Reed

  The introduction jolts me and I sit up awkwardly. Barbie--I mean Kiki--turns to me and gives me the brightest, cheeriest smile I've ever seen. I'm guessing her blindlingly white straight teeth cost a fortune.

  "Is that like Josie and the Pussycats?" she asks me with that airy voice.

  "Short for Josephine," I reply as I return her smile and suck my stomach in further.

  "Well, any friend of Reed's is a friend of mine," she chirps happily.

  I'm prepared to lie back against my chair again to relax now that that is out of the way and so I can extricate myself from this conversation, but then Kiki squeals, "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. I went to my psychic the other day--who's also my hairdresser--because I've not been very fulfilled in life lately, and was considering a pet. He told me he wasn't sure if that was in my future, but that he did foresee a cat. I wasn't sure about that because I have allergies, so I had to really think about it. And let me tell you, thinking's just hard, right? But I did, and I thought and I thought about it, and it's just now hitting me...maybe he was talking about you. You know...the whole pussycat thing you got going on."

  I just blink at her, unsure what to say. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Reed turn and bend over the chair to straighten the towel, but I know he's doing that so she doesn't see him holding back a laugh.

  Before I can respond, Kiki smacks her palm to her forehead and says in awe as if she's received some new enlightenment. "Or...it could be the stray cat I've been feeding the last few days at my apartment."

  "Okay," Reed blurts out as he pops back up straight and digs into the back pocket of his board shorts. He pulls a wallet out, opens it, and grabs a hundred-dollar bill to hand to Kiki. "How about you go get us some drinks up at the cabana? I'll take a beer. Josie, you want something?"

  I shake my head as Kiki takes the money and gives him a cute shrug and a brilliant smile before turning toward the outdoor bar that's part of the amenities here at our complex. She totters off with a sway to her ass and I realize she's wearing high heels.

  Who in the hell wears high heels to a pool?

  Reed sits back down on the chair and his sigh causes my gaze to slide over to him.

  "Fine," he mutters. "I have a type."

  "That was Ditzy Barbie," I say with a solemn nod of my head. "But hey, she's really nice."

  Reed groans as he sits back against his chair and laments. "I thought I'd have this great, celebratory summer having nothing but carefree fun, but honestly...it's been trying."

  "The Barbies?" I ask to clarify.

  "I'm ashamed to admit it, but yes," he says with a sheepish smile.

  "What do you do anyway?" I ask suddenly, realizing I don't think I've ever seen him leaving for work or returning at normal hours. "And what are you celebrating?"

  Reed's smile goes from sheepish to amused. "I take it you're not a hockey fan?"

  "Oh, I like watching it," I tell him. "I just don't know much about it."

  "I play for the Cold Fury," he says.

  My eyes go round with understanding. He's the first professional athlete I've ever met. In fact, I've never met anyone famous before. "Wow."

  His grin gets bigger. "So I'm celebrating our Stanley Cup win."

  "Oh," I say in understanding as I nod my head. "Then I guess burning through all of Raleigh's Barbies is a good goal."

  "It's stupid," he admits with no lessening to his smile. "But it's had its perks."

  I snort and lie back against my chair, closing my eyes again. "I just bet."

  "Still," he drawls. "It can be tedious."

  "You're not big on the intelligence factor," I point out. "That means you have to work overtime in conversation."

  Reed laughs, and the sound is deep and rich. It's a very nice laugh. "You're probably right."

  "Phew." I hear Kiki's voice and my eyes pop open. She's tottering our way on her ridiculous heels, holding a beer in one hand and a clear plastic cup with what looks like a Bloody Mary in it. "It's hot enough to lay an egg on the sidewalk, isn't it?"

  I can't help it. The laugh comes out and I feel instantly wretched about it.

  "What's so funny?" Kiki asks in that singsong, nothing-upstairs voice.

  "Nothing," I say as I shake my head. "I just remembered a funny joke someone told me the other day."

  "Oooh," Kiki squeals as she shoves the beer at Reed, then sits down at the end of his chair. "I just love jokes."

