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Post by 9idrr on Jul 5, 2021 20:52:36 GMT -6
Many thanks for this chapter, and also for puttin' up with the ribbin' I give you. All the Smoke tales you've given us have to rank right up there with the best stuff on this board. I'm enjoyin' this story too.
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Post by texican on Jul 7, 2021 22:12:17 GMT -6
bret, We appreciate all of the stories that you have provided thru the years even when it took years. If we didn't poke at you occasionally, you would start to wonder if we didn't like you anymore and were chasing another author which would be kind of like us cheating on you. Kev needs to get his mind and thoughts off Cindy for she is definitely bad medicine. Guy do very stupid stuff due to the influence of seeing a naked pretty woman. Did you take the canoe out yet? Your brother is building a shed for the dozer? Hope your dear wife has a good trip back home. Thanks for all of the enjoyable days of reading thru the years. Don't fret, we will be here as long as there is a here to be at. Texican....
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Post by bretf on Jul 11, 2021 6:01:29 GMT -6
Chapter 30
Kevin placed his coffee cup on his desk and opened the folder Walt had given him to look through. Bile rose as he read the documents and looked at the photos. The boy had been severely abused by his stepfather. It was compounded when the boy’s mother stepped in to stop it. She was beaten as well. It was bad, bringing Jack Randall and Nancy Weibe to mind. How can people be so evil? I hope they throw the key away after they lock his sorry butt up.
Janice tapped on his door frame and stepped into his office. “Kevin, there’re a couple of police officers here to talk to you about an investigation.”
Kevin looked at the folder in his hands, grimacing, then at Janice. “Send them in.”
#
As the week progressed, Kevin continued harvesting and processing his beets. Each evening after work he was able to process another canner load. He hoped to have the canning completed by the end of the week. The row would be severely thinned, but he wouldn’t take them all. He’d eat fresh beets until he could eat the more desirable vegetables. At that point, any remaining would be left for seed.
It was quiet at the neighbor’s house while he was in the garden and canning. Charley and Cindy’s cars were gone each day when he returned from work. But he was woken in the wee hours each night as they returned. He didn’t want to watch their place when she got home but he did want to watch. Disappointed, he didn’t see a repeat of the hot tub incident.
On Tuesday, orange road work signs greeted Kevin as he headed for home. Including a “ROAD CLOSED DETOUR” sign. He grumbled and looked over at Jack and Jill. “This better not take us too far out of our way. We need to get another batch of beets done today.”
The road he traveled was familiar. He’d driven it a few times but not often since it was off his normal path. A sign at the side of the road caused him to slow and rubber-neck. “MILK GOATS FOR SALE.”
Slowing, he thought about the sign. A milk goat would be great for self-sufficiency or if supply lines were shut down. He’d already witnessed milk shortages due to the Covid pandemic. And not just milk. He clearly remembered the empty shelves and cases. It would only get worse if the power grid was shut down. Or if a second, more virulent strain of Covid swept the land. The beets he hoped to process were momentarily forgotten. He turned into a driveway, turned around, and went back to the farmstead with the sign.
A border collie ran out barking as he approached the house. Jack and Jill made to protect their truck from the strange dog, growling and barking. Kevin was glad the window was only open a couple of inches.
A middle-aged woman wearing an apron came out of the house. She called the dog and it ran to her. Kevin was impressed with how well it behaved. She clipped a chain to its collar keeping it at the porch, and approached the truck. “What can I do for you?” she asked when she was beside it.
“I saw your sign and was curious about the goats.”
“Well, get out and I’ll show them to you. But please leave your dogs.”
“Of course.” He got out. Jack and Jill showed disappointment they weren’t accompanying him.
The woman led the way to a pasture with several goats grazing. “There they are. As you can see, I have a variety. What exactly are you looking for?”
Kevin studied the goats and said, “I don’t know. I wasn’t actually looking, or even thinking about getting one. It was like your sign planted a seed for me.”
“So you aren’t set up for them?”
“No. What will I need to do before I get one?”
