The urge to slip my arms around him and bury my face in his neck for a hug is overwhelming, but I resist. I probably already look a little nuts with how speechless I am. I don’t need to make it worse by plastering his body to mine. I probably wouldn’t let go.
“You’re welcome, Xander.” He smiles. “I’m going to head home, but give me a call or text if you need anything. And I mean it.”
Saluting him, I say, “Yes, sir.”
Heat flares in his eyes briefly before he blinks and it’s gone. “Goodnight.”
“Night, Cope.”
I watch him leave, every bone in my body screaming at me to ask him to stay. To tell him I broke up with Henry. Beg him to try to kiss me this time. But I don’t. That seems unfair to him somehow, like he’d be a rebound—which he absolutely wouldn’t be. Instead, I take a scalding hot shower, change into some pajamas, then grab a hearty bowl of the stew that smells heavenly and a couple of pieces of cornbread, before I sit atthe table and eat it all, while thinking of how good Cope is. How deserving. How he’s unlike any other guy I’ve ever been interested in…and how maybe that’s exactly what I need.
13
XANDER DAWSON
“How’s she doing?” my sister, Gemma, asks as I’m switching the clothes from the washer into the dryer.
“She seems fine. Not that she’d ever tell me if she wasn’t.”
It’s been a week since Aunt Colette came home from the hospital, and shedoesseem like she’s doing fine. There haven’t been any more fevers, she doesn’t look to be in any pain, and surprisingly, she’s taking it easy like the doctor said. Maybe a week-long hospital stay was enough to knock some sense into her that she isn’t superwoman and she can’t do everything. Her stubbornness is incredibly frustrating.
“And how are you?”
I can hear Gemma’s concern all the way through the phone. Rolling my eyes, thankful she can’t see me, I reply with, “I’m fine, Gem. Just like all the other times you’ve asked.”
“Well, sue me for being concerned about my brother,” she mutters.
“I appreciate that, Gemma. I really do, but Henry and I were at the end of our road. I did us both a favor by breaking it off.”
“Yeah, but you’re isolated all the way out there in that small-ass town with nobody but Aunt Colette to keep you company. Forgive me for wondering if you’re slowly losing your mind.”
Grabbing the laundry basket filled with the warm, clean clothes, I carry them to my bedroom. “I’m not isolated,” I scoff. “Yes, I have Auntie, but I’ve also made a…friend.”
I don’t know why I paused like that, but I know my sister caught it, and is about to latch on like a shark that’s scented a whiff of blood.
“Friend?” she asks, a hum to her tone. “What friend? And why haven’t I heard of this friend until now?”
Snorting out a laugh, I say, “Well, maybe because, despite what you believe, not everything is always your business.”
“That’s just rude.”
“His name is Cope,” I offer while folding the clothes. “He’s the neighbor, and he’s really nice. He’s helped me a lot when it comes to the animals, since when I got here, I had no fucking clue what I was doing.”
“That’s nice of him. How old is he?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Is he cute?”
“Very.” The word slips past my lips before I can stop myself, and I regret it immediately.Way to open the nosy floodgates, Xander.
“Oooooh, snap. Is he the real reason you broke up with Henry?” she asks, and I can hear the smirk in her words.
“I’m about to hang up on you right now,” I grumble. “Do I really strike you as somebody who would leave a multi-year relationship on a whim for some guy I just met?”
“Okay, grumpy.”
“The truth is, yes, Cope is cute—really cute—and extremely nice. He’s also the one who helped me on my first day here when my car broke down. But I ended things with Henry because itwas time, and because I was unhappy. As far as I know, Cope is straight, except for that night he tried to kiss me, and even?—”
