“I mean, thank you, but I’ll figure something out.”
“Why are you being stubborn?” I ask tiredly.
Her pink cheeks turn even pinker. “I put you out of your bedroom, and I can’t imagine you had a good night’s sleep.”
My anger dissolves a little. “I won’t even be home, and you don’t even have a lock on your door.”
She lets out a defeated sigh before straightening. “I don’t. But I can bar it, maybe.” Her nose scrunches with concentration.
“Bar it?” I’m genuinely confused about where this conversation and her mind are going.
“Yeah, like put a big piece of wood across.” She spreads her arms wide, showing the size of the wood she’s talking about, I suppose. “And nail it to the walls.”
“You can do that.” I lift a brow. “Or you can sleep at my place, and tomorrow I’ll fix your door and look at your pipes.”
Her eyes widen, and she starts giggling.
“What?” I ask, officially lost.
“Nothing.” But she doesn’t stop laughing, and I can’t help but think about how oddly attractive I find it. I mentally whack myself on the back of my head.
“What’s so funny?” I ask her a little too harshly, and her cheeks turn pink again.
“Nothing.” She averts her eyes and taps a finger on her laptop. “Are you sure it’s okay with you?”
“Yeah.” I scratch my stubbled chin. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning for my long weekend, so I can look at the damage at your place.”
“Okay.” She draws her legs toward her body. “I guess I can stay if that’s all right with you.”
“All right.” I nod, turning back toward my house and gesturing for Ghost to follow me.
“Wait. Where are you taking him?” There’s a clamoring behind me, and I turn back. She picks herself up, dusting the nonexistent dirt off her knees, looking concerned.
I take a deep breath before speaking. Slowly. “My dog, Ghost”—I point at the furry traitor looking between us with a tilted head as if deciding who he’s staying with—“usually comes on shifts with me.”
“Oh.” She takes her glasses off and nervously fidgets with the rims. She looks like a shy sex-goddess, and for the umpteenth time, I will my dick to stay still.
“Do you want him to stay with you here?”
“Yes!” Her response is a little too fast and a bit too loud to be anything but genuine. She’s scared to be alone. I sigh and look at Ghost. “What do you think, buddy? Will you stay with your new friend Alicia?”
He nuzzles my hand and trots to her without giving me a second glance. I let out another sigh and lift my head to the sky, looking for an answer to why this is happening to me. Just when I got my life together, the universe threw me a curveball. I must admit, I prefer the old bat better than this angry seductress.
“I’ll unlock the back door for you,” I say as I leave them, Ghost curled up between her legs.
ChapterEight
ALICIA
To say I was relieved at his offer would be an understatement. I’ve been sitting here for who knows how long, trying to find who knows who to help me fix the sink.
No one. I found no one. Every single person I called had prior arrangements.
I’m exhausted from removing all the water and wiping, wiping, and more wiping. Throw a towel and squeeze the water out and repeat. A never-ending circle.
I’m sweating, and I’m a mess. I had a few wet wipes I used as a “local” shower, but I still feel dirty. Even Ghost preferred to stay away from me for the last couple of hours when the grossness reached its maximum.
I found a contractor who can fix the floor though, and I’m sure I’ll need him. He said he’ll be free in a couple of days and would come take a look. He said the price probably won’t be as bad as I think, which gave me hope. He doesn’t work with plumbing, so I still have to find someone for that.
