“Wow, you small-town folks are hard up for friends, aren’t you?”
David huffed, shaking his head at the bad joke. “So are you a big-town folk, then?”
“Moved here from New York City a week or so back.”
“Tired of the hustle and bustle?” David folded his arms, his demeanor much more relaxed now. Maybe joking had broken the ice.
“Something like that. I have committed myself to being the bachelor loner of this town. My new house has a porch swing so I can sit and yell at kids to get off my lawn.”
“Good luck with that,” David said, walking back toward his car.
“What do you mean? Don’t think they’ll listen to me? Maybe I need a cane to wave angrily at them.”
“No, good luck with being a loner. There are busybodies everywhere in this town, and they won’t let you be a loner. Hell, I know people who will expend great time and energy to make you feel included, no matter how much you don’t want to participate.”
Well, that sounded familiar.
“And you’ve only lived here how long?”
“Few months.” David rested his arms on the roof of his car, looking across the vehicle at Josh. “Welcome to small-town life, my friend.” He almost sat in his car but stood right before the door closed. “So, want to run together every now and then?”
What the hell. Josh needed to make friends if he was going to put roots down in the town.
“Yeah, sounds good. I live at 135 Darling Road.” He couldn’t say the name of his new street without rolling his eyes, making David laugh. A thought stopped David’s laughter.
“Oh, you must live right near Nettie Croft. She’s one of the people who will do anything to make you feel welcome!”
Of course he knew Nettie. It seems everybody knew her.
“She’s my neighbor…she made me cookies.”
“Oh, that’s quite an honor, I hear.”
“She hasn’t made you cookies?”
“No, her older sister made some for a bake sale last month. Ophelia has two kids who go to the elementary school a few blocks down, and I stop by there every now and then to help with one thing or another. Word of warning—be careful not to get on their bad side.”
“What do you mean?” Josh asked, stretching out his other calf.
“Well, the Croft siblings are well known around here, and they are beloved. They went through a hard time as kids, and from what I hear, everyone in the town looks after them in their own way.”
Something from David’s advice caught his ear. “Why not just call them the Croft sisters, not siblings?”
“Then where would poor Armie be? They have a brother.”
“Armie is their brother…” Josh muttered, wondering why Armie hadn’t said anything about being Nettie’s brother that night. Josh knew it was dumb, but he felt much better knowing the good-looking and charismatic guy entering Nettie’s house at night was only her brother.
“Yep.” David tapped the roof of his car. “How ’bout we meet up for a long distance run this Sunday? Say around ten?”
“Sounds great.”
“Don’t forget to stop by the fair tomorrow as well. It will be a good way to make nice with the neighborhood.”
“Fair?”
David pointed to a big orange and black poster hanging from the fence.
FIFTIETH ANNUAL HAUNTED HALLOWEEN HIGH SCHOOL FAIR. ALL AGES WELCOME.
“Will there be apple cider?” Josh asked
“What small town wouldn’t have apple cider at their haunted Halloween high school fair?”
Josh laughed, pleasantly surprised by how congenial David was. “Wouldn’t miss it then. Nice meeting you, Principal David.”
“You too, Nettie’s-neighbor-who-she-made-cookies-for.” David hopped back into his car. “Don’t forget to wear a costume.” Without waiting for a response, he drove off, waving as he turned right at the stop sign.
What was the big deal about these cookies?
Joshua finished his stretches, making sure to work the kinks out of his complaining calves, then ran the same route back home. He turned onto his street, and a wave of cool air hit him in the back, like someone trying to push him forward. He stumbled but was able to catch himself before falling flat on his face.
“Be careful, Joshua!” Mrs. Berkin called from the rocking chair on her porch. “The road might be icy!”
He waved a thanks her way, making sure to pay attention the last hundred feet to his front door. Mrs. Berkin may have been the model of neighborhood friendliness the past few days, but she watched him like a hawk whenever he was around Nettie.
