She moves closer to me, reaching her hand to mine and then stopping halfway to let it go. And it’s a good idea, because I’m not sure I could feel her touch right now and not want a little bit more despite the fact that she drives me up a fucking wall.
Delilah turns back to me. “You know, Aunt Rue wasn’t too happy that you brought me flowers. Almost landed me in some hot water.”
“It’s not like I brought you roses.”
“Still, Zane. It looks pretty bad when she asked you to stay away from me and you show up at her door bringing me flowers.” Delilah laughs through her nose, and I’m starting to think things might be cool between us. “Anyway, I told her she can’t tell people to stay away from me. It doesn’t work that way.”
“I will never bring you flowers again as long as I live. Promise.”
She starts to jog in place. “Smart man.”
“Is this it? You’re leaving?” I ask.
Her eyes widen. “Yeah. I figured we were done here. Did you need something else?”
I lean back, resting my arm along the backrest and jutting my lips. “Not really. We were having a nice conversation and then you just stand up to leave. Just seemed kind of abrupt.”
“Should I have asked for permission?” Her eyes are lit, her tone filled with sarcasm. “I mean, I’d really like to finish my jog before the sun goes down.”
“I don’t think anyone’s going to be missing you in those shorts.”
She rolls her eyes. “You have an unhealthy preoccupation with my wardrobe.”
“I’d prefer to call it an eye for detail.”
Delilah bends one knee, hooking her hand across her shoe to stretch a hamstring. Balancing on one foot, she says, “Look, I appreciate the flowers and the apology, but I think it’s best we try to avoid each other the rest of the summer.”
“Are you serious?” I laugh, because she has to be joking.
Right?
Fists clenching the air, she says, “I hardly know you, Zane, and already you have this uncanny ability to get under my skin and bring out a part of me that I absolutely can’t stand. That can’t be a good thing, can it? You have to agree with me on that.”
It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s told me that.
“Sounds like a personal problem,” I say.
“So you’re accepting zero responsibility for acting like an ass every chance you get and for being an incredibly irritating individual?” Her expression twists. “I just want a nice, enjoyable, relaxing summer. I have a lot of my plate. I don’t want to have to deal with this unnecessary drama on top of everything else. I can’t imagine you do either.”
“Drama? Oh, gorgeous, this isn’t drama.” I rise, moving toward her. “This is nothing. This is child’s play. This is me giving shit to the girl next door. And a few minutes ago, that was me trying to make amends, which apparently wasn’t good enough because you clearly couldn’t get away quickly enough, and now you’re basically telling me to stay out of your face for the next three months.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth.”
“But that’s the gist of it, right?”
She’s quiet for a few seconds, arms folded at her hips. “Yeah.”
“Who’s the asshole now?”
I don’t stick around or wait for a response.
I jog off in the opposite direction with a big fat smile on my face because I know exactly what I’m doing.
This is a game, and I’m going to win.
It’s kind of what I do . . .
Chapter 5
Delilah
“Here we are, sugar. This building right here on the corner.” Aunt Rue unclicks her seatbelt, as do the three ladies in the back, and frantically waves toward a tall white building with glass doors and pale blue awnings Tuesday afternoon.
“What time am I picking you up?” I pull into a parallel spot out front and slide her Lexus into park as Rue’s Crew disembarks and ambles toward the spa on the corner.
I roll down the passenger window and Rue leans in. “We’re going to be here most of the afternoon, and then we have dinner and drinks afterwards. We’ll see how much Gladys drinks today, but there’s a polka party tonight at the pierogi restaurant on Callahan Street. I’ll call you when we’re ready to be picked up.”
“All right. Have fun. Don’t get into too much trouble.”
Aunt Rue waves, joining her herd as they file in. When she told me there would be a hefty dose of champagne involved in their spa day, I insisted on driving them. It’s the least I can do anyway. She’s paying me handsomely this summer for my time and assistance, and it almost feels like too much. I’m happy to play chauffeur when needed.
Pulling away, my stomach rumbles, and I spot a cozy sidewalk café tucked under a grove of shade trees.
By the time I park and head inside, the place is filling quickly. I stand in line, place my order, and wait at the end of the counter for my number to be called.
When I take my tray, I scan the place for an empty table and come up with nothing.
Just my luck.
“Hey, I know you.”
I follow a man’s voice toward a table for two to my right and smile when I recognize him.
Hercules.
“Hi there.” I move toward him, and he motions for me to sit.
“This place is a zoo at lunch time. I think we both picked the worst possible time to come.”