Roots and Wings (City Limits #1)(15)

He didn’t say anything else about it, but when we were done with that room, he said, “Thank you.”

Then we went to the next.

It was odd. I didn’t belong there. But you know what? I wanted to be there and I knew he wanted me there, too.

That day was pretty quiet. I decided to go home that afternoon and work on the new spinners I had to make and get Mr. Walton’s finished before he got upset.

Not since that day, almost a week before, had he asked me again about a boyfriend or anything like that. Maybe after spending some time with me, hearing how I talked and seeing how I behaved, he wasn’t interested in me at all.

That would be fine.

Not awesome, because I was really beginning to like him, but I’d understand, and if anything, we might be friends.

He must have realized I wasn’t the dating type.

Still, my daddy didn’t raise a sissy, and I didn’t hide from stuff like that. Vaughn was a good guy, and I wanted him to know that if he needed or wanted a friend, now that his house was completely livable, I’d like to be his.

“Did you know the Cozy Cone opened up today, Mutt?” Dad asked from the living room. “Me and Dub stopped in there. Saw Dean. He wanted to know what you did last night. I told him if you weren’t at Astro’s you were probably just out in the garage.”

“Yeah, I was out there working,” I said as I rinsed off my plate from dinner.

“Figures. Anyway, they have your favorite lemon ice cream right now. Thought you’d like to know that.”

I loved lemon ice cream.

After I cleaned up the kitchen and finished a few more lures, I hopped in my truck and drove to town. Slowly, trying to decide if I wanted to stop at Vaughn’s or not.

I stopped. I had something to get off my chest. I hated that feeling.

I’m sure he heard me coming. He met me at the door wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

“Hey there,” he said.

“Hey. Want to go for a walk? The ice cream place is open for the summer now.”

“I’ll buy,” he offered and smiled brightly, and I was one hundred percent better. Funny how someone else’s smiles could make me happy.

“Okay, but I’m getting a large.”

“That’s fine, get whatever you want. Let me grab some shoes and my wallet.”

I waited outside and sat on the concrete cap that ran along the front wall of the porch.

He came out and I stood, then for some reason I wanted to hug him. I didn’t though. I didn’t need to be any weirder than I already was.

We walked to the Cozy Cone, which was only about five blocks from his house, and were back by the time it got dark.

We sat on his steps and finished our large lemon ice creams. Turned out he liked it too. That’s not a totally honest depiction of how it happened, though. I basically told him it was the best thing on the planet and that he was a f*cking idiot if he didn’t want some.

So he got a large like me.

If he didn’t like it, my plan was to eat his, too.

“You know what, I think I’m going to replace a few of the boards on this porch and paint it,” he said as we sat there watching the fireflies flicker and glow against the night.

“What color?”

“I was thinking maybe a dark brown or black, maybe a dark grey color. I’m not sure yet. Then get a few porch swings for either side of the door. What do you think?” His bare knee nudged mine, and I nudged him back.

“Sounds good.” I didn’t want to impose on him anymore. Yesterday didn’t feel good, and I knew I needed to take a few steps back. Give him some room to breathe.

“Maybe you could help me sometime?” he asked, his voice nonchalant.

“You don’t need me to help you with that.”

He turned toward me, so I mirrored what he did and faced him. “I know I don’t need you to, but you didn’t come by all day and I found myself looking for projects to start so that you’d come back.”

Then his large hand glided across my leg and I wasn’t sure what was happening. He didn’t like me. Not like that anyway.

I looked down at it and then back up at him, then swatted a June bug that had been flying around on the porch attracted to the light.

“You wanted me to come back?”

“Yeah,” he said, relaxed and cool. “You’re fun to be around. I like looking at you.”

I swallowed hard. “You do?”

How was that even remotely possible?

“I know I just moved here and we’ve only known each other for a few days, but I like spending time with you.”

He leaned in. Then I leaned in, feeling like my heart was about to jump out of my mouth.

“I don’t know how to do this, Vaughn,” I admitted.

“Do what?” he asked quietly, so close I could smell lemon on his sexy lips. His eyes never left mine and I felt like I was blinking every second.

“I’m not the kind of girl many guys want to … do remodeling projects with,” I admitted, knowing that it wasn’t cool or smooth, but that he’d understand what I was trying to say.

“We don’t have to do any remodeling projects until you want to. Then—when you’re sure—we’ll paint the porch together. We’ll paint the hell out of it.” I liked the way he humored me. I liked the way his hand was still on my leg. And I really liked that, instead of kissing me, he just put his forehead against mine. It was sweet.