Page 76 of Really Truly Yours
“I’m paying.” The soft concession whispers the air.
I gentle my words. “A few shingles won’t cost much.” And maybe a piece of sheetrock.
“I’m paying, and I want everything itemized.” Her gaze snaps back, bold again. “And no extra projects. Not like at Donny’s.”
“What if he finds the roof is—”
“Those are my terms. Yes or no.”
Does S stand for Sydnee or for stubborn?
Plunk, plunk.
“Nothing but a few shingles. Are we clear?”
Clearer than the murky crap in the bucket, that’s for sure. I hold up three fingers. “Only shoddy workmanship. Promise.”
Her nose makes a snotty turn upwards, which she pairs with a headshake that writes off me and my nonsense. She starts with shooing motions, scooting me along. “Now, out of my bedroom.”
My grin flows effortlessly. I tweak my shoulders and begin a lazy saunter. “Let me tell you, those are words I do not often hear.”
A growl dogs my steps. I curl in a shoulder and dodge a strike, laughing.
“Would you not say stuff like that!”
I wheel around, bracing my palms high on the doorframe. Our noses nearly collide. “Why not?” Up close, the vibe is warm and heating up.
Her cheeks flush pink. “It isn’t…proper.”
Proper? I turn my wrist for an exaggerated glance.
“What are you doing?”
Oh, she hasn’t a clue what she’s doing, her warm breath brushing my throat. “Checking the time. Felt like we slipped into the last century there for a second.”
“Out.” And she’s back to the shooing thing.
I make myself a wall. “First, I need a promise from you, Miss Sydnee.”
Her breath fans the opening at my collar, and I’m driven about silly.
“What?”
“When the guys come to look at your roof…”
“Yes?”
Groan. Her blue eyes stare at the spot her breath teases.
“Now, you’ll have to remember you agreed to this…”
“Of course.”
I lean until the hairs near her ear tantalize my lips. “Promise me you will not use that shotgun over there and run them off.”
A freeze, a thawing, and a full-on shove propels me into the hall. “Out, out, out! Trust me, they are not the ones I’d use it on!”
Chapter 16