“What in the world is she doing?” I ask myself.
My eyes scan the area, and I spot her mutt sitting on the grass near her. He’s got his legs out, head resting on the grass and his eyes closed. Clearly unfazed by what’s happening, as if he’s used to this type of behavior.
Movement causes me to snap my head back in her direction.
Is she…is she fighting a hose?
She’s wrangling the hose like she’s a firefighter on her first day. Water is flying in every direction while she attempts to straddle it between her legs.
Throwing my truck in park in the middle of the road, I sit there for a moment wondering if I should even bother. I should keep driving straight home and not help her. I don’t need her to think I care more than I do.
Reluctantly, I decide to get out of the truck before I march over to where she’s fighting the water.
I can’t believe this is happening right now.
That’s when I notice it’s notjusta hose, it’s a power washer. Blair is power washing her house. Or, at least trying to. I’m now glad I got out of the truck because she’s going to ruin the siding on the house if she keeps this up.
“What are you doing?” I shout over the loud buzzing of the power washer.
It’s a piece of shit one if you ask me.
Where the hell did she even get this?
“What does it look like I’m doing?” she shouts back, using every part of her body to get it under control. Water sprays in every direction, and across my flannel causing me to startle from the sting of pressure. She even manages to get the dog wet. Of course, it doesn’t move because it’s far enough away to avoid the force of it.
My arms fly out as I look down in shock at my now drenched shirt before looking back up at her.
She finally lets it fall to the ground, stomping a pink boot on it to keep it down, and flips the power off on the machine. She looks up at me, brushing her hands over the top of her head and schooling her features. “I’m power washing,” she says casually.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I shoot her a skeptical glare. “Looks like wrestling to me.”
She shrugs a shoulder. “Just getting used to it. That’s all. I’ve…uh…never done this before.” Her gaze trails my body. “Sorry about your shirt.” She shrugs again, but this time without an ounce of remorse in her tone.
Rolling my eyes, I stomp toward her. The same damn energy from the last time I was this close to her rips through me. The sting from the force of the water is quickly replaced with a burning feeling behind my ribcage. I don’t have time to register the feeling completely because her eyes widen at my sudden movements when I reach down between her legs to rip the hosefrom under her boot. My forearm brushes against the bare skin sitting above her boot and I almost fumble the hose between my fingers from the electric zing I just felt along my arm. I fight like hell to ignore it despite the way my heart begins to race, holding the hose up in my hands with ease.
She looks from my face to my arms where I hold the hose. The way her eyes burn my skin worse than the water pisses me off, forcing me to grip the hose tighter. Her lips part slightly before she brings her bottom lip between her teeth.
“That’s really annoying how you got control of that so easily,” she says to me but is still looking at my grip on the hose.
“It’s not hard.”
“Oh, yes, it is,” she mumbles under her breath, still not meeting my stare.
Turning around to assess the machine she got; I notice rather quickly that it really is a hunk of garbage. I can’t believe she bought this. I shake my head as I tighten the hose and turn it back on.
“Give it back,” she demands. “I need to finish this before the sun sets.”
White knuckling the hose between my fingers, I want to be a dick and let her fight this hose for all hours of the night. I really do. But I’m a selfish bastard and don’t want to hear the machine buzzing, along with her screams, all night long.
“I got it,” I tell her.
“No,” she practically shouts. “I want to do this.”
“Why?” I ask, curious about the quick change in tone.
“Because.”
One word before something washes over her, I can’t quite figure out. It looks like pain and hurt. Lily told me she’s been through some shit. I never asked Lily more because I don’t want to know. It’s not my right to know.
