Mama Didn't Raise No Fool (I Ain't Your Mama Collaboration) Read online

  “Why?” he asked. He grabbed two beers and set the other four in the fridge. “I told you I was here with peace offering number two.”

  “I know that’s what you said, but this isn’t necessary. You got the cars moved. It’s all over.”

  He popped the top on each beer and handed me one. “I actually didn’t,” he said sheepishly. “Grace had them moved by the time I made it back downstairs.”

  “Oh.” I grabbed the beer from him and set it on the counter. “That doesn’t matter. They got moved, that’s all that matters, plus you brought me coffee and donuts Sunday. We’re even. You can take your pizza and beer back to your place.”

  He took a long drink off his beer then grabbed a slice from the box. “But I’m already here.” He chomped into the pizza and licked his lips. “Also, I want to know why you hate me.”

  I took a step back and shook my head. “I don’t hate you.” I didn’t. I just didn’t have a very good first impression of him.

  “Then why can’t we enjoy pizza and beer like two friendly neighbors?”

  I looked down at the pizza. “Because I just ordered pizza from the same exact place.”

  He shrugged and finished his slice of pizza. “I don’t think there can ever be too much pizza. Telling me there is more pizza coming only makes me want to hang around longer.” He tapped the side of the box. “This is the appetizer to your pizza.”

  “Pizza is the appetizer to the pizza?” I laughed.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Sounds damn good to me.”

  I looked around my kitchen to make sure I hadn’t been sucked into some time warp. “How did we get here?” I asked out loud.

  “I knocked, you opened the door, and now we’re here,” he said simply.

  I rolled my eyes and grabbed a piece of pizza. I was starving and I wasn’t one to say no to pizza. “Neighbors don’t do this. At least not any neighbors I’ve had before.”

  “And what kind of neighbors have you had before?”

  “The kind that terrorized the neighborhood and had a dog from hell.” I took a bite and sat down at the kitchen island. It didn’t seem like Tucker was going to be leaving so I might as well as enjoy his pizza and beer.

  “And you thought you finally had quiet neighbors until the other night.”

  I tapped my finger to my nose. “Ding, ding.”

  “Well, that was a fluke, babe.”

  “Right,” I drawled.

  Tucker rounded the kitchen island and sat down on the stool next to me.

  “You’re making yourself right at home,” I mumbled.

  Tucker grabbed another slice of pizza. “You invited me in.”

  I cocked my head to the side. “Did I?”

  A smile spread across his lips.

  That smile was deadly to my icy reserve.

  He was a major dick the first time you met him, Nova. Don’t forget that.

  “So, tell me what you do for a living.”

  I chewed thoughtfully. My brain was scrambling trying to figure out just why Tucker was here. “I’m a website designer.”

  “Really?”

  I laughed and nodded my head. “Yup, last I checked.”

  “That’s pretty cool. I know absolutely nothing about computers or anything like that,” he chuckled. “If it can’t be done on my phone then I’m not doing it.”

  “I think that’s you and about eighty percent of the population.”

  “True, true,” he agreed.

  “So, what do you do?” Grace had mentioned Tucker had worked Saturday before the party, but she hadn’t mentioned what he did.

  “I work road construction. We’re working on highway twenty-four right now.”

  I sat back and pointed a finger at him. “I hate all of you guys!”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “You and everyone else, babe.”

  “Every time I have to go to the store I either have to sit in traffic for fifteen minutes or take the long way which is fifteen minutes.” They had been working on the twenty-four for what seemed like months. “Are you guys ever going to finish?”

  “Eventually.”

  I flipped him off. “I have wanted to flip you guys off for forever but I didn’t want to be rude.”

  He looked at my finger. “And this isn’t rude?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Possibly, but it’s therapeutic for me.”

  “You’re a trip, Nova.”

  I shrugged and finished my piece of pizza. The doorbell rang and Tucker jumped up.

  “Uh, that’s the pizza I ordered. Let me get you money or the tip.”

  Tucker waved me off before I could get up. “I got it.”

  I turned on my stool and watched Tucker walk through the living room and to the door. The man really was handsome and had an amazing backside. I still wasn’t sure how the hell he was here. I had planned on eating pizza alone and then watching whatever was on TV. Now plans had changed.

  “You got breadsticks. Hell yeah.” Tucker closed the door and walked back into the kitchen. He flipped open the top and set it next to the other pizza.

  I grabbed the bag of breadsticks. “You really can’t have pizza without breadsticks.” I tugged one of out the bag and bit the end off.

  “You wanna watch a movie or something?”

  I chewed and watched him grab another slice of pizza. “Why?”

