Page 35 of Because of Blake
“No. I bet he’d love you even more for it.”
“Can you hand me the needle nose pliers, please?” Blake asks from underneath my sink.
“Hmm?” I reply as I’ve not been listening to a word he’s said. I’ve been too busy fantasizing about licking the muscles on his abdomen peeking out from under his shirt.
Blake comes out from under the sink. “The pliers, Maggie?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry. Here you go.” I hand him the pliers, and he raises his eyebrows with a knowing look as he slides back into the cabinet.
I put my burning face in my hand, beyond mortified.
“Okay, I think it’s good to go. Let’s test it out,” Blake says, turning on the faucet. He bends down to look into the cabinet. “No leaks, that’s a good sign. Now, for the real test.” He reaches for the switch, and I brace myself for a barrage of shrapnel, but as he turns it on, the disposal quietly churns. No metal flies out, no grinding noises, just a smooth whir.
I exhale deeply. “Thank you so much, Blake. I don’t know what I would have done without a disposal for a week.”
“No problem. It was my pleasure.”
“I feel bad for taking up your whole afternoon. Can I at least pay you for your time?”
He holds up his hands. “No. I don’t mind, really. You paid for all the materials. All I did was install the thing.”
“That’s still work. There must be something I can give you as a payment.” In the back of my mind, a voice tells me I’ve stumbled onto the beginnings of a porn. He fixes my plumbing and I have to pay him somehow.
“How about you come over and watch a movie with me tonight?”
Aaaaannnnd now I’m in the porn.“What?”
“Well, you said earlier, you’re probably going to fall asleep watching Hallmark movies, so instead of us watching two movies alone, why don’t you come over and we’ll watch one movie together?” He shrugs and shoves his hands in his pockets. It’s a change from earlier today. He’s been so confident and masculine, but right now, he seems downright scared.
My heart races. He did it. He finally asked me out. The elation inside me sucks all the moisture from my mouth, so I stand here with my lips parted, not saying a word.
He holds up his hands. “I’m not trying anything here, I promise. It’s two neighbors enjoying a movie together, that’s it. You seem tense, like you could use a little R & R.”
I swallow my premature elation down. He didn’t ask me on another date. He asked me to hang out like friends would. I’m such an idiot.
But he’s right. Almost being impaled by what probably used to be a fork, definitely made me tense, but spending the afternoon with Blake has risen my heart rate substantially, so while I’m not sure spending more time with him is the answer, this is as close to a date as I’ve come since Christmas. I can’t say no. “Um, sure. What time?”
“Is eight o’clock too late?”
“No, eight is fine. Should I bring anything? Snacks, or something?”
“Just yourself,” he says with a wink, and my stomach flips.
“Okay. I’ll see you later.”
I let Blake out and shut the door, sagging against it while I take deep breaths to calm my heart. It’s not a date. It’s not a date. It’snota date. Is it?Now I am definitely putting on some makeup.
Chapter twelve
At7:55p.m.,I’mstanding at my front door, gauging how long the walk to Blake’s house is. It can’t take more than a minute or two, so if I leave now, I’ll be early.
Is that bad? Will I seem eager? I should wait a couple more minutes and be fashionably late. Will that send the wrong signal, though?I have no idea what I’m doing.
Shaking off the frustration of being clueless, I leave the house at 7:58 p.m. and knock on Blake’s door at 7:59 p.m. Not too early, not late at all, perfect timing, I hope. As soon as I knock, I hear Oscar barking and Blake yelling at him to stop.
The door opens and Blake greets me with soft eyes and his warm smile. “Hi,” he says quietly.
“Hi,” I reply, returning the smile.