Page 12 of The Haunting Plot

I roll my eyes. “Grow up.”

“I like it when you’re mean. It makes me hard.”

I blink rapidly. “Did you mean to say that out loud?”

“Absofuckinglutely.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“That I meant to say it or that I’m hard?”

“Both.”

“I’d be happy to show you.”

“That’s a hard pass.” My answer is quick, but my eyes flick to his bulge, lingering a little too long. What has gotten into me?

“Stare any harder, and it’ll start dancing for you.” He wiggles his hips.

“You’re a moron.”

He sighs. “I am about a lot of things.”

His unexpected honesty throws me off. I glance at him, but he turns away, surveying the rest of the basement. “So what are we doing down here? Is this where you want the sex dungeon? Seems a little on the nose, but sure.”

“Will you cut it out with that?”

He walks over to the corner of the space, looking up at the beams like he’s making mental calculations. “I have a couple of ideas about what you could do with this space.”

I’m relieved that he doesn’t finish that thought with more sex room suggestions. At least he can take a hint. “I was able to find a contractor to handle our other property, but even then, it’ll be weeks before they can get out there and clean up and rebuild. But no one could squeeze this place into their schedule. I apologize if RJ downplayed the scope of the project, but if you aren’t able to handle it, let me know now and I’ll figure something out.”

“It’s gonna take longer than I originally thought. And I’d have to work around Jocelyn’s schedule with the kids. Some of the tools I’ll use will be pretty loud, so you might want to make arrangements for Jonah, or it’ll take even longer.”

He’s right. I’ll have to reach out to the moms and see if they can help. Jonah is comfortable with all of them, so it should be okay, but I hope the change in routine isn’t too much for him. Two of my friends are teachers and have experience with ASD kids, so I have support if I need it.

My thoughts spiral when he doesn’t say anything else. Did RJ pester him into this? Does he feel obligated? Why does he want to help? Is it because he’s fond of my brother? It’s not out of any fondness for me; I’ve been nothing but difficult with him. He probably flirts with everyone. Or maybe he’s one of those golden retriever types in romance books. Not my books. I’ve never been able to wrap my head around a character like that, could never put myself in the shoes of someone like that long enough to write one believably. No, my MMCs are all grumpy, brooding, burn-the-world-down-for-their-women types.

“Which item on your list is the most urgent?” His question startles me, distracting me from my thoughts.

“Why are you doing this?”

He shoves his hands in his pockets. “I’m not doing anything.”

“Then why are you here?”

“You know, sometimes I feel like we’re speaking two different languages.”

He’s not wrong. It’s difficult for me to not take things literally sometimes. “So you’re not going to help?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“I’ll pay you for your time.”

He shakes his head. “I’m not taking your money.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. This is my mess, and I can take care of it. I don’t expect you to do this for free.”

“Just buy the supplies.”