"Ineedmycar. Do you have some sort of emergency?"
Her mouth opens and closes twice, reminding me of a guppy, then she shakes her head. "N-no."
"Great. Have a good night."
By the time I slip into bed, I feel like I've had a pretty darned good day.
Drawing that line with Kayla was a major win. Much more importantly, I feel like Ansel and I really bonded. He's so wonderful that I still can't believe he's fixated on me.
Maybe if I keep speaking up more, and letting these feelings out, he'll understand how I feel about us. As soon as I can figure it out for myself, that is. Right now, everything is too new and gigantic to make proper sense.
I'll also have to find a way to tell him that my own sister is working with his uncle, and it doesn't sound like things are going to go well for him and his brothers.
Problem is, I don't want to tell him bad news. Ever.
6
ANSEL
Iadore so many things about Lynn, a big one being that she's not clingy, and completely mellow. She understands that I can't return her texts when I'm halfway up a tree with a chainsaw in my hand, just like she can only respond on breaks when she's at the café.
Yet over the past two days of being apart, we've bonded together even more over those sporadic texts. Chatting, sharing photos of our days, asking a ton of questions.
She's perfect for me. I can feel it.
The only possible hitch I can see is when she meets my family. They're a loud and rowdy bunch of guys when they get riled up, and Lynn is so quiet. She's met them individually at the café, I think, but they're so different when they're all together. I know it's going to be a bit much.
Driving to Acorns, I'm running a bit late. She's waiting out front, and I jump out of the truck to wrap her in my arms. "I'm so sorry I'm late."
Her sweet light laugh fills me with joy. "Seven minutes isn't late. I only came out a moment ago."
After helping her into the truck, I jump in again and start driving. "I haven't showered yet, so I have to go home first. Then we could go anywhere you like."
Her fingers tap lightly on her knee, which I'm learning is a signal that she's thinking about what to say.
"If you have ideas, I'm open to suggestions," I add.
Lynn smiles. "What if we got takeout and just hung out at your place?"
Squeezing her knee, I give her a wink. "You know, every man dreams of a low-maintenance gal. Usually it takes months of extensive training. Yet here you are on our third date, all ready to do some serious loafing."
Her chin lifts. "Believe it or not, I'm quite experienced in the art of loafing. I've read three books on the subject, so I'm practically an expert."
By the time we roll up my driveway, we've floated the idea of Loafing 101 being taught in college, with the students teaching the professors.
"This is your house?" Her eyes are huge as I help her out, keeping an arm around her waist.
"Yeah. We all wanted to get places next to Mom, and there wasn't a lot on the market. It's a bit bigger than I wanted."
As we walk inside, she nods very seriously. "Yes. I can see all of this extra space being a terrible bother. Awful, really."
Spinning her against me, I brush a soft kiss across her lips. "I love that you're so funny."
Her soft gray eyes study me carefully as I nod, letting her know that I used the word love casually but intentionally.
Her hand wanders up my chest, and I jump back dramatically. "No. Nonononono. You deserve better than a smelly, filthy lumberjack. Come upstairs so that I can transform into a clean lumberjack that doesn't stink."
Lynn giggles sweetly as I take her hand and lead her up the stairs, passing several empty bedrooms on the way to my huge suite. "Right this way." We go through the walk-in closet that leads to the bathroom, and I pull out a stool that sits at what will perhaps be her makeup table when she moves in with me.
