FIFTEEN
EVE
Since I bought the camper,it’s chilled in the driveway while I lost myself in a research blackhole to learn how to renovate it. Saved browser tabs are open across all my devices with links I’ve looked at between serving drinks at The Landmark, sitting up late working on my products, and going to Heston U’s home games.
I have so much information. Tons more than I likely need, yet making myself begin this project has been difficult.
If Cole didn’t offer to help me, who knows how long I would’ve put off getting started.
We’ve been at it for three afternoons in a row so far. When he’s done with work, he comes right over.
“Here.” He takes off his glove and offers a hand to help me up.
I ignore the tingle racing through me as his fingers curl around mine. He holds on until I find my balance, watching me. I make a conscious effort not to use his firm chest to steady myself. His comforting forest scent envelops me and his body heat seeps through my clothes.
It’s not exactly spacious inside the hull of the camper.
I slide my lips together. “Thanks.”
He releases me after a beat. Rather than paying attention to the section of flooring he wants to show me, I’m staring at his forearms. The sleeves of his gray henley are pushed up, the flannel he stripped off tied around his waist. The shirt stretches across his broad chest when he swipes the back of his wrist across his forehead.
I tear my gaze away, hissing out an uneven breath.
“See how this is all warped under the linoleum we pulled back?”
I lean over where he crouched in the cramped corner at the back. He puts a flashlight in his mouth and yanks on a loose board. My mouth goes dry at the way his upper back and biceps flex.
“Shit,” he mutters.
“Is it bad?”
He turns a grim expression on me. “There’s definitely water damage. Not the end of the world, but unideal. It means we’ll have to rip this all out to replace the floor.”
My stomach sinks as he gestures to the discolored piece he pulled up. I tug on the ends of my hair.
“Wow. This is going to take longer than I thought to fix.”
Sighing, I hop down to the driveway. He follows me.
“I don’t know, maybe I took on more than I was ready for. The further we get into this reno project, the more we find wrong with this thing. The rusted out siding let the elements in, and now we have to fix water damage. There’s a tire that needs to be patched. I’m pretty sure a family of field mice has moved into one of the storage compartments.”
As I list off all the work we need to do, my breathing speeds up. My skin feels too tight.
I peel my hoodie off when the neck feels like it’s choking me. I get more agitated while I pace back and forth, as if movingwill help me stay ahead of this problem. Rubbing my forehead, I fight the tightness in my lungs.
“Hang on.”
Cole catches me by my shoulders and keeps me still before I spiral out of control. His touch feels good. It distracts me from the thoughts piling up in my head, making me focus on him.
“Let’s take a breather for a second. Then we can tackle this one by one. Deal?”
I roll my lips between my teeth and force an exhale through my nose. “Okay. Yes, you’re right. One thing at a time. It’s impossible to fix it all at once. Thank you.”
He squeezes. “I’ve got you.”
A lump forms in my throat. Cole has a knack for recognizing when I’m overstimulated. It doesn’t frustrate him or make him dismissive. Not only does he ask me what’s wrong, he offers his support without making me feel bad about being overwhelmed.
The midnight kiss from my birthday has been on my mind the last few weeks. We might be fooling around online together because it’s a much lower risk, but it means I still don’t get to have my brother’s best friend the way I’ve always wanted. Our conversations online are full of wickedly delicious fantasies and show me a side of him I’m growing addicted to. The new connection we have makes moments like this more special to me.
