Thanks for makingmy kitchen right nice-looking. Next time you come over, you bring a pie, and I’ll play you for my living room. Might even toss in another box of chocolates if you throw one of those smiles my way.
Your friend,
Jackson
P.S. Radish says Hi.
Kaci smacked Anna in the arm. “You cleaned his kitchen?”
“I lost the bet.”
“Sugar, that heat fried your brain. Ain’t a Southern gentleman in the world who would’ve expected you to pay up on that.” Kaci fluffed her hair. “Lord-a-mercy, girl, still so much to teach you.”
And that’s exactly why Anna hadn’t told her she’d done it. She gestured to the note. “Okay, then, oh wise one, what am I supposed to do aboutthis?”
Kaci stopped mid-fluff and eyed Anna as if she’d stolen theanswer key for a test. “You like him?”
“He’s not my type,” she said, but she could feel her cheeks betraying her.
Kaci gave her eyebrows a waggle. “Thinking of trying on an old redneck for size?”
“He doesn’t like me.”
“Lordy, there’s not enough coffee in the world for this tonight.” Kaci sucked in what Anna assumed to be a Southern woman’s fortifying breath. “He likes you. He hasn’t come to terms with it yet, but you mark my words, he knows that note to you is the same as talking dirty to other women. Sorta like you like him but you’re not sure about letting a military man back in your life.”
Anna shook her head. “Not in the plan.”
Kaci gave her a knowing smile. “You’d do him if he was just a dumb old redneck.”
“Not the point.”
“You got some practicing to do before you settle, and he’s a good one to practice with. Good Southern gentleman. Might show you how a man’s supposed to treat a woman.”
“And that’s goodwhy?” Sounded like an excellent way to get started on the L-word.
“Shoot, dating the military’s exactly what you need. Got an expiration date. Perfect for a woman not looking to settle down, don’t you think?”
“Anexpiration date?” Yeah, her last date had an expiration date too. It was with an IED in Afghanistan, and he didn’t live to tell about it.
Kaci flitted a hand. “That didn’t come out right. Let’s get back to the living part. You like him, he likes you, you two should have some fun.” She winked. “Call it stress relief.”
“Your brand of stress relief is going to give me a heart attack,” Anna said. She stared at the uneven mosaic tiles, and her fingers itched to rub them.
Kaci gripped Anna’s cold fingers in her warm ones. “Lots of stress relief in keeping them girly bits as fine-tuned as that brain.”
Their favorite male barista suddenly had a coughing fit behind the counter.
“My girly bits are fine,” Anna hissed, but she suspected Kaci would believe her cheeks over her words.
“Of course they are.” Kaci’s wicked grin lingered. “But you ask yourself, what’s the last thing you want touching your girly bits before you get hit by that bus, and I got a feeling that good ol’ military redneck won’t look so bad after all.”
Later that night, Anna tossed and turned in her bed. In the midst of trying to forget thermo and Rodney and work, she acknowledged to herself Kaci had a point.
Anna sighed and flopped over, then reached for the light. She crept out into her living room, whispered, “It’s okay, Walker, go back to sleep,” to her betta fish, and pulled a piece of paper and an envelope out of her desk.
She tapped a pen against her lip for a minute, and started writing.
Then she shredded it and started again.
