Page 115 of Hollywood

A knock came at the door. Everyone’s eyebrows flew up.

“Do you think it’s him?” Aiden asked.

“No way,” Joyride said. “He wouldn’t show up for something like that.”

“I don’t know,” Knight said. “I think he’s a bigger softie than he lets on.”

I hopped up to open the door. Ghost stood there, looking as unreadable as always. “Come on in. We’ve got a few doughnuts left.”

“Doughnuts?” He stepped inside, bushy eyebrows raising as he took in the crowd. “Was there some sort of meeting I forgot about?”

“Nope,” Knight said. “We’re here for the same reason as you.”

Ghost looked confused. “You wanted to tell Tex about borrowing the park’s gardening tools?”

“What? No. We’re here to suss out how their date went last night.”

“Oh.” He glanced at me, then Hollywood. Shrugged. “Looks like itwent fine.”

Knight drew in a breath, looking affronted. Aiden laid a hand on his shoulder. Joyride buried a laugh in a cough.

“Yep,” I agreed. “It’s all good. Thanks for stopping by, guys, but we’ve got to pick up Ruby from her aunt’s house, so…”

Everyone took the cue, standing and heading toward the door.

“Let us know if we can help with anything,” Knight said, bending to scoop up a reluctant Biscuit and carry him out.

Ghost turned to me. “You still coming over to work on the garden later? I have to lock up the tools when I’m not using them, so…”

“I’ll bring Ruby over in a while. She loves playing outside.”

“I’ve got to run a few errands,” Hollywood said. “So that’s great. You two play in the dirt. It’ll be easier to shop for groceries without Ruby throwing every cereal invented into the cart.”

“But you really enjoyed those Cocoa Pebbles,” I teased.

His cheeks pinked. “And I really don’t need one more temptation in this house.”

I smirked. “As long as you keepme?—”

Ghost cleared his throat. Damn. I’d forgotten he was still standing here. “I’ll just, uh, meet you over at my place later, then.”

As soon as the door closed, I drew Hollywood in for a kiss. “Think we have time for a quickie before we get Ruby?”

He smiled, eyes hot. “Race you to the bedroom.”

He took off, laughing, and I followed. It was so similar to that day in the little park behind my apartment across town, when I’d tackled him to the ground and Hollywood had tilted my whole world on its axis with a single kiss.

This time, when we crashed together, I pulled him closer and kept kissing him.

Ruby and I went over to the empty lot beside Ghost’s trailer just after lunch.

It was too late to plant much this fall. The first frost date was quickly approaching. But I wanted to prepare the soil to improve conditions for a spring garden.

Knowing I’d still be here with Hollywood and Ruby to harvest tomatoes and onions and strawberries made me picture roots running through my limbs, too. I was settling in, ready to grow.

I turned to Ghost. “Thanks for letting me do this at your place.”

“No problem, but I call dibs on the best tomatoes.”