He looked both ways on the final street to cross, then ran up to his front lawn, intending to stretch out his problematic calves once again. He checked his heart rate on the fitness watch, then looked up to jump the curb.
Legs greeted him. Long, long legs with feet planted in the grass and knees bent toward the sky. Nettie was attached to those legs. Legs in nothing but a short skirt and sneakers in forty-degree weather. As he gracefully tripped up onto the curb, he could have sworn he heard a snort from across the street. He looked over his shoulder, but Mrs. Berkin was conveniently looking down at her steaming mug of tea. The nosy ones always drank tea.
“I fixed it,” Nettie said, holding a bright red leaf with one hand and pointing toward her car with the other.
Joshua looked over at the car, and sure enough not only had the flat been removed, but she’d put a brand new tire on the car.
“So you have” he conceded with a nod before forcing himself to look away from her Radio-City-Rockettes’-length legs. But it wasn’t only the length; it was the shape, the muscles, it was what he was sure were Elmo socks to go with a poofy ballerina skirt. And to top it all, she was covered in grease from changing the tire. Astounding, and sexy and so much more than a plate of cookies and a couple of crazy kids practicing trick-or-treating.
“This is bad,” he muttered to himself without realizing he was speaking out loud.
“Did you just say it was bad?” Nettie asked, sitting up in the grass.
Joshua stared at her, unable to physically tear himself away from the grease on her face that made the color of her eyes pop, or hat with the giant pom-pom, or the ugly Halloween sweater that claimed in giant letters B-O-O. She was beautiful, and every resolution to remain a bachelor and have no use for women ever again flew away on the wind along with the steam from Mrs. Berkin’s tea.
“No, that’s not what I said. I’m sorry. I’m tired from my run and just need a shower.”
She stood, calling after him, “I told you I could do it on my own.”
“I never said you couldn’t,” Josh yelled back before slamming the door behind him. He doubted that got him any points with Mrs. Berkin but at this point, he was focused purely on self-preservation. Who cared if he snubbed the neighborhood sweetheart? It was better to be disliked by the community than indulge his newfound infatuation with his sexy neighbor. Wasn’t it?
Chapter Five
“This is our best costume yet.”
“Best costume!”
“I have to say, guys,” Nettie said as she walked her niece and nephew through the high school Halloween fair. “Your mom has outdone herself this year.”
Not just in design but in sheer detail and girth. What had Ophi been trying to accomplish, a to-scale costume of the Death Star?
“Oh, my goodness you two are adorable!” A woman Nettie vaguely recognized bent to take a picture of them. “What are you both supposed to be?”
“I’m the Death Star before the rebellion destroyed it!” Richard said, proudly turning in a circle with his arms wide.
“I’m the Death Star after the rebellion blew it up!” Dani tried to turn in a circle, but the large crater on the side of her battle station made her spin slightly less gracefully. It might have also had to do with the massive orb she wore was twice the size of her body.
They couldn’t walk ten feet without being stopped for pict
ures, and Nettie was prepared with her sister’s business card each time. She refused to let an obvious marketing opportunity go to waste, and her sister needed the publicity to keep the momentum with her new blog going.
After a while, the kids became annoyed with the adults cooing at them so Nettie strung signs around their necks that read. No more pictures, children need to eat.
“So, what do Death Stars before and after the rebellion eat?” a man behind her asked.
Nettie didn’t know whether the churning in her stomach was due to annoyance or forbidden thrill, but whatever the reason, Joshua’s voice was enough to make chills roll up and down Nettie’s skin. She turned to greet him.
“Where’s your costume?” Nettie asked, though his oddly styled hair and leather jacket did look familiar.
Joshua did a little dance, shaking his hips and moving his arms like he was running. When he was done, he looked at her like it was obvious who he was. “I’m Sexy Rexy.”
“Who?”
“Rex Manning from the ’90s cult classic Empire Records?”