  “Why what?” he laughed.

  I splayed my hands out in front of me. “Why… why any of this?”

  He shrugged. “I was hungry. Figured you might be hungry too, so I came over. There is your why.”

  “And now you want to watch a movie with me?”

  “Is that so hard to believe, Nova?”

  It was. Tucker and I barely knew each other and he just shows up at my door with pizza and beer and I’m not supposed to question it? “We don’t know each other, Tucker. We’ve spoken twice before and now you’re here. We don’t know each other.”

  He grabbed two slices of the cheese pizza and tossed them in the other pizza box. He stood up and closed the top. “Then let’s get to know each other, Nova.” He grabbed the pizza box and his beer.

  “I’m supposed to believe you really want to get to know me?” I wasn’t a fool. “You were a butt when Grace knocked on your door.”

  “A butt?” he chuckled. “I guess that’s the nice way of saying I was an asshole.”

  I gave him a knowing look.

  He bowed slightly. “Then give me the chance to make it up to you. You unfortunately caught me at a bad time.”

  I pursed my lips. “Why should I?”

  “Because it’ll help my ego if you give me a second chance.”

  “I really don’t think your ego needs any help.”

  “Touché,” he laughed. “So what do you say? We watch a movie and I’ll show you that I’m not a… butt?”

  I rolled my eyes and grabbed my beer. “Fine, but I get to pick what we watch. How do you feel about documentaries about whales or rabbits?”

  He cringed but didn’t protest.

  I didn’t really want to watch anything like that, but it was the first of many tests that I was going to do on Tucker if he continued to pop up unexpexectedly. I still wasn’t convinced my first meeting with Tucker was a fluke.

  He tossed the pizza box on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. He handed me the remote with a smirk on his lips. “Bring on the documentaries, babe.”

  I sat down in the recliner and pointed the remote at the TV. “I might not be in the mood for a documentary.”

  Tucker snickered. “Whatever you want, babe. But you might want to sit over here if you want pizza.”

  I eyed the box. He was right. I was going to have to either get a plate or move over by him. “Whatever,” I grumbled. I sat on the opposite end of the couch from him and flipped through the channels. I landed on the third Transformers movie and tossed the remote on the TV.

  “This is a long ways from a documentary,” Tucker snickered.

&nbs
p; I rolled my eyes and grabbed a piece of pizza. I tucked my legs under me and grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch. “Would you like me to try and find something else?” I asked sweetly.

  Tucker kicked his feet up on the coffee table and shook his head. “I’m good with this, babe.”

  I bet he was. He was lucky that this would have been what I ended up watching whether he was there or not.

  So there I sat watching TV with my new neighbor and I still wasn’t sure how the hell it had happened, but I wasn’t exactly mad that it had.

  *

  Chapter Nine

  Tucker

  “Wanna grab a beer?”

  I tossed my hard hat into my truck and shrugged off my fluorescent vest. “I think I’m just gonna head home.” It had been a long fucking day and all I wanted to do was sit on my couch and pass out.

  “Come on, it’s Thursday.”

  I looked at Chase, my foreman. “Not sure what that has to do with me going out tonight.”

  “Dollar off beers and pull tabs,” he explained.

  I shook my head. “Maybe next week, brother.”

  “That’s how it’s gonna be? You buy a house and suddenly you’re wanting to stay home all of the time and can’t go out?”

  I slid into my truck and slammed the door shut. “No, it’s called you worked me to the fucking bone today and I just want to go home to pass out.”

  Chase flipped me off. “Whatever. I just made sure you actually earned that paycheck today.”

  I shook my head and cranked up the truck. “Later, Chase.”

  When I had driven to work this morning I had thought of stopping to get something for dinner to take over to Nova’s, but I was too beat to even think about stopping.

  Last night after we had settled on the couch, we watched one of the Transformer movies, and didn’t really say much. I didn’t feel like I needed to fill the silence when I was with Nova. Something about her no holds barred attitude was probably intimidating to most, but I liked it. It was refreshing to have someone tell me exactly how it was.

  She was confused as hell about what was going on with us, and I was right there with her.

  I pulled into my driveway and saw that her car was parked in front of her garage.

  I regretted not stopping to get something to bring over for dinner as soon as I saw her sitting out on her front porch.

  She raised her hand in a slight wave as I slipped out of the truck.

  “Hey,” she called. She stood up and moved to the edge of the porch. “I was just going to put a steak on the grill. Wanna join me?”

  My steps faltered. Well hell, I guess I didn’t need to stop for dinner after all. “You sure you got enough?”