The woman laughed. “First, I’d recommend two, not one. Goats are social. Then you need fencing. Good fencing. One of those scoundrels is named Houdini. She earned the title. I’ve had them jump over four-foot-high fences like nothing. If there’s a crack a cat can get through, figure a goat can too. And notice the gates have snaps. They can open simple latches faster than I can.”
“Wow. Then I’m definitely not ready for one. Or two. It looks like they do fine in your pasture. Do they need other things? Like a supply of tin cans?”
“Ha. Those old stories are ridiculous. They only eat the labels, not the cans. But on the subject of good fences, they’ll do fine with pasture, but they prefer other things. Especially flowers and vegetable plants if you’re into gardening. And they’ll chew the bark off any young trees or shrubs they can get to.”
“Hum. I see there’s more to this than I thought,” Kevin said.
“Yes, it’s a commitment to have goats. But well worth it once you have the right set up.”
They talked longer, the woman explaining about shelter, the best feed, the various breeds.
At the end, Kevin said, “Well, you’ve given me a lot to think about. I think I’d like one or two eventually, but for now, two problems are stopping me.”
“Oh, what problems?”
Kevin smiled. “Time and money. All I need is more time and more money.”
The woman laughed and said, “Now that’s the story of my life.”
#
On Wednesday, he did his laundry as usual. He grinned when Tammy showed up with no laundry of her own but had takeout bags from The Watering Hole. “Yep, it fits.”
“Hey, Kev, nice to see you. Too bad we couldn’t hook up over the weekend, though.”
“Yeah, I was pretty busy.”
“I hope you aren’t seeing another woman.”
Images flashed through his mind. Cindy in all her nude glory, followed by Janice singing hymns. He shook his head. “Nope. Little chance of that. Besides, I don’t need to add trouble to my life.”
“Are you saying I’m trouble?”
“No, not at all. But you know what my dogs think of women getting to close too me.”
He interpreted the look that crossed her face as severe dislike or even hatred. Yep, better not leave them alone.
“I hope you’re hungry,” she said and turned her back to him, fishing into the takeout bags.
Over the rustling, he thought he heard, “God damn dogs.”
As they ate finger steaks and garlic fries, Tammy said, “So, any chance we can do something together Friday evening. I can get off work and spend the entire evening with you.”
Kevin chewed slowly, buying time to come up with a good response. He remembered all too well how she’d drawn him back to town the night the thugs had shown up with the moving van. Was something up? If he told her he was busy but just went home, would she know? Unable to come up with anything good, he gave a non-committal answer. “I’m not sure. My supervisor was dropping hints I might need to go to Placerville Friday. If I do go, I’m not sure when I’ll be back.” Actually, if he went, he should be back shortly after noon.
“Oh.”
She sounded far from happy but he didn’t think it was sad disappointment. It was something else.
“Then maybe I could go with you. That’d give us a lot of time together. Maybe we could stay over.”
“That sounds nice, but our policies forbid it. Besides,” he grinned at her, “you might distract me from doing what I was sent over there to do.”
“I’d do my best,” she said and flicked her tongue out, slowly licking her lips.
He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.
When he didn’t respond, she said, “Maybe I’ll just work Friday night. You could come in once you make it back.”
Were his suspicions justified? It seemed like she didn’t want him at home. Not responding to the invite, he said, “It might be best if you work. And you can come out Saturday. I’ll be working at home all day.”
“We’ll see,” she said. “But I better get going.” She moved close and kissed him. Stepping back, she said, “We need more practice with that.”
She left the laundromat and Kevin moved to the windows where he could watch her. Her phone was in one hand pressed to the side of her head. She wildly gesticulated with her other hand. When she was out of sight, Kevin made his own call.
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Post by ydderf on Jul 11, 2021 7:44:01 GMT -6
Ah the thlot pickens Thanks Bret
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Post by iamnobody on Jul 11, 2021 8:31:05 GMT -6
I need MOAR already
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Post by texican on Jul 11, 2021 11:53:27 GMT -6
He’d eat fresh beets until he could eat the more desirable vegetables.
Total agrrement about beets. Beets are the one supposed vegetable that I do not eat.
There is definitely something wrong with Tammy and the goings on at the neighbors, beside the naked woman.
