cash and when it’s better to get a low interest line of credit.
Me: And you’ll explain to me what all of those words mean.
Kit: lol. I promise I will.
I grinned at our little inside joke.
Kit: Is it too pushy if I insist on going with you to check it out?
Me: Honestly, I’d be so grateful. But when would you even have time to go with me?
Kit: We should actually jump on this deal right away because I don’t think it’ll be around for long.
Kit: How’s about this afternoon?
Me: Only if you let me buy you dinner after.
I waited for his response, but none was forthcoming, so I set my phone down. I could slow things down, take more time to consider my options, but I’d been chewing on Kit’s idea since he’d blurted it out, and my instincts were telling me this was the right move.
I got up, thinking I might take a shower before letting Kit see me, only to find another sack of grain in the shower stall, along with a large plant that sorta overwhelmed the space. I set the plant on the front porch and started dragging the grain sack along the ground. Somewhere along the way I’d sprung a leak, leaving a narrow trail of feed behind me as I walked.
This attracted several of the animals I’d been avoiding, many of them appearing at the edge of the tree line, their eyes tracking my every move. I froze, not sure if I should drop the feed and run, or if I should be nonchalant about it. No one was growling at me, so I shot for the middle with an unbothered jog to the barn. I shoved the bag against the neatly stacked bags from before and peeked outside.
The only animal brave enough was a tiny deer (antelope?), like maybe a teenager or something. She (no horns, so I assumed) didn’t seem too afraid of me, so I kept my chill demeanor and tried not to scream when she started grazing in my general direction.
By the time I reached the front porch, she was only a few feet behind me, so I raced inside and slammed the door shut. After my heart rate settled, I moved aside the curtains and spied her walking up the front porch steps like she owned the joint. Terrified she was about to knock down the door, I grabbed my phone and called the first person I could think of.
7
KIT
I was still buzzingfrom my text conversation with Sky when a call came in from him. Frowning at my phone, I wondered if he’d butt-dialed me.
“Sky?”
“There’s a mini demon deer on my porch and I think she wants to eat me.”
I stifled a laugh. “Not to discount your experience, Sky, but deer are mostly herbivores.”
