Page 58 of From Grumpy to Forever
He reached for me again, this time backing me up against the counter. “Forget tomorrow.” The scruff on his chin scraped against my cheek. “I’m looking forward to tonight.”
Somehow, after a few more minutes of making out like teenagers, Reid and I mustered up the willpower to pull ourselves apart and get to work. The list of things to do to get the inn ready was only growing longer by the day, and we had our sights set on the beginning of September to host the grand opening to the public and hopefully welcome our first guests.
The timeline was tight, particularly given the fact that I still didn’t hold the necessary paperwork. But that was out of my control—at least for now. The only thing that was actually still in my control was getting the work done. Which meant, less making out and more actual work.
After Reid told me about the upcoming Sprout n’ Shout, we decided to focus our attention on the gardens I’d been working on the day before and headed outside where the sun was already high in the sky.
Summer days in the mountains could be deceptive. It cooled down at night, but the days could get quite warm. And based on the heat early on, it looked like we were in for a hot one.
“You did a lot of work out here yesterday.” Reid put his hands on his hips and assessed the yard, which looked kind of like either a backhoe or a dog with a bone had been let loose. There was dirt scattered all over the grass, and wilted piles of weeds that hadn’t made it to the compost yet spotted the lawn.
“It’s a mess.” I shook my head, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with the task.
“Hey.” Reid handed me a shovel. “It’s nothing we can’t handle. Let’s start over there.” He pointed to the far garden bed by the edge of the porch. “We can clear out the rest of those scraggly shrubs and get the ground ready for something fresh.” Slowly, he turned his attention to the neglected flower beds along the path. “Over there would be a nice spot for some irises and peonies. You like those, don’t you?” He winked at me before pointing to a different area of the garden. “And look at all the daisies hiding in there. If we clean out the weeds a bit more, we’ll be able to see them. And who knows, maybe I’ll pick you some bouquets like when we were kids. That would be—what?”
He stopped when he noticed me staring at him.
I couldn’t help but chuckle and shake my head at the confusion lining his face.
“Seriously,” Reid said. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“The peonies. And…the daisies.”
His face screwed up in confusion. “You don’t like the idea?”
“I love it,” I said, newly overwhelmed in a completely different way.
“Good.” He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before once more turning to the garden. “In the fall, we can plant tulips and daffodils that will come up as soon as the snow melts and—you’re staring at me again.”
I couldn’t help but laugh a little. “You’re so cute when you talk about gardening.”
“Cute?”
I nodded. “Cute.”
“No one has ever described me as cute before.”
“Well, I guess no one has ever noticed how cute you are when you have a shovel in your hand and you’re talking plants.” I stuck my tongue out and laughed at the dumbstruck expression on his face before it turned into a shriek when he dropped the shovel and started to chase me.
“I’ll show you how cute I can be.”
I wasn’t sure whether it was a threat or a promise. Either way, I sprinted toward the wheelbarrow, putting it between us.
“You think I’m cute, do you?”
I laughed and dodged to the side, circling around the wheelbarrow. “I sure do.”
“Then why are you running, Avery? Afraid I’ll be too cute if I catch you?”
My core clenched with the promise held in his words.
Oh no, I’d be more than happy to let him catch me. Especially with the way his nostrils flared when he looked at me, desire in his eyes. Hell yes, Reid could catch me anytime.
But the chase was going to be fun, too.
“You assume that you can catch me.” I grabbed the discarded gloves I’d left in the wheelbarrow and tossed them in his face before spinning on my heel and taking off across the lawn.
I’d only made it halfway to the path when I felt Reid’s strong arms wrap around my waist.