Now did Kev find another potential love interest in the woman that raises goats? A lonely middle age woman could train/teach Kev a lot about life and make him a better man in a lots of way.
Goats are a pain to keep and will eat anything made of wood including tree bark and fake press board siding.
Bret, Kev definitely needs a love interest to make his life more interesting if not complicated. Hint.
Only moar chapters will reveal. Hint, Hint, Hint...
Texican.
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Post by papaof2 on Jul 11, 2021 12:09:42 GMT -6
Right now, Kev's dogs may truly be his best friends.
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Post by 9idrr on Jul 11, 2021 20:10:38 GMT -6
Ah the thlot pickens Thanks Bret Hey, I know his cousin, Slim! Sure is good to see more of this one. Another chapter this evenin' would be great.
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Post by solo on Jul 12, 2021 9:08:55 GMT -6
For someone who makes a living reading people, it is good that he is finally looking past his physical reactions at Tammy's expressions. Like when he looked and saw disappointment but it wasn't sadness... That is a huge tell and it is hard to see in other people. Clear sign that they were up to something. You, my friend, are killing it!
Solo
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Post by dallanta on Jul 13, 2021 10:16:36 GMT -6
Dang, caught up great story!
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Post by bretf on Jul 16, 2021 16:36:43 GMT -6
Chapter 31
As Kevin filled his coffee cup, Walt approached to do the same. Kevin said, “Do you have a few minutes, Walt?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Let’s go into your office.”
With full mugs and the door closed for privacy, Kevin told Walt about his neighbors, Tammy, and his suspicions.
Walt asked the occasional question, Kevin providing the appropriate information. When Kevin was finished, he said, “Yep, something fishy is going on there. You’re carrying, aren’t you?”
Kevin grimaced and in a resigned tone, said, “Yes. But I don’t like it.”
“Good. So, what do you need from me?”
#
As Kevin had predicted, he made it back from Placerville shortly after noon. But he didn’t go back to the office. Still in the company Prius, he went to the library. He settled in front of a computer, inserted his flash drive and accessed the internet. Pulling up sites he’d previously visited, he copied and pasted items into documents. The internet contained worlds of information that’d all be useless in a grid-down situation. He didn’t own a laptop that he might be able to store information on so he’d go old-school. The documents containing the information he considered the most important went into the printer queue.
The library charged fifteen cents per double-sided copy. He felt it’d be money well spent to have physical copies of the information. Leaving the computer, he went to the desk, paid, and went to the printer as it churned out his documents. With all his papers, he returned to the computer desk. A shopping bag was where he’d laid it beside the keyboard. In Placerville, he’d purchased a hole punch, dividers, and a three-ring binder. He spent several minutes punching the papers and putting them in sections in the binder. Like all his preps, he planned to add more information and binders as he was able.
But nothing was stopping him from creating more documents, they just wouldn’t be printed. Not yet.
Patrons came and went as Kevin researched and created documents. Time flew by and at times, it felt like his head would burst from all the information he found. Many of the sites he went to gave him the opinion a substantial bank account would burst if anyone accumulated everything they recommended.
His final search was for a way to store his excess eggs. He had no idea if it was feasible, but he planned to find out. There were several results to his query. As he read, he eliminated any method requiring electricity for long-term storage. It appeared the most reliable method was to immerse them in something called water glass. Reading further, he learned it was a compound containing sodium oxide and silica. He searched for local sources of the product, figuring to give it a try.
Another method he wanted to try was dehydration. After whisking the eggs up, they were dried, either raw or cooked. Then run through a food processor and put in storage containers. They were best used in recipes, whereas the eggs in water glass could be used in any way he liked. He planned to test both methods.
Kevin glanced at his watch, shocked. Time had flown as he was immersed in his project. He grinned. Enough time, he thought. He ought to get to the office two hours after he normally got off. And what would happen then?
He logged out of the computer and put everything in his shopping bag.
Back at the office, he locked up the Prius and got in the truck. Looking across the seat, it felt strange not to have Jack and Jill with him. Pulling out his phone, he sent a text, and then called Janice. “Hey Janice, I’m at the office. I’ll be over in a few minutes to get the dogs.”
They talked a bit more, Janice asking about his day and imploring him to be careful.