“Oh.” Nettie laughed hard. How could she have forgotten Rex Manning day! She used to watch that movie over and over. And if she were honest, Josh had that dance down.
“Do it again!” blown-up Death Star yelled, pointing at Josh.
He smiled at Nettie and right when she thought he would make excuses, he did the dance again, only, this time, more exaggerated and silly. The kids ate it up, pointing at him and laughing in that deep belly laugh Nettie found so infectious.
When Josh finished the dance for the fourth time, he waved to get the kids’ attention. “Who wants food?”
After a bout of screams, Nettie and Josh escorted the kids toward the potpie stand. Nettie, Richard, and Dani shared a chicken potpie while Joshua devoured a whole turkey potpie by himself. Nettie watched in fascination as he silently scooped the potato-and-gravy-filled pastry into his mouth.
“How do you do that?” Nettie asked, amazed.
“Do what?” Josh asked through a mouthful of potato.
“Open your mouth so wide to get the food in there? Are you like a snake, unhinging your jaw?”
Josh smiled, then opened his mouth wide for another bite. “A man’s gotta ea—” Before he could pronounce the T in eat he began to choke on his food.
Nettie leaned across the bench they sat at and pounded his back. “And this, children, is why we don’t talk with our mouths full. Right, Josh?”
Nettie took his heavy coughing as an agreement.
After Josh washed down the food with some water and the kids finished their meals, they didn’t split up like Nettie thought would happen, but continued to traverse the fair together. Eventually, Ophi showed up, having finished helping the fair workers with their costume mishaps. After introductions, she abruptly stated that she’d be taking the kids to the hayride.
Nettie usually joined them but this year Ophi whisked them away without giving her a second glance. Was Ophi mad at Nettie? Was she mad that she hadn’t been able to watch the kids the other night? She needed to go see what was wrong with her sister.
“Hey, you okay?” Joshua asked as they watched Ophi and the kids board the hayride.
“No. Ophi and the kids usually invite me on the hayride with them, but she barely looked at me. What’s up with that? Do you think she’s okay? Do you think she’s mad at me?”
When Nettie turned to Josh for his opinion, he had an odd look on his face, almost disbelieving. “What?” she asked, wondering what she’d missed.
“Nothing. Listen, how about we go through the maze while the kids spend time with their mom. That might be all it is.”
Nettie nodded, conceding Josh’s point. “You’re right. I mean, Ophi has been so busy trying to get her name out on the Web and to grow her business, I’ve been watching the kids so much lately. She probably misses them and wants some alone time.” She sighed, relieved that it had been such an obvious reason. “Let’s go through the maze. I haven’t done it since Richard was born as it’s not really something for kids.”
They gave their one and only ride ticket to the monitor at the access point, then passed through the entrance. “You’re close with them, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s only been my siblings and me for a long time. Then Ophi had Richard, her boyfriend left her, and a few years later she got pregnant with Dani by this other guy who died in a freak accident a week after they met. It’s been one thing after another for us since our parents died when we were kids.”
“And your brother is blind?”
“Not completely. Not yet. He’s almost fully blind, but he’s so sufficient we’re not worried about him, or at least we weren’t. He’s been a bit reckless lately.” She shook her head, knowing it was probably just a phase. “But he’ll be fine. He’s tough.” She hesitated for a moment, knowing what she needed to say but finding it was harder to say than she originally thought it might be. “Thanks for that, by the way. I know we haven’t had the smoothest beginning, but it meant a lot to me what you did for Armie.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to stand by and watch that cabbie swindle a disabled person out of their money.”
“I know, but thanks anyway.”
“You really don’t need to thank me.”
Nettie stopped at a dead end and turned to face him. “I know I don’t need to, but I felt I had to.”
“So you actually didn’t want to thank me, you just felt obligated?”
“No, what? Why are you arguing with me about this?” The man was truly infuriating. “I initiated the thanks. I wasn’t forced to say it. I didn’t have to thank you, but I did.”
