See you soon!
I set my phone on the counter and head to my bedroom. I might have just had my heart ripped from my chest, but I refuse to go out in public in my cleaning clothes. Instead, I put on a pair of cute denim shorts with lace around the leg holes and a loose-fitting tank top in a deep blue color. I slip my feet into a pair of brown sandals and then head for the bathroom to make myself presentable.
After straightening my hair and putting a little eye makeup on my face, I return to the kitchen and grab my things. I exit the door off the laundry room and enter the attached garage, where my Jeep Cherokee is parked. It’s older, with high miles, but it’s a solid, reliable vehicle. And it should have enough room in the back, especially if I put the back seat down, to fit a push mower.
I head over to Allison’s place across town. She lives in the small two-bedroom house she got in the divorce and is saving to have the siding redone. It’s currently canary yellow, a color her ex-husband was fond of, and she hates it with a passion. But siding isn’t cheap, that’s for sure, and she’d prefer not to take out a loan or put the expense on credit cards, like most homeowners would do. There are a few broken pieces that really need replaced, especially around the front porch, or she’d just repaint it. She says she can live with the color until she can pay for it outright. Until then, she’ll save where she can.
A quick text lets her know I’m close, and when I pull into her driveway, she’s standing on her front porch. “I could drive if you want,” she offers as she climbs into the passenger seat.
“No, I don’t mind. I need to buy a lawn mower, and it’s probably easier to put it in my Jeep than your car,” I tell her, slowly backing out of her driveway and pulling on to the street.
“Oh! An adult purchase. Where are we headed?”
“Well, there’s a couple of places in North Ridge we can check out.”
“Yep,” she says, setting her purse on the floor. “Do you like hibachi? There’s a great little place near the Menards over there.”
“I love it,” I tell her, my stomach growling at the mention of food.
Laughing, she replies, “Well, let’s grab food first. Then we can shop.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“What about this one?” Allison asks, stopping in front of a red mower that looks a lot like the other four on display.
I look it over, wishing I knew what the differences were, besides the price. The motor area looks completely different, and I’m not exactly sure why. Not that I know anything about sizes of motors on push mowers. I read over the tag, but it’s practically in a foreign language to me, and we have yet to find an employee who can help us.
“I’ll go look for someone to help,” Allison states, clearly reading my distress.
She walks away, leaving me to mull over the decision I face. Honestly, I could probably just buy one and it would be fine, but I’d like to understand what I’m spending my money on.
“You look lost.”
I spin around, recognizing that voice immediately, even though I’ve only heard it one night a month ago. “Hi.”
Cade flashes a sexy little grin, his blue eyes sparkling under the fluorescent lighting. “Whatcha doing?”
“Shopping,” I reply, catching the way his eyes slowly peruse down my body like a caress. Goosebumps instantly pepper my exposed skin, and I refuse to acknowledge what’s happened to my nipples. I just pray he can’t see them through my shirt.
“In the market for a new mower?” he asks, setting the handheld basket he’s carrying down on the floor.
“Yeah, I need one for my new place. Allison went to find an employee.”
He takes in the selection. “What are you looking for it to do?”
My eyebrows shoot toward the ceiling. “Uhh, mow my yard?”
He flashes a quick smile. “I know that, but each one of these is a little different.”
“I figured, but I don’t know what.”
“Are you looking for an electric mower?” he asks.
“They make those?” I ask, completely dumbfounded by this news. Not that I should be, considering they have electric cars and motorcycles, but I suppose I didn’t realize mowers can be electric too.
“They do. This model is electric. If you don’t want to deal with gas while you mow, it’s a decent option. It’s a twenty-inch cut, which is average for push mowers. The batteries last up to fifty minutes, so if you have a smaller to medium sized yard, that would be about perfect.”
I glance from the mower to the man standing beside me. “Are you a lawn mower salesman in your spare time?”