He typed in another text message, to Tammy. “Hey T. Just got back. I’m bushed and would be poor company this evening. Think I’ll head home. Maybe tomorrow?”
He watched the door to The Watering Hole. What’ll she do?
A minute passed before she responded with a text. “Sure I can’t change your mind? I might be just what you need after a stressful day.”
“It sounds good but I’m just not up to it. See ya when you can make it out.”
Her reply was frowning emojis.
Kevin started the engine and slowly pulled out of the lot. He watched The Watering Hole as much as he could while keeping an eye out for traffic. Pursing his lips, he nodded his head. Tammy had stepped out the door. She had her phone pressed to her head and he could make out her lips moving. He looked away quickly.
When he reached Janice’s apartment building, she was outside with the dogs. “Hey Janice, I need a minute.”
When he was finished, he slipped his phone in his shirt pocket and got out of the truck. The dogs nearly mugged him. “Hey guys, I missed you, too,” he said, laughing.
When the dogs had calmed, Janice raised her eyebrows and asked, “So?”
“Well, I don’t know what I’ll find but I have the distinct impression they’re trying to keep me away from home. Tammy tried hard. Now I wonder if they’ll have something else planned.”
Janice’s face was filled with concern. “Are you sure you should go home? There’s no telling what’ll happen.”
“Well, I can’t know what they’ve got planned but I’m as prepared as I can be.”
“Be careful,” she said, and hugged him.
“You got it. Come on guys, let’s go home.”
Despite his assurances to Janice, Kevin was nervous as he drove down the lane. The driver’s side window was open and the truck was moving at an idle as he looked all around. He didn’t note anything out of the norm. The house next door was quiet, although both cars and a third were parked in front of the garage.
Kevin parked and got out, Jack and Jill bounding off the seat. They trotted around snuffling, peeing, and doing their regular get-home routine. They didn’t show any alarm. He caught movement from the corner of his eye at the neighbors’ house. Turning, he didn’t see anything. Maybe I’m just jumpy and imagining it. Getting his lunch bag and shopping bag from the truck, he took them to the house.
With his egg bucket in hand, he headed for the chicken pen. As he neared it he froze, wrinkling his nose. An odor not unlike cat urine hung in the air. Ammonia. And it’s not from the chickens. They haven’t had enough time for it to be coming from their poop. It’s too bad phones can’t record smells as well as images. He continued on.
Inside the henhouse, he rechecked his pistols. Bile rose in his throat. He didn’t want to need them and was half-temped to leave them there. Sighing, he kept them where he carried them. He did leave the egg bucket. As silly as he considered the notion, if something was to happen, he didn’t want to chance the eggs being broken.
He left the coop and then the pen. The dogs growled and he followed their gaze. “Oh my God. Now that’s one heck of a distraction!”
Cindy was on the deck, stretching her arms out. As nude as the last time he’d seen her, with two major differences: it was still light out and he was much closer. She looked his way, and as if just noticing him, waved. Then she stepped off the deck, headed straight for him.
Despite himself and the situation, Kevin couldn’t take his eyes off her. On auto-pilot, he moved towards the fence, drawn like a bee to nectar. Or a fly to a pile of excrement. Repeating himself, he said, “One heck of a distraction.”
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Post by iamnobody on Jul 17, 2021 8:59:09 GMT -6
No! He's being drawn in, just like a moth to a flame.
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Post by papaof2 on Jul 17, 2021 10:13:57 GMT -6
Moths and flames do not have happy endings for the moths. Is this the next-to-last chpter?
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Post by texican on Jul 17, 2021 16:39:37 GMT -6
Despite himself and the situation, Kevin couldn’t take his eyes off her. On auto-pilot, he moved towards the fence, drawn like a bee to nectar. Or a fly to a pile of excrement. Repeating himself, he said, “One heck of a distraction.”
Kev is being stupid again due to the nude woman and in a world of trouble if not in a world of hurt. Are her clothes in his house and the nude woman screaming rape?
Kev definitely needs a woman in his life.
Thanks bret for the chapter.
Texican....
