It hadn’t been part of the original design, but with some funding, she had remodeled the kitchen and opened the wall into the dining room to make it more open and allow her to expand the kitchen and add an island.Andrea loved to cook, and she just couldn’t do it well in the galley-style one equipped with the house.
Andrea became so engrossed in her work, she jumped when there was a knock on the front door.She set down her writing, groaning when her back popped from finally being upright after hunching over the island for so long.
“Yes?”Andrea answered the door, surprised to see him.
“I was just letting you know I returned your lawn mower.”He had changed shirts into a dark forest green one.
“Thanks.You didn’t have to tell me.Like I said before, you could just leave it in the driveway.”
“It was kind of you to let me borrow it.”
“It wasn’t a problem.”Other than a few minutes of missed sleep.It was probably best she got up anyway to get some work done.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”he asked.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to invite you into my home.”Not that she owed him an answer.
“Fine, leave me out here in the cold.”
“We’re in Florida.It’s rarely cold,” Andrea argued, though she didn’t know why she felt the need to defend herself.It was her house, and she could invite whomever she wanted without having to explain herself.
“But shouldn’t you invite guests into your home?”
“If you were a guest, sure, but you’re not.”He was an annoyance that she couldn’t seem to get rid of.Andrea’s eye opened wide in shock when Michael started laughing.She was torn between smacking him across the face for the offense or slamming the door in his face.“What is so funny?”she demanded.
“You know, you’re easy to rile up.”
“Normally, I’m not.You seem to bring out the worst in me.”
“Or your true self.”
“I am not normally such a—”
“Rude snapping hyena all too happy to suck the marrow from my bones and laugh as you do it,” he finished for her.
“I was going to say bitch.”But that was a pretty close second.It was a good description.
“Isn’t that offensive to your sex?”he questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“I can say it; you can’t.”Most women were offended when called that.She didn’t care.Call a spade a spade.
“That doesn’t seem fair.”
“Nothing in life ever is.”She was all too familiar with that statement.Nothing in her life was fair, but she had learned from a young age to roll with the punches.
“True.Can we set a truce?”
“Fine.What are you doing?”
Michael leaned forward making his intentions quite clear.He was trying to kiss her.“Sealing our pact with a kiss.”
“No.”Andrea took several steps back to keep distance between them.
“There’s nothing to be frightened of.I’m not going to maul you like a bear.”He cocked his head to the side, his eyes raking over her body.“You’re a virgin, aren’t you?”He pointed at her with a triumphant look on his face like he’d figured her out.
