Page 42

“Listen, I can’t…date you.”

“Date me?”

“Yeah, I—” I swiped a hand through my hair and winced. “I have teenagers, a meddling ex, a sick parent, and four towns to police. Any one of those things make it difficult for me to enjoy extracurricular fun, but all of them at once makes it impossible. I’m guessing that discretion isn’t a problem for you, but I’ve learned the hard way not to assume that everyone knows the score.”

My tone was sharper than intended. I sounded like an asshole, but I wasn’t sure that could be helped. I had to be honest.

Waylon pushed his plate aside and crossed his arms. “So you’re not gonna hold my hand on Main Street, ask me out for pancakes at Log Cabin, or buy me a drink at Rise and Grind and ask Davey to put a heart around my name on the to-go cup?”

I bit my lip to hide a smile. “No. But to be fair, I’ve never held a man’s hand on Main Street…or any street. And I’ve certainly never asked Davey to put a heart on a to-go cup. Although he does put a flower on Gretch’s hot chocolates upon request.”

“Good to know.” Waylon chuckled good-naturedly and added, “If I see you in town, will you acknowledge me?”

“Of course.”

“And when I see you in private, will you promise to get naked in under ten seconds, drop to your knees, and suck my cock like your life depends on it?”

I narrowed my eyes. “That’s awfully presumptuous. What makes you think we’re going to do this again?”

He rounded the picnic table and sat beside me, close enough that our shoulders touched. Then he snaked a hand between my legs and rubbed my inner thigh. His thumb glided over my balls, back and forth, back and forth. My breath hitched as my semi pressed against my zipper.

Waylon kissed my mouth, my chin, my neck as he undid my shorts and freed my aching dick. “This.”

Yeah, we were definitely going to do this again.

Such a bad idea.

CHAPTER 15

WAYLON

Reg’s dad stood in my driveway with his hands on his hips. “What the hell are we doing at Calhoun’s house? Christ, that idiot’s a sandwich short of a picnic. What’s he got to do with birdhouses anyway?”

Rhys and Gretchen gave their grandfather a wide berth, choosing to hang out by the SUV, no doubt assuming this was bound to be a short trip.

“Jed rented this place to Waylon. He works for Cooper, and Coop asked us to help test out these new birdhouses to make sure they’re easy to assemble,” Reg explained, motioning his father and the kids toward the open garage where I’d set up a rectangular folding table, five chairs, and five boxes containing DIY birdhouses.

Mr. La Rue wasn’t easily appeased. He scowled and shook his head. “Jed moved. Huh. Good riddance, I suppose.”

“He still lives in Wood Hollow, Gramps. He moved closer to the lake,” Rhys supplied. “Hey, I heard the birdhouses are all different. I want the one that looks like a spaceship.”

Gretchen huffed. “There’s no spaceship house.”

“How do you know? Let’s see.”

Rhys and Gretchen coaxed their grandfather into the garage and lined the birdhouse kits on the table. I sidled next to Reg, watching the kids with the old man. If nothing else, it was nice to have an excuse to be close to the chief after a couple of days apart.

I wondered what this would be like. In what world did I see myself doing DIY projects with the dad of the guy I liked? And his kids? This was…weird.

It got weirder, too. My boss was Reg’s best friend, so Cooper was in on the experiment.

According to Reg, the memory care nurse advised against bringing a new project to his dad’s house. Something about it potentially causing anxiety in a “safe space.” His father didn’t know me and might feel threatened by a stranger in his house. Jed’s rental was a good compromise.

“My dad is a grump, but the kids love him.” Reg slyly brushed my elbow as he peeked at his watch. “We have an hour before their social calendars interfere. Rhys is going to a party tonight, and Gretchen has a study session with her math club at the library.”

I slipped my hands into my back pockets and rocked on my heels. “I didn’t know Wood Hollow had a library.”

“A very small one. Nothing like the new one in Elmwood, but we’re proud of it. The building dates to the early 1800s. It was a schoolhouse at one point and City Hall. That was in the days when fur traders erected a temporary settlement…and never left. They say Wood Hollow was meant to be a holding zone until proper houses and businesses were built in Elmwood and Pinecrest. They didn’t have their sights set on Fallbrook then. Too far. No one wanted to live in the forest with those damn birds yammering away either.”