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Post by bretf on Jul 18, 2021 12:35:08 GMT -6
bret, We appreciate all of the stories that you have provided thru the years even when it took years. If we didn't poke at you occasionally, you would start to wonder if we didn't like you anymore and were chasing another author which would be kind of like us cheating on you. Kev needs to get his mind and thoughts off Cindy for she is definitely bad medicine. Guy do very stupid stuff due to the influence of seeing a naked pretty woman. Did you take the canoe out yet? Your brother is building a shed for the dozer? Hope your dear wife has a good trip back home. Thanks for all of the enjoyable days of reading thru the years. Don't fret, we will be here as long as there is a here to be at. Texican.... 9: ribbin? Just good friends banter. I appreciate it and you! Tex, see above. As far as Kev and the ladies in his life, I don’t know. I only go where he leads me. And his problems when seeing a naked woman leads me to the great sage Red Green and the man’s prayer. “I’m a man. But I can change. If I have to. I guess.” Pretty much sums up all us simple creatures, doesn’t it? Took the canoe for a test run on a pond fairly close to home. Then went home and made a new mount for the motor. Recycled pallet white oak was fine until I hit full power. Then the board split. Back home, used red fir, reinforced with screws parallel to the grain. Second test was good. It did all I hoped. Wanted to take it for the real run, but … Dozer shed: the cabin is off grid. And brother is trying to do as much with reclaimed, recycled materials as possible. Last weekend, we hand mixed concrete for the footings, one short wheelbarrow load at a time. Yesterday, set all upright supports, then went and snaked a dead fir tree out of a lousy spot to span the length on each wall to support trusses. It took longer and more work than we’d hoped. Then, going through the brush to hook the cable to the tree, I apparently lost my glasses, so now I need to stop by the dollar store for another bag of cheap readers. Brother offered to go back and search but I was done for the day. The day was topped off with a rare date night with my DW. We got home well after my bedtime (and much later than my “fall asleep on the couch” time). I had the pickup and canoe ready to take off early this morning but just wasn’t up to it. I’m not sure how the lake I want to go to is faring. We’ve had about thirty consecutive days over or hovering at 100. We get bad blue-green algae blooms when that happens. Last time I went during a major bloom, hundreds of carp were dead on the bank. Add in our drought, I’m guessing the water level is decling like crazy. But I still want to go try the canoe and see if the catfishing is good. Even if it’s not, we all know a day on the water with a fishing pole, even if the fish don’t bite, is hard to beat. But not next weekend. We’re back to Chad Smoke country for the family reunion – camping trip. Thanks for the kind thoughts about wife. She had good trip home, but sad because she left our son and daughter behind. Now its just her and I, the dog, cats, and chickens at home. I always appreciate your comments!
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Post by bluefox2 on Jul 18, 2021 15:18:06 GMT -6
Kev needs to start thinking with the right head. Cindy and Tammy are bait in a trap to either blackmail him or to take him out. At some point I wouldn't be surprised if his family wasn't part of this mess coming at him.
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Post by 9idrr on Jul 18, 2021 18:22:00 GMT -6
Bret- good thing to be able to take time with your wife when you can.
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Post by solo on Jul 19, 2021 8:26:56 GMT -6
"The Suspense is terrible!.... I hope it lasts!" - Willy Wonka
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Post by iamnobody on Jul 19, 2021 11:04:07 GMT -6
At some point I wouldn't be surprised if his family wasn't part of this mess coming at him. I had not thought of that possibility.
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Post by texican on Jul 19, 2021 13:38:20 GMT -6
Thanks for the kind thoughts about wife. She had good trip home, but sad because she left our son and daughter behind. Now its just her and I, the dog, cats, and chickens at home.
bret, You are not so old that time alone with the wife is a great. Regularly, kick the dogs and cats out of the house so the alone time is alone with her and the pets will not being staring at ya'll while... Texican....
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Post by bluefox2 on Jul 19, 2021 16:18:49 GMT -6
At some point I wouldn't be surprised if his family wasn't part of this mess coming at him. I had not thought of that possibility. If we the readers are suggesting plot twists, you have a good story
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Post by bretf on Jul 22, 2021 4:58:22 GMT -6
Thanks All! I appreciate the comments!
