Obsession Falls(27)

He sighed, like I was taking up too much of his time. “I’ll double bag it and put it in the dumpster.”

I glanced at it again, tilting my head. “Should we have a funeral?”

“What?”

“The poor thing deserves better than to wind up in a dumpster with no one to mourn him.”

Josiah looked at me like I’d just suggested we eat it for dinner. “It’s a squirrel.”

“I know but I feel bad. We don’t have to do anything fancy. Just get it in the bag ready to go in the dumpster and let me say a few words before you toss it in.”

He shook his head and went back to the other house. I thought about going inside to put on a bra but then I’d have to deal with Max. He was at the front window watching me, and as soon as I opened the door, he’d go straight for the squirrel.

At least my tank top wasn’t white?

A few minutes later, Josiah came back with a pair of gloves and two plastic garbage bags. I didn’t watch while he picked up the squirrel and bagged it. I didn’t mean to be such a baby, but I had issues with things like blood and guts and dead stuff.

“Got it,” Josiah said. “What do you want me to do now?”

I hated to throw it in the dumpster like garbage, but I hadn’t been kidding when I’d said Max would find it or dig it up. I appeased my guilt by telling myself that if we put it in the dumpster, Max wouldn’t be able to desecrate the body.

“Let’s take it over there but don’t toss it in yet.”

Josiah’s face was stony. At a glance, he seemed irritated with me. And I couldn’t exactly blame him. A funeral service for a squirrel was pretty silly. But he was also indulging me, and I wasn’t sure why.

I decided not to overthink it and get this over with so he didn’t have to keep holding a bag with a dead animal in it.

We walked over to the dumpster. He held the bag just below where he’d tied it closed, keeping it slightly away from himself.

“Okay, I guess I’ll start,” I said.

“And you’ll finish.”

That made me laugh a little. “Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here today – um – I don’t actually know how that’s supposed to go. Let me start over.” I took a deep breath. “The life of a wild animal, even a little Tilikum squirrel, is hard and fraught with danger. Although this small creature met its end, we appreciate its role in nature. May it rest in a land of abundant nuts.”

Josiah cracked a smile.

I about died right there. I didn’t even care that he was smiling at an unintended nuts joke like a twelve-year-old boy. That smile could be my undoing.

“Go ahead and put it in its final resting place.”

He tossed the bag into the dumpster.

“I guess that’s that.”

Josiah looked at me again, but his eyes didn’t stray to my chest. His brow furrowed slightly, as if he didn’t know what to make of me. “Call me if anything else weird happens.”

I nodded. “I will, but I don’t think I have your number.”

He slipped his phone out of his pocket and lifted his eyebrows.

My heart seemed to skip and a pleasant tingle swirled low in my tummy. I gave him my number and he typed something.

“I texted you.” He met my eyes again. His were a stormy blue-gray. “And seriously, anything weird happens, call me.”

His concern was both sweet and electrifying. My cheeks warmed and I was more aware than ever of the cool morning breeze on my skin—and my lack of bra.

“Thanks. For everything. I really appreciate your help.”

“Sure. See you later, Audrey.”

“Bye.”

With my heart beating a little too fast, I went back home. Max tried to rush out the door but I managed to block him with my body and get him under control. I’d let him out there to sniff around and realize the squirrel was gone later. For now, I had a very silly and very desperate need to see the contents of Josiah’s text.

I went to my room and unplugged my phone from the charger, then swiped to his message.

Josiah Haven

Just his name. Not that I’d been expecting a cute message or an emoji string. That wouldn’t have been like him at all. But his name on my screen didn’t feel impersonal. It was like a declaration, a simple assertion of who he was and the fact that we were connected in a new way.

I suppressed the urge to text him back. I’d already thanked him and I was sure he needed to get to work. He hadn’t planned on starting his day with roadkill removal. Or a squirrel funeral. Plus, he wasn’t a big talker and I didn’t want to annoy him.

Looking at his name on my screen, I realized something. It wasn’t just that I didn’t want to bother him.

I wanted Josiah Haven to like me.





CHAPTER 12





Josiah





A squirrel. Somehow Audrey Young had reduced me to participating in a funeral service for roadkill.

At least none of my brothers had been around to see it. Or my dad. They’d never let me hear the end of it.

Trying to push her out of my mind, I got to work. And there was plenty of it. The drywall wasn’t going to fix itself.

Of course, the more I tried to not think about Audrey, the more I thought about her. And the squirrel.