“I guess I’m supposed to thank you now for being so altruistic.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Nettie burst out, unwilling to spend any more energy trying to understand him. “Do you need to fight with me on every single thing I say? Why couldn’t you just say you’re welcome?”
“I’m not an automaton. I question things around me.”
“I’ve had it up to here with you questioning me and my intentions.” Nettie moved around him, intending to head back toward the entrance, needing to get as far away from Josh as possible. The very sight of him felt like fire licking up and down her body.
As she walked, her foot caught on the corner of a hay bale, and she careened, tripping and falling to her right. Before her side could hit the ground, he was there, kneeling on the hard dirt with his arms cradling her back and waist. She instinctively put her arms around his neck. After she was firmly in his grasp, they looked at each other and froze. His wide mouth was inches away from hers. She could smell the sweetness of cotton candy on his breath, and all of sudden she wanted nothing more than to taste it from his mouth.
He tugged her closer, pushing her breasts up against his chest, skimming her lips with his. He moved back and forth against her mouth, a slow, simple touch that inflamed. She trailed her hands from his neck up into his hair, gripping tightly and pulling him down, needing something stronger, more demanding than the simple graze.
His lips firmed, and he took her bottom lip between his. She moaned, hoping that he would get the picture and just do something. He tightened his grip, then pressed her closer. He nibbled and licked at the seam of her mouth, simultaneously begging for and seeking entrance. She let him in willingly, delighting in the feel of his stubble on her chin and the way his lips softened and hardened with each second. He explored her with his tongue, licking against hers and the edges of her mouth.
“What the—” he said, abruptly pulling away with a gasp. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” He helped her stand, then immediately backed away, his hands in his jacket pockets like his parents had caught him screwing in the back of the family hatchback.
“I wasn’t complaining,” she said, trying to smile at him, but there was something wrong. He seemed shaken, nervous.
“No, I can’t be doing this.” He pointed from her to himself, back and forth. “Th
is isn’t what I came here for.”
Did he not like it? He didn’t need to act like it was the worst kiss ever. “I didn’t come to the fair to make out with you either but I’m not having a breakdown because of it.”
“I didn’t move here to make out with you.” He slashed his hand in front of his chest, cutting off anything she might have said in response. “What I mean is, I didn’t move here to be with someone. I want to be alone. I need to be alone, to live alone.”
Mr. Sexy Next-Door Neighbor had suddenly turned into Mr. Neurotic Crazy Person, and Nettie was fine with never speaking to him again. These mood swings were enough to give her whiplash.
“Fine, be alone, you wacko!” Nettie turned on her heel to head back to the entrance. “I’m done.”
Nettie ignored the angry grunt of the maze guard—how dare she exit through the entrance—and headed straight for the parking lot. She was spinning on an axis that couldn’t handle the speed of the turning. She was about to snap.
“Nettie!”
Ophelia was smiling and waving at her with the kids as they came closer. “What happened?” Nettie asked, changing direction. The kids didn’t look very happy at the moment. Richard was in first-degree pout mode.
“The hayride was shut down due to mechanical difficulties.”
“Mechanical difficulties?”
“One of the horses had explosive diarrhea.”
“The one pulling your cart?”
“No, the one right in front of us.” Judging by Ophi’s mad grin, she thought the whole situation hilarious. “We barely moved five feet before we heard the screaming.”
“Gross.”
“Gross!” Dani echoed, crossing her arms and sulking like her brother.
“Why didn’t you invite me?” Nettie asked, the hurt and panic from being left out now on the surface, raw from where Josh had taken a bite out of her self-esteem.
“What do you mean?” Ophi asked, frowning.
“I always do the hayride with you guys, and you just ran off, why?”
“Oh, honey, I thought you would want to hang with that supersexy guy I saw you chattin’ up.”
Trick or Treat or Kiss Me (Croft Holidays Book 1) Page 4