Chapter 32
“Hi neighbor,” Cindy purred with a broad smile. “It’s good to see you.”
Inwardly, he decided it was good to see her as well, very good, despite the circumstances. But he didn’t voice the thought. “Uh, hi,” he said, trying unsuccessfully to keep his eyes on her face. Very good to see her, indeed.
She giggled. “Do you like them?”
“Huh?”
“My tits. Do you like them?”
How to play it? The stuttering imbecile under her spell, or indifferent. Acting under her spell might be safer. Maybe not as entertaining, though. “Uh, well, I, uhn …” Kevin stammered. In truth, he did like them. He was a warm-blooded man after all.
“Charley paid good money for these babies. But I’ve made it all back five-fold.”
She read the puzzled look on his face. “Dancing. I dance evenings and my tips really went up when I got these done. You could say my tips inflated just like my tits.” She emphasized her statement by placing her hands under her breasts and jiggling them.
He had to admit, it was an impressive distraction, rather pair of distractions. Now, how far would she push? He was almost afraid to find out. Tammy had certainly been obvious, but not to this extent. Cindy was, wow! The distraction was close to working, the ammonia smell nearly forgotten. He reminded himself to keep his head. But dang, what a distraction.
The dogs pressed against him from each side. He took comfort from their presence. If ever he needed them, this might be the time. He had to stay grounded.
“You didn’t say whether you like them or not. I’ll take your silence as a sign you do. Do you want to feel them? Charley says they feel just as good now as they did before, but there’s a lot more to feel. Here, give them a good squeeze.”
The dogs pressed tighter. He gulped. Staying to task was tough.
Not responding to the invite, he asked, “You’re a stripper?”
It was her turn to look puzzled. She’d probably never met the man who didn’t want a feel. The puzzled look turned to a small smile as she formulated her next move. “I prefer the term exotic dancer. And here’s something else that’s paid off big time,” she said, slowly running her hands down her body. They stopped, her index fingers and thumbs forming a diamond shape, outlining her clean-shaven nether region.
“What do you think? Do you like smooth or natural?”
Kevin gulped again, glad for Jack and Jill keeping him grounded. He needed every bit of their help.
“Don’t tell me. You’ve never seen one like this.” She watched his face, searching, while her fingers made slow, sensual movements. In her soft, purring voice, she said, “I was going to get in the hot tub. Join me. It’s a perfect night and always nicer to be in with a strong, handsome man.” Her fingers never stopped their movements while she talked. “I can fix us a drink, get a little smoke, and —”
They both jumped as the phone in Kevin’s pocket rang.
With shaking hands, Kevin fished it out, looked at the screen and answered. “Hey, Janice, what’s up?” He listened for a bit and said, “Hang on a moment.”
To Cindy, he said, “As tempting as it sounds, I’m going to have to pass. The office manager from work needs to discuss a case I was on today. Not only that, I’m exhausted.” Holding the phone up, he said, “I’m going to bed when I finish this.”
“Yeah, you probably should go to bed. You look flushed,” Cindy said with a smirk.
Kevin couldn’t help but feel disappointed she didn’t try more to draw him to the hot tub. A small voice at the back of his mind said it was a good thing. If he did get in that hot tub, he’d never get out again. Another part of his brain retorted it’d be one heck of a way to go.
“Nice seeing you,” Kevin said, turned, and walked to the house. Wow, it was nice seeing you!
Once inside, he leaned against the door, breathing as if he’d sprinted from the fence. When his breathing was under control he raised the phone. “Okay, I can talk. But are you sure cell phones are safe?”
“That’s covered. But, Janice?”
“Yeah. It seemed feasible.”
“Ahh. Well, that was quite a performance. You and her both. I wasn’t sure which way you were leaning. It appeared you needed a rescue.”
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shade
New Member
Posts: 8
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Post by shade on Jul 22, 2021 6:12:19 GMT -6
last chapter should have been a video?
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Post by iamnobody on Jul 22, 2021 7:23:10 GMT -6
Thanks for having someone there to save Kevin. That was close, too close.
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Post by 9idrr on Jul 22, 2021 18:43:11 GMT -6
I'd probably've needed savin' myself.
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