  Leaning forward, Kiki stares at me earnestly, an open and engaging smile on her face. She's a nice girl, and I feel even worse for laughing at her. I also can hardly focus on her face, with her gigantic boobs practically spilling out of her bikini top, so I decide I've had enough pool time for the day.

  "Actually," I say as I swing my legs over the opposite side of the chair so my back is facing Reed and Kiki. I stand up and grab my towel and phone. "I've got to get some stuff done around the house, so I'm going to head in."

  "Oh," Kiki says with disappointment, and I turn to find her looking crestfallen. "I thought it would be fun to hang."

  I give her a smile--fully genuine, because she seems really, really nice. "Maybe another time, but it was really nice to meet you."

  "Likewise," she chirps and then takes a sip of her Bloody Mary.

  "Bye, Reed," I say a nod.

  "Wait a minute," he says as he pulls his phone out of one of his pockets. "Give me your number."

  "For what?" I ask as I blink at him stupidly.

  "I'm going to be out of town for a few days and would love for you to keep an eye on my place. Maybe pick up my mail."

  "Why do you need my number for that?" I blurt out.

  "In case there's an emergency or something," he says with an eye roll. "It's what neighbors do for each other."

  "Fine," I mutter, and then rattle off my number for him. He plugs it into his phone and then shoots me a wink.

  "Thanks, neighbor," he drawls. "Let me know if I can return the favor."

  "Sure," I mumble in response as I turn away.

  That was all kinds of awkward and weird but also highly entertaining. Reed and his antics will at least keep me entertained this summer.

  Chapter 3

  Reed

  I watch through the blinds as Josie parallel parks her little economy car in front of her house, which puts it right behind my gas-guzzling Tahoe. I'd been out on an early morning run yesterday and saw her leaving for work at 6 A.M. We chatted for a few minutes and she mentioned she was working twelve-hour shifts for the next three days.

  I noted that night that she didn't get home until 8:30, and I assume that's because ER doctors can't exactly clock out right on the dot if they're in the middle of something. It's a quarter to nine now and the pizza was delivered just ten minutes ago, so it's still warm.

  As she jogs up her front steps, which is impressive, as I figure she's got to be exhausted, I pull up my phone and type out a quick text to her.

  Come over here. I have something for you.

  I turn away from the window and head into my kitchen. Before I can pull out two plates from the cabinet, she responds. Who is this?

  Reed, I quickly type.

  She's just as fast in her response. I just got home and I'm exhausted. I need a shower.

  Forget the shower, I text. Just come over right now. I just need a few minutes of your time.

  She doesn't respond, but within a minute she's knocking on my door. I grin and call out, "Come on in."

  Josie opens the door and peeks her head inside first. Her eyes lock with mine across the expanse of living room that separates her from the kitchen, where I'm standing. "Hey."

  "Hey," she says back hesitantly, then slides in, shutting the door softly behind her.

  Her scrubs are the typical mint green you mostly see and hang on her tiny frame loosely. I'm not sure why, but they look sexy on her. Her long curly hair is tied back and she has no makeup on, although she doesn't need it. None of these particular thoughts surprises me, but having thoughts abo
ut her does. I've been thinking about her a lot since our encounter at the pool just three days ago.

  "I've got dinner ready," I tell her nonchalantly as I put the plates on the counter next to the pizza box.

  Josie doesn't step away from the door, but just blinks at me.

  "Well come on," I say with a wave of my hand. "I don't bite and I bet you're hungry."

  "You want me to eat pizza with you?" she asks dumbly.

  "Yes," I drawl slowly. "I bought pizza. Come eat."

  "I don't understand," she says, and I force myself to swallow the laugh that's bubbling up.

  "Josie," I say firmly. "I bought a pizza. It's too much for me. You just got home and I bet you're hungry. Just come eat, okay?"

  I turn back to the cabinet behind me to grab two glasses, and when I turn back around, she's standing on the other side of my kitchen counter that separates the kitchen from the open living area.

  "What do you want to drink?" I ask her as I hold the glasses up.

  "Um...water," she says, as if she's still confused as hell.

