The separation must’ve happened then,she thought. Or she hoped it was a separation. She hoped his wife didn’t pass away. She knew too well how badly that hurt. “I’m sorry it wasn’t better. Maybe this year will be better, right?” she asked tenderly, trying to be the caring person she was.
He scoffed with a smile. “You’re kind of new around here, aren’t you?”
She nodded with sincerity in her eyes. “I am. I moved here about two years ago.”
“Do you like it?”
She shrugged. “It’s okay. Do you like it?”
He looked away. “Not really. I live outside town on Highway 42. People in the town can’t seem to keep their mouths shut, you know? Everyone’s always complainin’ about something. Or they’re gossiping about someone or something. Or always moanin’ about something not being fixed in the town or yelling at each other. That’s why I refrain from interacting on the page as much as possible.”
“Wait, aren’t you a contractor? I think I got your ad in the mail.”
He nodded proudly. “Yep! I like to send out pictures with my big ol’ fat head for fire tinder.”
She leaned over in laughter. They both shared the laughter for a good solid minute before she gasped and wheezed to joke, “If you think you’ve got a fat head it’s a good thing my ass ain’t on an advertisement or it’d take up both sides of the paper.”
He clapped his hands in the sheer hilariousness, and she placed the back of her hand to her mouth to stifle the laughter.
The humor was a much-needed release for both of them.
A diesel slowly trudged on in and released its air brakes.
She straightened up and tossed her hair away from her neck. “I heard you used to be a realtor. It’s a shame I didn’t know you prior to buying my house. I could’ve gotten you a nice-sized commission.”
“Oh yeah? Where did you move to?”
She rolled her eyes playfully and sarcastically said, “The white bungalow off of 129 with the dilapidated steps.”
He brightened up. “Oh, you traitor. I could’ve retired on that commission.”
“All $3,300 of it?”
“Exactly! I could be rolling off the coast of Kokomo in a yacht right now. But no, you had to be selfish.”
She gave a glittering smile. “I can be kind of selfish.”
“You don’t seem selfish to me,” he stated. There was a touch of seriousness in his tone. “I saw the county’s post about how you bought cinnamon rolls for the entire sheriff’s department for no particular reason.”
She looked off in reflection. “Well, it wasn’t only to be nice. Deputy Hunt changed my tire for me when it blew out on the side of the interstate, and Deputy Buckley gave me a ride when my car broke down.”
He rocked on his heels, grinning. “And that merited $200 worth of cinnamon rolls?”
She looked down at her fumbling hands. Maybe she was a bit ridiculous. “I don’t know how to change a car tire, and my pawpaw wasn’t in any state to help.”
“Wait,” he interjected as he held up his hand. At first, he was charmed by her sweet act, but something else crossed his face. “You don’t know how to change a car tire?”
“No,” Evie replied shamefully.
He spoke again in that smooth Midwestern accent, “That’s insanely sweet of you to do that for the department. They all seemed like they loved it.” She could have likened his voice to black velvet. Deep, luxurious, smooth, handsome and sexy with the right amount of masculinity.
She smiled and nodded. How badly she wanted to ask him out. Her face rose to meet his gaze. “Thank you, Caleb. I better get going. I’ve got a job interview to get to.”
He cocked his head and shifted his stance, shaking her hand once more. “You’re welcome, Evie.”
She tingled all over with how he said her name. It was deliberate and succulent, like a ripe peach being slowly bitten into to savor every drop of juice.
He walked to the front door of her car and opened it for her. She paused, smiled, and thanked him before slowly approaching it. His eyes followed her with a soft grin and acute observation, watching her every movement. Once she was in, he placed his hand on the car’s roof and leaned over while she buckled her seatbelt. “Oh, and Evie?”
