Page 58 of Finally Moore
“Hey! You said the crust needed to sit overnight.”
“Maybe.” I shrug. “Or perhaps I just said that because some temptress appeared in my kitchen under the guise of wanting baking lessons.”
“Jerk,” she says teasingly as she pushes me back down onto the bed.
I grip her hips and rest my forehead against the junction between her thighs, when what I really want is hidden behind layers of fabric I want to tear off. “You should go,” I caution her.
Scarlett tilts my face up and kisses me. I squeeze her ass tightly, fighting all my instincts to pull her back. She breaks our kiss and smiles.
“See ya.” As if our embrace left me weightless, she somehow gathers the strength to push on my forehead and send me backwards. “That was mean,” I shout, while staring up at the ceiling.
“Maybe you can teach me a lesson later tonight,” she taunts as she exits the cabin.
I’m fucked. I know it. Funny part is… I don’t even care.
The wind howls outside and a cool breeze passes through the cabin. The pies can wait. Right now there’s something more important I need to do.
The door to the hardware store sticks, making it a chore to pull open. Thinking back, I can’t remember when it ever worked the first time. Which is funny, since they clearly have everything they need to fix it at their immediate disposal.
“Welcome,” a feminine voice shouts from somewhere in the shop as I finally make my way inside. I glance around, but Leroy has this place packed tight with shelves. It’s like a maze, easy to get lost in while trying to navigate the various aisles. “I’ll be right with you.”
“No worries, Toni. I know what I’m looking for,” I say as I turn a corner. While the place is a little chaotic, at least they don’t move things around. Once you find something, you always know where to find it again.
“Oh, okay.” I hear the sound of metal and plastic hitting the floor, followed by a string of expletives. “I’m okay,” Toni announces.
There’s stomping coming from the far stairs that lead up to the second-floor apartment. “What’s all the racket?” Leroy calls out.
“Sorry, Dad,” Toni says. “Just a little slip. Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Are you sure?” he asks. “I can help—”
“Dad,” she scolds. “You should be resting. Get on upstairs now.”
“Do you have kids?” Leroy asks me, knowing full well that I don’t.
“Not yet,” I say, hopeful that one day my answer will be different.
“Word of advice,” he says, leaning in to whisper. “Don’t have daughters. They can be overprotective pains in the you know where.”
“What did I say, old man?” Toni pops up out of nowhere like one of those rodents in a Whac-A-Mole game. “Back upstairs, before you scare away the only customer we’ve had all day.”
“See?” Leroy says before doing as he’s told.
“Oh, Scott, hi,” Toni greets me. “What brings you in today?”
I hold up the roll of plastic and a thing of double-sided tape. “Just some drafty windows.”
Toni frowns. “Weren’t you in here last month to stock up?” Her face morphs from friendly to panicked. “Was it faulty? It was a new brand. We couldn’t get the 3M in stock—”
“Oh, no, this stuff works great. It’s not for me. It’s for my…” The wordfiancéealmost slips off my tongue. “…friend. She has a very drafty cabin.”
“A lady friend.” Toni wiggles her eyebrows up and down. “Might this be the town’s mysterious blonde bombshell?”
I shake my head, laughing as I hand her my stuff to ring up. “So, I guess word’s spread?”
“Like wildfire.” Toni grins. “What is it with you Moores? It’s like you lot are all people can ever gossip about.”
“It’s a blessing and a curse,” I tell her.