“That’s really clever.” I helped him drape the fabric and secure it. “Which library? Here?”
He nodded. “I started as the librarian for the teen section, but eventually I worked my way up. Now I run the whole show.”
“That’s great. You must be good at what you do.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “Thanks. Now, what do you think of our light princess?”
We stood back and admired her. “Go plug her in,” I said. “Let’s see how she looks all lit up.”
He nodded and grabbed the end of his extension cord, plugging in the strands of lights. A moment later, the princess lit up. Even I had to admit, she looked pretty good—for a first-timer.
The sun was setting, dipping low in the sky, and the air was much chillier than when we’d started. I looked over at Dakota and realized his gaze was on me. He blushed a little when wemade eye contact, glancing away. It had been a great afternoon and I didn’t want it to end.
“Hey, would you want to, I don’t know, get dinner or something?” My face burned with a heat that crawled up my neck and warmed my ears, too. Did I want him to think I was asking him for a date?WasI asking him on a date? I was just being friendly… right?
Chapter 5
Dakota
AsheaskedifI was free for dinner, Colin’s face flushed red, the blush starting at the base of his throat and creeping upward. It was endearing and made my stomach flip in a way I didn’t expect, making me want more. I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my neck. “I have Lina.”
“Oh. Well… we could all grab dinner together. If you wanted. Or we can do it another time. Or not. Whatever.” His words came out in a hurry, as if he was trying—unsuccessfully—to sound casual and unbothered.
“If you don’t mind spending your evening with a five-year-old, sure. We can get dinner. I’d like that. I’m sure she would, too.”
“Really?” Colin sounded pleasantly surprised.
“Yeah, of course.” I gently pushed his shoulder with my palm. “Neighbor.” I gave him a sly grin and laughed a little.
“Right,” he murmured, face turning redder. “Neighbor.”
I cleared my throat and mercifully changed the subject. “How does pizza sound? It would make Lina’s day.”
“She’s a pizza girl, is she?” His face had slowly returned to its normal color and I found I missed the blush already.
I nodded and laughed again. “She could eat pizza for every meal. Pizza or mac and cheese. With ice cream for dessert.”
“Well, thereisan experimental pizza place in town that does mac and cheese pizza.”
“Absolutely not,” I said, grinning. “That sounds terrible.”
“Aw, where’s your sense of adventure?”
I leaned in as if I were going to tell him a secret, enjoying the way the pink graced his face again. “I don’t have one,” I murmured. My stomach fluttered again as his breath hitched, just a little. What was I thinking, flirting with this guy? I wasn’t even interested. Right?
Colin shifted his weight from one foot to the other before he gave me a nervous little laugh and shrugged, blush fading away. I had the urge to reach out and touch him, so I stuffed my hands in my pockets as he spoke. “You’re missing out.”
“I’m sure I’ll survive,” I assured him.
He closed his eyes briefly before looking at me. “So, how about this? I need to change clothes and get washed up for dinner. Why don’t you do what you need to do and I’ll walk over when I’m ready. Is that okay?”
I nodded. “Perfect.” He grinned and thanked me, heading back home. As he walked away, I found myself thinking about his tight, round ass on display through his dark blue jeans. I cleared my throat again and shook my head at myself.Neighbors, I reminded myself.Neighbors.
A few minutes later, I’d put the remaining supplies back into the little storage shed on the side of the yard and went inside to shower and change. Caroline was still watching cartoons, as expected, a show about a princess who saved the day without needing a prince to rescue her. It was one of my favorites—if I were going to pick a cartoon I actually liked, that is.
I made my way to my room and stripped down, grabbing a towel from the clean laundry hamper before stepping into thebathroom through the door that adjoined it to my bedroom. There was also a door leading to the hallway, which I left unlocked in case Lina needed to come in and use the potty.
I turned the spray on, running the waterhot, as in, depths-of-hell hot. As soon as it was warm enough to not feel frigid, I stepped in and groaned loudly. The heat melted the soreness in my shoulders and back, relaxing me as I soaped up and scrubbed myself down. Knowing Colin was on his way soon, I cleaned up quickly, turning the water off before the room filled with steam—which was usually my favorite part of getting out of the shower.
