Chapter Eleven
Franklin
After Rory whispered the predicament in my ear, I found the first excuse I could to grab some extra clothes from my bedroom and hurry out to find Asher.
Just as I suspected, he was waiting in the shed. Unlike what I thought, however, he wasn’t alone.
“Marlene!” I said. “Fancy seeing you here. If I would have known, I would have brought you your doggie sweater.”
Asher was leaning against a large cardboard box, and his arms were casually crossed over his chest. I wasn’t sure if he actually was unfazed or just really good at acting, but when he caught my eye, he winked.
“Franklin,” he said. “Funny story.”
“Marlene outsmart you? She does that to me sometimes, too.”
“Maybe you could grab my clothes from the dryer? Rory was helping me clean up.”
I nodded and stifled the grin that was threatening to overwhelm my face. With Ava in the house, we needed to take care of this situation as soon as possible, but I couldn’t deny there was something kind of sexy about seeing Asher naked like that.
Would be kind of fun to toy with him…
I shoved the thought aside, surprised I had even had it. Now wasn’t the time.
“These should do,” I said, offering the clothes in my hand. “Yours might need another minute in the machine. But I can get you comfortable on the couch in the basement, if you want to wait down there.”
He nodded, then took the clothes. First, he dropped the sweater over his head, which hung down halfway to his knees. Rolling the sleeves up, he frowned at me.
“I guess this works.”
I let out a titter I couldn’t hold back. “You know, when I was your age, sweater dresses were very popular.”
Asher rolled his eyes, then shoved his legs into a pair of boxers and the smallest jeans I could find. Hitching the pants up with one hand, he bit down on his lip, and I saw that a blush was rising up on his cheeks.
Well, well, well… Looks like the tables are turned.
“Ava’s oboe instructor got food poisoning,” I explained as we walked back to the house, and I led him to the small door that lead into the basement. “I meant to tell you and Rory that she was coming back, but I got a little lost in what I was doing.”
I didn’t mention that what I was doing was scouring the internet for part-time jobs, thinking maybe I could take up some new side business to help bring in some extra money and keep my time occupied, as things continued to cruise along fine at Northstar without me.
“Cool,” Asher said. He paused as we stepped into the basement. The washer and dryer were set up against one wall, and storage filled the spaces around it. The other half of the basement was a bit nicer, however, with a big floral rug, an old couch, and a television.
Asher flopped down on the couch. The sleeves of his sweater fell, and he rolled them back up. “I’m chill here,” he said. “If you need to head back upstairs.”
I walked over to the mini fridge, which was unplugged, used mainly to store old beer we had bought for a barbecue. Popping it open, I was glad to see there were still some cans. “How about a beer?” I said. “It’s warm, but I could grab you some ice. You’re welcome to watch the TV, too.”
Asher shrugged. “I’m good, thanks.” He tapped his fingers on the arm of the couch, then turned up to me. “Sorry I almost caused a scene with your niece around.”
I smiled. “We figured it out, no problem.” Maybe it was how vulnerable he looked, nearly naked in the shed like he was, but my heart went out to Asher a little more. “Trust me,” I said. “There are far worse things. Ava’s safe and happy, and she has no idea she barely missed the streaker.”
Asher grinned shyly. “Yeah, in the house I grew up in, this would be a quiet day.”
I nodded. Concern itched at the back of my mind, and I hated the idea that Asher had grown up in an unsafe home. As much as I had the inclination to fuss over him, though, I thought it would be best to get back upstairs and tell Rory I’d straightened it all out.
Asher flicked on the television while I headed up, catching Colleen just before she ran off to another appointment. Ava had her headphones on, but when Rory nodded at her, she slipped them off respectfully.
“Hungry?” Rory asked.
Ava shook her head, then sat down on the couch. She had on a black sweater and a black knit cap, and she frowned as she looked between Franklin and me. “The handyman is downstairs?”
