Page 29 of Let Me Be the One
“Didn’t think of it,” he murmured.
Kam walked in wearing only unsnapped jeans, and said around a yawn, “No doubt you had other things on your mind.” He went straight to the counter, pulled a lid off a canister, and offered it to Callie. “Chocolate chip and walnuts. Fair warning, they’re addictive.”
Doing her best not to look at Kam’s body—and largely failing—Callie said, “Mmm, thank you. I’m allergic to walnuts, so just one for me.”
“Will you get sick?” Kam asked.
She shook her head. “I’m good at nibbling around nuts.”
Silence stretched out with Tanner and Kam both choking.
Addie glared at them in warning. Despite how mean her glares could be, Kam broke first, snickering, trying to cover it with a cough, then outright laughing.
Once he did, Tanner lost it, too.
Even Addie ended up chuckling.
Callie’s innocent confusion only made it funnier.
It wasn’t even 7:00 a.m. yet, and already he’d had one hell of a good day. In fact, it’d probably go into his top ten best days, and it was all because of his new neighbor.
* * *
SEEING THE HOUSEin the daylight, it was even more disheartening. The upside was that the kitchen appliances had been updated five years ago and they were in good running order, but the cabinets and flooring could only be called vintage if someone felt really generous. Addie promised her that once it was cleaned, it’d look much better.
The bathroom, at least, was a pleasant surprise. Yes, it definitely needed a good scrubbing, from the floors to the walls and ceiling, and everything in between. However, a year or so ago Reggie had bought a roomy spa tub. Next to it, he’d situated a small table that still held an ashtray and an empty beer can, but all the tile in the room was neutral, so workable with any color scheme. A nice-sized window, covered with a privacy blind, brightened the room and, when uncovered, gave a view of the backyard.
There were two bedrooms, but one he had used for storage. She’d eventually have to go through everything in there. The other, as Glory had pointed out, had unpleasant smells and a mattress so worn, no way would it be comfortable. Already she was considering sleeping in her car, after she took the time this evening to get online and order some new things.
Despite all that, Callie was determined to make this work, to prove that she had the willpower and independence to make the house a home.
Whether it’d be a permanent home or not, she hadn’t yet decided.
She did take the time to document her progress by recording before and after videos on her phone.
Callie had been so preoccupied with the house—and thinking about Tanner—that the entire morning and most of the afternoon passed before she finally realized what had amused her neighbors so much. Her face got hot as she recalled her “nibbling around nuts” comment, but she also laughed. Sometimes she could be such a dork. In her defense, Sutter would have missed the implication, too.
And he would keel over if he could see her now.Sweaty, her clothes dirty, flyaway hairs escaping her hasty topknot. She was a wreck and didn’t care.
She’d spent the day tackling chores large and small, inside and out, working harder than she ever had in her life, and all the while she’d replayed her conversation with Tanner, start to finish, over and over again.
What a fascinating person he was.
What a tough childhood he’d had.
What an impressive man he’d become.
A man she’d really like to get to know. And touch. And… Enjoy.
She had a feeling he’d beso enjoyable. The intensity of his gaze told her so. The set of his sensual mouth told her so.
And his body.Mmm. He was that yummy. Keeping her attention on his face hadn’t been easy, not with his bare chest right there taunting her. A sparse, enticing amount of chest hair decorated pronounced pecs and when he crossed his arms, usually in irritation or challenge, biceps flexed and bunched in a display of pure masculine perfection. Her fingers had tingled with the need to explore that body hair, to test the firmness of all those delicious muscles, to coast over his hot skin. His body was so preoccupying, she’d barely tasted her coffee.
Who had a body like that?No one that she knew, yet he seemed oblivious to how great he looked.
To think that his father might have been that big and strong when Tanner was only a small, vulnerable boy… It made her heart ache.
Thank God his later childhood was made better by a phenomenal woman. It explained so much about him, and yet in many ways he was still such a mystery.
