He was serious.
“Don’t,” Alexander hissed.
I gulped.
Sugary-white hair crowned the woman’s head. Her neck and most of her face were covered by a colorful, red scarf. She waved as soon as she spotted us. I tensed.
“Gracie, don’t,” he repeated under his breath.
The man with the chain raised his free hand and waved it too. He was smiling.
Shit.
I tensed even more.
The muscles pressed against my chest did too.
And maybe I hesitated for about two seconds before I quickly lifted my hand and waved back.
Alex growled.
I ignored him.
“How is your day going?” the woman called out as we approached their property.
Alexander grunted, irritation vibrating through his skin and straight into me.
I still ignored him.
“Fine, ma’am, how is yours?” I hollered back, knowing he wanted to kill me, but I couldn’t stop myself.
They seemed so nice, and they were older. I was a sucker for older people.
“I’m letting the Bogeyman in tonight,” he threatened just loud enough for me to hear him.
Was that… a joke?
Was he fuckingjoking?
I leaned forward to peek at his face.
He was already shooting me a dirty look that made me really, really grateful we’d agreed to be friends. Or “friends.”
Friends didn’t kill friends.
“Dandy. Here dealing with this old stump,” she said with a shake of her head and another bright smile. “Are you staying at the Akita place?”
“Yes, ma’am.” It was Alexander who replied easily, his own tone almost as friendly, and not like he’d been shooting me imaginary murder daggers a second ago.
She smiled like that explained everything. “Y’all be safe now. Make sure your car is in four-wheel drive if that storm comes down this weekend. Those ditches have gotten us all,” the woman said.
“Yes, ma’am, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” the man I was clinging to replied.
I glanced at the back of his head, at all that dark hair that I’d had my cheek pressed against for countless hours, surprised at his acting skills.
“Someone I know has driven into it once or twice,” the man said with the most adorable chuckle.
The woman gasped. “You said you would stop telling everyone about that!”
