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I’ll shift my jobs around that
I had planned for this weekend. Are you going to be home for a
while?”
    Gina nodded and crossed to wash her hand and
the tips of her fingers on her casted hand. She dried them on a
dishtowel that hung from the oven door. “Yep. Oh, wait. I may go
get a few groceries, but I’ll leave the front door open. I’ll be
home by--” she looked at the digital clock on her microwave,
“--eleven o’clock.”
    “I’ll be back then.” He turned and walked out
the door before she tried to put him off.
    He wasn’t actually work-free, but he would
shuffle everything to get her banister done first. The sooner he
got away and out of her life, the better they both would be.
    ***
    Gina heaved a huge sigh and leaned against
the sink as he walked out the door. Finally, she could breathe. It
had been all she could do to bandage the poor man’s head without
straddling that incredible boner. The entire time she had stood
over him, he had watched her breasts. Looking down, she saw they
were finally beginning to relax. They’d been hard for so long. Her
panties were soaked.
    What was it about the quiet man that appealed
to her so strongly? And why so suddenly? Other, better looking,
more eloquent men with a lot less baggage usually appealed to her.
But the longer she was with Matt, the better looking he became. He
seemed to be a gentle soul, even though it was pretty obvious he
hadn’t had a gentle life growing up. He actually reminded her of
little Gabe, worried and solemn, leery of everything. He surveyed
his environment with cool eyes and reacted little. Actually, he
reacted; you just had to watch very carefully for the tightening of
his lips or a slight flinch around his eyes.
    Gina wondered for a moment if this was her
mothering trait coming out to try to make things better for him,
but she discounted that quickly. He was too freakin’ hot to mother.
And the way she reacted to him was definitely not mother-like.
    When the post had broken, he’d been mortified
and angry with himself. Gina felt terrible, because it had actually
been her fault. Again. She was the one who’d made him trip. Her
clumsiness had spread to an innocent bystander.
    She headed out of the kitchen. Her new phone
was at the base of the stairs, thankfully unscathed, and another
little thrill went through her. It was exactly the same as what
she’d had before, just without some of the extra bling she’d added.
And her car. She couldn’t believe he’d brought her car home for
her. That consideration floored her, and she promised herself to
make it up to him.
    She glanced down and decided she was decent
enough to go out. The grocery store was calling.
    Powering through the store, she found herself
buying larger packages of food than she normally would. She stared
in surprise when she realized her cart was heaping full. Was she
secretly hoping Matt was going to stay to dinner? Or more?
    Gina got home right at eleven, and Matt was
parked on the street in front of her house. Several pieces of
machinery were on her porch, but he was still sitting in his
vehicle, windows rolled down to let in the fall breeze. The sun was
shining warmer today, but Gina knew it wouldn’t be long before the
weather began to cool. Actually, it had been a warmer October than
normal for Indiana.
    Matt got out of his truck when she pulled in
the drive and was waiting for her to pop the trunk by the time she
got out.
    “I told you you could go in.”
    Matt glanced at her as he grabbed the bulk of
her grocery bags in his big hands. “I know.”
    Gina tried to catch his gaze, but he avoided
her look. Gathering the lone bag he didn’t get, she slammed the lid
on the trunk and crossed to the porch. Gina was surprised by how
much stuff was there. Boards and saws, a big carpenter’s bag full
of hammers, pencils and nails, and several cases with equipment.
She smiled to herself as he stepped through her door. Matt was
going to be around for a while.
    As soon as