“Easy. Everyone in Cooper Town knows where everyone lives.” I make no move to step toward her as she stands in the middle of her doorway, holding open the screen door.
She stares at me, waiting.
“Charli,” I confess, holding up my hands. “But in my defense, it was casual conversation. She didn’t come to me specifically with the details, nor did I ask. I overheard her and Lizzie talking about you renting from Sommer’s parents and it just came out.”
It takes her a few seconds before she nods. “I’m not used to this small-town thing.”
“I understand. It’s a lifestyle, and if you’re not used to it, it can seem like a lot.”
She snorts. “No kidding.”
We both stand here for several more seconds before I finally hold up the bottle of tequila with one hand and a bag containing dessert. “So, am I leaving this with you, or…”
She glances at the bag. “What’d you bring?”
“Well, I didn’t see any fresh cookies in their bakery that looked good, so I grabbed some edible cookie dough and fudge swirl ice cream. I even bought a bottle of chocolate syrup.”
Her eyes brighten with excitement as she glances up at me. “You brought cookie dough?”
I shrug, hoping I did the right thing. “Charli says ice cream and cookie dough heals a broken heart, so I took a shot that it works for all women.”
Oaklee grabs the bag of sweets and looks inside. “I’ve never had the edible cookie dough like this.”
“We can bake it too, but the package says it’s okay to eat raw.”
She steps back, granting me entrance. “All cookie dough is okay to eat raw.”
“It is?” I ask, stepping inside her space.
“Well, probably not, but I’ve never had an issue. It’s like drinking hot coffee or taking medicine. In this society, you have to put warning labels on everything now.”
“True,” I state, glancing around the living space. It’s an open floor concept with the living room taking up the majority of the space, along with the kitchen and small dining area between them. “Nice place.”
“It is,” she confirms. “Brenda painted the living room, bedroom, and hallway before I moved in. She said the previous tenant must have hung a thousand pictures on the walls.”
I step back and think. “Huh. I think I have two.”
“Two pictures in each room?”
“No, two pictures total.”
“Seriously? How is that possible?”
I lift my shoulders and return my gaze to her. “Easy. One picture is of my entire family on the day I returned home from my first tour overseas, and the other is of me and Collin last summer when we were camping and four-wheeling at a big park in Indiana. We’re both covered in mud and wearing matching smiles.”
She’s grinning. “That sounds fun.”
“Ever been on a four-wheeler?” I ask.
“Come on, let’s go in the kitchen so I can finish prepping the nachos,” she answers.
I follow behind, casually stealing a glimpse of her ass. She’s wearing black leggings and an oversized T-shirt now, having changed from her work scrubs. “Can I start the margaritas?”
She glances over her shoulder, her long hair making my hand itch to touch. “I thought we were doing shots?” she jokes.
“That’s still an option,” I inform her, setting the bottle on the counter beside the strawberry mix, blender, and salt container. “You have ice?”
She nods. “In the freezer.”