  "Coming right up," I say, and turn back to the fridge for the pitcher of filtered water I keep in there. Facing her again, I see with satisfaction she has a piece of pizza on a plate.

  I slide the glass of water across the counter to her and put three slices on my plate. Nodding toward the balcony off my living room, I tell her, "Let's eat outside. It's a nice night."

  "It's ninety degrees with a thousand percent humidity," she says with a wrinkle of her nose.

  "Crybaby," I goad her as I start toward the balcony.

  She doesn't say anything, but I can hear her walking after me, her tennis shoes squeaking on my hardwood.

  I have a round patio table with two chairs on the small balcony that overlooks the set of town homes across the street from me. Behind them, there's a slight glow of light from a large shopping complex.

  We are silent a few moments as we eat. She takes small bites of her pizza and chews daintily. I've got two of my slices polished off before she finishes the first.

  "Lots more pizza in there," I tell her with a nod toward the double French doors. "Want me to get you another?"

  She shakes her head and leans back in her chair. "I'm good. I actually had a protein bar about an hour ago."

  "Wow," I say with a smart-ass smirk. "You must be stuffed."

  Josie rolls her eyes at me and I laugh. I pick up my last piece of pizza, but before I take a bite, I tell her, "You know, I've been thinking about it and I'm offended you've stereotyped me."

  One elegant brow arches high and she purses her lips briefly before she says, "You stereotype yourself, buddy."

  "You don't know me," I return confidently. "You've only seen a small part of Reed Olson."

  Josie gives a tinkling laugh. "You mean you're not a playboy professional hockey player who's been burning his way through all the hot women in Raleigh."

  Not all of them, I think to myself as I surreptitiously take in her large dark eyes that sparkle with intelligence and humor. While her scrubs are baggy, I got a good enough look at her curves at the pool the other day to know she's packing a whole lot of sex appeal.

  I jolt slightly when Josie says, "Let me ask you something...what do you get out of casual sex?"

  I'm the one who now cocks an eyebrow. "You do understand what comes at the end of sex, right?"

  She waves a hand at me. "Of course, but you can do that all by yourself. So, what's the appeal of random hookups?"

  "Are you mocking me?" I tease her, amused mightily that she brought this up.

  "Not at all," she replies lightly with a wave of her hand. "I'm genuinely curious. It's not something I've ever done before."

  "Never had sex?"

  Another roll of those gorgeous eyes that twinkle slightly at me. She thinks I'm cute for sure.

  She clarifies her question. "Casual sex."

  "Only ever had true-love sex?" I ask with a grin.

  "Something like that," she says almost wistfully, and my smile slides a little. Little Josie Ives has been in love before, and I don't know what it is, but there's a story there for sure.

  Rather than poke at her secrets, I try to explain myself. "Well, sex is good, right?"

  "It's great," she says.

  "Yes, great," I agree as I prepare to launch into the benefits of casual relationships.

  She stops me, though. "You didn't say 'great' right away. You said 'good,' which leads me to believe your Barbie dolls are just giving you good sex and not great sex."

  "Dial it back a notch, Freud," I say dryly. "That's not what I mean."

  "You're in a rut," she says with a confident nod. "The headboard on the wall has been silent lately."

  She's right about that. Last three days I just haven't had the urge to reach out to my list of little-black-book women. I also feel strangely perturbed over the fact my life is so transparent to her.

  "Want to go skydiving day after next?" I ask her. "That's your next day off, right?"

  "Change the subject much?" she counters.

  I give a prissy, exaggerated sniff and sound offended. "I just don't like talking about sex with strange women. It makes me feel shallow."

  Josie throws her head back and lets out a deep-from-the-belly laugh that's husky and melodious all at once. When she looks back to me, she chuckles. "You're anything but shallow, Reed."

  "You think?" I ask, puffing my chest out in an exaggerated fashion so she'll throw more compliments at me.

  She doesn't oblige me, though. Instead, she leans toward me slightly in her chair. "You being shallow isn't the problem. It's that you're seeing women who don't have a lot going on upstairs to challenge you, so that's why it's unfulfilling. That's why your headboard's not been banging on the wall lately."

