Everything here could be exciting.
When I’d packed my things up at the Lambda house, I’d decided I’d leave a few things behind. Shame. Inhibitions. My closed mind. I’d committed to living and working at Petal Productions, and so I was all in. I’d agreed to throw myself headfirst into the experience.
My voice was soft and uneven. “I’m looking forward to working together, too.”
Her smile was wide and sexy.
Once she’d left me to get settled and I’d finished unpacking, I broke down the carboard boxes and carried them down the two sets of stairs into the garage where I assumed the recycling bin would be.
There were voices on the other side of the garage, and I clenched the flattened boxes in my arms tighter as I spied Colin up on a ladder against the wall. There was a black bike nearby, and Scott stood next to it, holding a power drill and an equipment hook in his hands. It matched the set of wall hooks other bikes hung from.
They must have been making space for him to store his bike.
Scott passed the drill to Colin, and I held my breath as I watched him work. The tendons in his forearm and his bicep flexed as he drilled into the wall and the stud behind it. The flash of the memory of him naked was unavoidable and white-hot.
“Hey, Madison.” Scott must have noticed me standing there, gawking like a fool. “Can I help you with something?”
Colin’s drilling ceased, and he turned to look at me over his shoulder. His eyes were critical and unwelcoming. He didn’t want me here.
Yeah? Same to you.
I’d wanted to avoid him, which was naïve to think was possible. I’d already run into him, and I’d been in the house less than three hours.
I swung my gaze away, planting it on Scott, and lifted the boxes I was holding. “Recycling?”
“Yup, over there.” He gestured to the back corner under the stairs and the two, tall rolling bins.
One was green and the other blue, and it was obvious which was garbage and which was recycling. Not just because of the color, but several cardboard boxes stuck out of the top of the green one. I added my boxes, shoving them in as best I could.
“Does this go out soon?” I asked. “It’s kind of full.”
“Yeah, pick up is tomorrow morning.”
Wanting to be helpful, I grabbed the handle and pulled it toward the open garage door—
“Wait, it can’t go out yet.” Scott sounded resigned. “It’s not dark yet. If we put the toters out too early, we’ll get fined.”
I stopped pulling the bin and set it upright. “Fined by who?”
“The homeowners’ association.” He sighed, loud and long, like this was a major issue. “When we first moved in, it wasn’t so bad, but the last year the HOA has gotten out of control.”
Colin handed the drill back to Scott, exchanging it for the hook. “Oh, yeah. My friend Preston said the woman running it is a huge pain in the ass, especially for his dad. What’s her name?”
“Judy.” Scott uttered the word like it tasted awful in his mouth. “It’s not as bad for us as some of the other homeowners because we’re up at the top of the subdivision. We’re not on her radar, and we do everything we can to keep it that way.” Abruptly, he turned serious. “Which reminds me, if she comes poking around, you tell her you’re part of our mentor program.”
“Uh, what?” Colin asked, voicing my thoughts out loud.
“When we did the renovations, she was all up in our business and went off on how the houses are zoned ‘single-family’ only. We can’t list it on Airbnb, and typically we’re not allowed to have renters.” He unscrewed the head of the drill and pulled the bit out. “The story Judy was told was that Nina and I decided to open our house to a select few college kids who couldn’t afford housing. Good kids,” he said, acting like he was speaking directly to Judy. “Respectful kids who aren’t looking to party. Who only want to get their degree.”
“And that worked?” Colin asked.
Scott smiled. “We’re quiet. Picture perfect neighbors, and as long as we keep the number of adults living here at six or fewer, she can’t do anything.” His attention swung to me and the green bin. “You can put that back for now. I’ll take it out later.”
I nodded, and its plastic wheels squeaked as I rolled it back to its spot.
Colin finished screwing the hook into the hole he’d drilled and climbed down off the ladder. He fixed his gaze on me, and irritation seethed in his eyes. “All unpacked in your new room?”
“Yeah.” I plastered on an overly sweet smile. “And it’s great. So much room in the closet, and plenty of counter space in my bathroom.”