Page 42 of Jesse's Girl
Looking delighted at having snuck up on me, he smiles and tosses his keys onto the coffee table. He grabs the remote to shut off the movie.
“Hey, Katie. How’s it going?” he asks, lifting his chin in her direction.
“Good,” she replies, raising her mug with a slow, sleepy blink. “Hey, how’s your mom doing?”
“Good, actually.” Then he turns to me, crossing his arms in front of him and raising a brow. “Well? Aren’t you gonna answer the question? What’s it like living with me?” He nudges his foot against mine, grinning like a fool.
“Fucking charming,” I say, narrowing my eyes as I pull my foot away. I turn to Katie. “Honestly, it’s been torturous. He makes the whole place smell like dude.”
“Come on, that’s all you got?” Amusement plays on his lips and he stuffs his hands into his front pockets. “No Yeti jokes this time? I’m disappointed, Ada, really.”
“I’m slipping,” I say, holding up my mug in explanation.
Jesse cranes his neck when there’s a knock at the door. “You expecting someone?”
“Yup, that’s my ride,” Katie says as she drags back the blanket and stands. She tries and fails to fight off a yawn as she stretches her arms over her head.
“Already?” I ask, checking the time on my phone as I peel myself out of my seat. I let Dimitri in and he follows me back into the living room.
“Hey, babe,” he says, pulling Katie into a hug.
She lets out a sleepy, muffled squeak against his chest.
When he clocks Jesse’s presence, he pulls his arm from around Katie to extend his hand.
Katie excuses herself to use the bathroom while Jesse and Dimitri do all the requisite dude-bro hand shaking and introductions.
There’s an awkward beat of silence between the two men while I gather up the wine bottles and mugs to take them to the kitchen.
“So, Katie tells me you’re just here for the summer?” Dimitri asks behind me.
“Yeah. Heading back to Australia at the end of August.”
“Oh, nice. What do you do there?”
“I work on a produce farm.”
“No way!” Dimitri says, perking up. “I’m a landscaper. I should pick your brain. My boss has been looking into these small-scale urban farming setups… kind of like a starter kit for homesteading.”
“Yeah? Produce only, or livestock too?”
I glance over my shoulder at Jesse, who’s brightened at the topic. I smile and return my attention to my task at the sink.
“Not sure,” Dimitri says. “Possibly both, depending on the property size. And what the owners are after, obviously. But he figures chicken coops wouldn’t be too hard for us to put together, for a start.”
I rinse out the mugs and set them beside the sink, then turn around to face what appears to be a budding bromance.
Katie emerges from the bathroom and joins me, leaning back against the counter at my side.
The guys are oblivious to us watching them and carry on, their gestures and voices becoming more animated as they talk shop. On the surface, they’re the opposite of each other; Jesse’s blond, broad, and beardy, whereas Dimitri’s hair is short and dark, he’s clean-shaven, and his wiry muscles are honed by all the outdoor physical labor.
As I rub absentmindedly at my wine-warmed cheeks, I try not to let my gaze linger on the way Jesse’s Henley hugs his biceps. My teeth start to worry at my bottom lip when he pushes up his shirt sleeves and crosses his arms.
Fuck. Maybe I should slap myself.
“Ada,” Katie whispers, keeping her voice low. She looks conspiratorial as she beckons me closer.
I lean in.