Page 19 of Pinch of Love
“Well, thank you for that.”
He patted my shoulder like a member of a soccer team, giving one of his players a pep talk. “Hey, how about we go get some ice cream? It’ll be my treat for messing with your morning.”
My stomach knotted into a tight little bow of doubt and uncertainty, and his gaze fell slightly.
“Or another time,” he added. “You’ve had a rough morning.”
I glanced at the clock and brought my eyes back to Cash. “No, I’m not going to let my ex ruin a perfectly good ice cream invitation. I’ll let my attorneys handle everything.”
“Did you block him?” he asked.
“You can do that?”
He nodded. “You should be able to.”
“Have you ever had to block people?”
Cash bit his bottom lip. “Once.”
“Really?” Now, I was intrigued. He didn’t look like he’d ever need to block someone. Cash looked more like the ‘handle it once and for all’ kind of guy. “Who’d you have to block?”
“Nah.” He dismissed the question, but I wouldn’t take my eyes off him. “Fine. A woman who rented one of my bungalows on the southend of the lake developed a crush.”
I eyed him closely. “Did you give her any reason to?”
“You’ve met me. Do I look like I give off a come-hither look?”
I shrugged. “Beats me. I don’t know if you’re always like this to everyone or if I’m just the lucky one.”
He choked a little on his breath and shook his head. “Everyone. So, when she wouldn’t stop coming by my house...”
My eyes widened. “Your house?”
Cash nodded and scratched his chin. “I had to let her down easily.”
“Wait. What are you talking about? Did you sleep with her, and then she came back for more, or where are we going with this story?”
Cash laughed. “We shouldn’t be going anywhere with this story.”
I grinned and hopped up on the balls of my feet a little. “But we are.”
“Fine. No. I didn’t sleep with her. She propositioned me several times. Flirted even harder. I tried to let her down gently.”
“Tsk. Tsk.” I shook my head. “But she just needed some big, old Cash lovin’.”
Cash shook his head. “That’s not my style.”
I caught his gaze and saw a flicker of sadness coast through his eyes, so I nodded. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m not going to be knocking on your door for nookie anytime soon.”
He frowned and laughed. “I’m not sure that does, actually.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Thanks again for fixing the tub. What do you think happened?” I saw that he looked extremely uncomfortable.
“A whole bunch of toilet or bath tissue had been stuck down the drain.”
Surprise rippled through me. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know how that could have happened, but I’m not kidding when I say the houseguests can be a little unruly at times.”