  Fuck, she's called that exactly right. It's the same conclusion I came to after watching the interaction at the pool between Josie and Kiki. Kiki was glorious in her practical nudity, jiggling tits, and airheaded ways, and that type of woman always guaranteed me entry into their panties. But that day, I had a hard time keeping my eyes and attention off Josie. She's the one I wanted to sit with and talk to and ogle by the pool all day.

  Not about to admit that, though, so I ask, "You make a fair point. Know anyone you can hook me up with?"

  "Actually," she says as her smile slides just minutely. Way too subtle for me to read anything into it. "I do have a few single doctors I work with. Do they have to be blond and have big boobs?"

  "Boobs are overrated," I say with a dismissive wave, and push away the slight disappointment that she didn't offer to go out with me.

  She smirks before taking a sip of her water. When she sets the glass down, she asks, "So...when are you going out of town? Do you need me to do anything here for you or just pick up the mail?"

  "Oh, I'm not going out of town," I say with a shake of my head.

  "But you said--"

  "I just wanted to get your phone number, and that was the easiest way," I tell her honestly.

  Josie blinks at me. Eyes all round and not comprehending.

  "What?" I ask playing dumb. "You're interesting."

  That eyebrow goes up.

  "And smart."

  It arches higher.

  "You're not typical," I add with a lopsided grin that I hope she finds charming.

  "I'm a doctor who works too much and occupies her free time putting together kitten puzzles," she says drolly. "It doesn't get more uninteresting than that."

  I detect mostly humor in her voice, but I also sense a little inner self-loathing that she thinks of herself that way. I lean forward, put an elbow on my knee, and tell her, "You're funny, unflappable, and sarcastic. You're intelligent and you're kindhearted. There are so many ways you could have handled Ditzy Barbie's airheadedness--"

  "Her name's Kiki," she admonishes.

  "See," I point out with a nod. "You're sweet. And that was also atypical. That makes you inherently interesting because most women aren't l
ike that. You found her amusing, but she never knew that."

  "Fair points," she says, giving me an acknowledging nod. "So, what...are we like new buds or something?"

  "Sure," I say easily. "Why not? In fact, I bought a puzzle if you want to work on it together."

  "You're kidding," she says as her jaw drops slightly.

  "Not kidding. But it's not kittens. It's of the Grand Canyon. It looks really hard because it's just all so brown."

  Josie laughs again. It's just as rich and beautiful sounding as before. "Okay, fine. Buds. Pizza and puzzles, and there's nothing weird about this at all."

  Before I can assure her I don't find it weird in the slightest, a slight boom echoes in the distance before the sky explodes with light.

  Josie gives a yip of fright as her head snaps toward the town homes across the street and then she gasps as she sees the outward spreading circle of sparkling lights in the sky.

  "Fireworks," she murmurs in awe.

  "It's the Fourth of July," I tell her. "Figured you hadn't really thought about watching the fireworks, but they have a nice show over at the shopping complex behind those houses across the way."

  Her eyes slide to me and her voice is hesitant. "You got pizza and had me come over here to eat on your balcony so I could see fireworks."

  "See," I say with a waggle of my eyebrows. "I'm totally not shallow."

  "Are you expecting casual sex in return?" she asks while leveling a schoolteacher, disapproving-type look at me.

  I laugh at her and look back to the sky. "Absolutely not, Josie. This is just for you to be able to celebrate the Fourth. Nothing more."

  Josie gives me a hesitantly sweet smile before she turns her face back to the sky. I watch as her skin glows from the bright fireworks going off, reflecting in her brown eyes. My intentions were just to establish a friendship with her, because I do find her immensely interesting. But I can't deny that if she were to offer casual sex, I wouldn't say no.

  Chapter 4

  Josie

  I scroll through the news articles on my laptop, trying to be somewhat of an adult so I know what's going on around the world. My eyes keep cutting to the jigsaw puzzle that's about three quarters of the way completed. It takes up most of my kitchen table and I've been working on it a little bit each night before bed. It's a really scenic picture of hot air balloons over grape fields.

  So lame.