"He says as if it's not forty feet from here," she teased.
I tugged one of her curls, and she yelped. "Yes, but that forty feet is very important for noise purposes. Plus, it has a lock."
Her eyes, dusk on a summer night blue, sparkled up at me. "That it does."
"Is that a yes?"
She pushed her hands on the wheels, so I had no choice to let her up, and she spun to face me. "I can't. I've got an early shift at the bakery."
"How early?" I murmured, leaning down to taste her lips slowly. My hands cupped her neck when she tilted her chin up to deepen the kiss.
"Very early. I told Jennifer I'd do breads, so they need to be fresh and ready to go when we open. My alarm is set for four."
"That's horrifying."
She laughed. "I'm preemptively tired, trust me."
"So," I said slowly, "no …" I waggled my eyebrows.
"S-E-X?" she spelled. "That's correct. Plus, if you can't say it, you shouldn't be doing it, Buchanan."
"I'll remember that the next time you tell me to shut up and take off my pants."
Joss sighed. "Well, it's not my fault, really. You were sitting there, looking all handsome and giving me sex eyes."
I chuckled and followed her out to the garage. After I put her chair into the back of her car, I leaned into the open driver’s door, and we spent a few minutes kissing, her hands digging into my hair the way she loved to. I brushed a thumb over her breast, felt the skin tighten to a point under her thin tank top.
Joss growled, pulling back with a warning look. "You're terrible. I'm going to be cursing your name when my alarm goes off if you keep this up."
"And wouldn't it be worth every second?"
"Probably," she answered glumly.
I was still grinning when she pulled back and started her car.
"See you tomorrow?" I asked after I closed her door. She lifted her chin for one more kiss through the open window, which I happily gave her.
"I'll call you when I'm done," she promised.
Watching her drive away, I felt that same slow roll of contentment. My waiting for her was over, and nights like this could easily be my future, even if living in the converted garage apartment in my parents' driveway now had a shorter shelf life. Saving up my money was smart, and I felt no shame about where I laid my head. But our future would need more than this. Jobs and homes and things like that.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I felt the vibration from my cell phone tucked into my front pocket.
I pulled it out, mouth falling open when I recognized a Seattle area code. It was just after five there.
"This is Levi," I answered, staring hard at Joss' car as it turned out of view.
"Hey, it's Brian Castello with the Washington Wolves."
I almost laughed. As if I'd forget where he worked. "Hey, Brian, good to hear from you."
"Did I catch you at a good time?"
I'd begun pacing the driveway the second he said his name.
"Ah, yeah. All the time in the world."
"Great. I won't beat around the bush." I held my breath as he paused. "I'm calling because I'd like to offer you the assistant trainer position if you're still interested."
My heart stopped. My feet froze on the concrete. If I tried hard enough, I could still see the red glow of taillights.
"You still there?" he asked.
"Sorry, yes, I'm just … wow." I laid a hand on my forehead and tried to settle my suddenly racing brain. "I can't believe it. I figured you'd want someone with more experience," I admitted. "Which is probably really stupid to admit out loud, now that I'm saying it."
He laughed. "I like you, Levi. And you had a good rapport with the players you met. That's important in this job. To like you is to respect you, to respect you has them taking better care of their bodies."
"Right."
"Should we talk some specifics?" he asked, and I could still hear a smile in his voice.
I closed my eyes and shot up a desperate prayer. "Yeah, let's."
Chapter 24 Levi
My phone rang as I drove to Donner Bakery to pick up Joss from work. She didn't know I was coming, which was probably why she called me. I pulled my truck into a secluded turnoff so I could answer safely and swiped my thumb along the screen.
"Hey."
"I got out early," she said in a happy voice. "Where are you?"
"Driving to you, actually." I tipped my head back and let it rest on the seat. "Thought I'd pick you up."
"Oh. Well, where are you now?"
Lifting my head, I looked around. "Uhh, I'm at the turnoff just past Bandit Lake. The one with the big pine that fell over."
"Don't move. I'll be there in ten." And she hung up.
Great. Ten more minutes to sit and obsess about what I was going to say to her.
Oh hey, I forgot to tell you this little thing that happened, and now I'd really like you to relocate across the country with me because I love you and can't imagine not being with you, but if you said no, I just might turn down the dream job of all dream jobs in order to stay with you. How was your day?
The conversation played out a few ways, all but one scenario ending with celebratory sex that I'd been offered a job as an assistant trainer with a professional sports team. Her reaction ranged from screaming fury that I hadn't told her right away, excitement about the opportunity itself, sadness about a life away from Green Valley, to her shutting me out completely and dumping my ass because of it.
I covered my face with my hands and groaned, dropping my head forward so I could rest it on the steering wheel of my truck. The salary Brian mentioned made my head spin, and the benefits were incredible. It would
