love to have puppies.
“Irish setters. Old Daniels had an unexpected litter, and the girls volunteered us, without talking to me about it, to take them in and train them so they can be adopted. I’d rather have cats.” Coach sighed. A crash could be heard in the background. “Shit. Gotta go. See you sometime this week, Kurraine.”
He hung up before Alexi could respond. Alexi put his phone down and returned to his prior activities, all while trying to picture a life of him settling down at the cabin with Tianna and a dog. Nice notion, but he doubted he could entertain that idea anytime soon. He still had two years if he didn’t get injured before then.
“Ah, clean. I love how it feels.” Tianna came out of the bathroom wrapped in only a towel. “Even though you lied.” She poked him in the chest. “Who was on the phone?”
“Coach called to invite us to their farmhouse for his birthday party.”
“Will he have those yummy brats that I can’t find anywhere else?” She licked her lips, drawing his attention to her mouth, absent of any lipstick or gloss and still just as seductive.
“Yep.”
Tianna opened her arms and hugged him. “I feel bad for you, but then again, you won’t be able to have ice cream and pancakes, and I will, so, no, I don’t feel sorry for you.” She pulled back and stepped out of reach. “I will eat all that for you and tell you every gratuitous detail about how buttery and delicious it all is.”
He shook his head. “Thanks a lot, friend, but take on the burden alone?” He attempted a grab for her, but she dodged him.
“Because you’ll be storing up room in that bottomless pit of a stomach for those bratwurst. Anyway, can you heat up the burgers and fries from lunch??” She shooed him off. “I have to go change. I’m hungry again.”
He blinked. “How can you be hungry again with what we ate at Mama L’s?”
“Being stressed out does that to a girl.”
“Why would you be stressed out?” He returned to the kitchen, turned on the oven before he got out the food he’d wrapped up. The buns weren’t soggy, but the fries needed to be crisped up. He grabbed a baking pan and aluminum foil, wrapped the foil around the sheet, and put the food on it, then stuck it in the oven. “Give it a few minutes,” he called out.
“Set the table on the deck and I’ll be out with the grub soon. And I would be wrecked trying to watch for those bird-flipping grannies on the road.”
“You sure you want to eat out there? There could be bugs.”
“Yes, and don’t worry. Just light the citronella candles and we should be fine.” He checked on the food. The fries had become a nice golden brown and the meat sizzled. Just a few more minutes, he thought before he shut the door. He could hear Ti moving around the deck, the strong citrus smell of the candles wafted in. In the meantime, he puttered around the kitchen until he could smell the aroma of their lunch. “Food’s done.”
He grabbed an oven mitt, took out the sheet, and let it sit on the stove to cool.
“Well, if you didn’t get anyone to clean, then you’ll just have to be my bug killer.” Her footsteps thudded against the wooden floor. She appeared in the entryway to the kitchen wearing jean shorts and a tank top, the straps of her bra peeking out from under her shirt. A smile played on her lips, and her eyes sparkled with mirth. She was perfection made flesh in his opinion.
“No, you kill your own bugs. I’ll go set up. I have to make sure the grill is in good condition.” He left the kitchen, padded across the dining room and the living room area to the outdoor deck that wrapped round the side and back of the house. He unlocked and opened the sliding door, allowing in the scents of the outdoors. Among the perfumes he could smell wild strawberries and the earthiness of the nearby mushrooms. He could see the irises, musk flowers that he’d let his house manager plant in various shades of purples and whites with