  “Two big ribeye. I went to the grocery store today so I’m all stocked up on food. Ribeye, baked potatoes, and salad sound good?”

  It sounded like fucking heaven. “Sounds good. I just gotta shower and I’ll be right over.”

  She nodded her head and disappeared into her house.

  My steps were lighter and I didn’t feel as exhausted as I walked into the house. I had been thinking it was going to take a hell of a lot for Nova to get over thinking I was an asshole, but it had to be a good sign that she invited me over for dinner.

  That was what I was going to tell myself.

  *

  Chapter Ten

  Nova

  I don’t know what had possessed me to invite Tucker over for dinner.

  All I needed to do was give him a wave when he pulled in and then just let him go into his house.

  No, I had to open my mouth and invite him over for dinner.

  I had planned on having steak for dinner, and did have two large steaks, but I could have just frozen the one to eat later. Except once I saw Tucker my mouth spoke before I thought about it.

  I quickly scrubbed two potatoes and placed them in the oven I already had preheated. Tucker probably wouldn’t be over for a half an hour or so which gave me plenty of time to get everything ready.

  I was chopping up an onion fifteen minutes later when a knock sounded on the front door.

  Tucker stood there with damp hair, wearing a white t shirt with ripped jeans, and he had a bottle of wine in his hand. “We had beer last night. I figured wine goes better with steak.”

  He held the bottle out to me and I grabbed it from him. “I don’t know about that. I think beer goes with everything.” Not saying I didn’t appreciate wine, but I didn’t think you could go wrong with a good beer either.

  “A woman after my own heart,” he chuckled. “I think there are a couple bottles of beer left in the fridge from last night.”

  I opened the door wide and motioned for him to come in. “I was just chopping stuff up for the salad. You can open this while I finish that up.”

  Tucker followed me in the kitchen and I handed him the beer. “The drawer to the right of the sink has the cork screw.” I picked up the knife I had been using and finished the onion.

  “You need help with anything else?” He easily popped the cork on the wine and grabbed two wine glasses from the china cabinet.

  “Uh, you can cook the steaks if you want.” I loved to cook except for grilling. It wasn’t exactly my favorite thing to do.

  “Can do.” He set a glass full of wine in front of me. “You have the grill lit already?”

  I shook my head. “No. It’s gas so I didn’t plan on lighting it till I finished with the salad.”

  “I got it, babe.” Tucker grabbed the steaks from the fridge and set them on the counter.

  “Uh, if you want to get the grill going, I’ll bring the steaks out once I get the salad done.”

  “Deal.” He grabbed his glass of wine and headed out the back door.

  I finished putting together the salad, checked on the potatoes, and grabbed the steaks and my wine.

  “Perfect timing,” Tucker called.

  I slid the sliding glass door closed and walked down the steps to the brick patio. I handed him the steaks and sat in the chair I had been sitting in a few days ago when Tucker had scared the hell out of me. “The tongy things are hanging on the side of the grill,” I pointed out.

  “Tongy things?” Tucker chuckled.

  I took a sip of my wine. “Yeah. Tongy.”

  He sat in the chair opposite me after he laid the steaks on the grill. “Have a good day?” he asked.

  I stretched my legs out in front of me and smiled. “Yeah. It was good. I have to say the perk of waking up when I want to is amazing.”

  “Rub my nose in that a little bit more, babe.”

  “Construction guys up at the crack of dawn?” I had been up at nine this morning. Normally I was up at eight, but I had stayed up after my normal bedtime last night.

  “Up at six and out the door by six thirty most days.”

  I scrunched up my nose. “Eww. I can’t remember the last time I was up before seven thirty.”

  “Yeah, but you also work weekends and nights. I’m thankfully off the clock by six most nights. Plus, if the weather is shitty, I don’t even have to go to work.”

  “Perks,” I laughed.

  “Definite perks, babe.” Tucker raised his glass to his lips and I couldn’t help but notice how his shirt strained against his arm and shoulder. The man was absolutely ripped. Manual labor agreed with him. His skin was tanned perfectly and he was in great shape. Add in his beard that my fingers begged to run their fingers through and the sleek black motorcycle he drove, I had to wonder why he was still single.

  Because he’s an asshole.

  The thought popped into my head and I was surprised that I had forgotten it for a second. He was being charming and sweet now, but I had to wonder if his temper was just lurking below the surface.

  Tucker flipped the steaks and I popped back into the house to check on the potatoes.

  “Five minutes,” Tucker called.

  I poked the potatoes with a fork and was glad to see they were already done. By the time I had the pl
ates laid out, the salad and dressing on the counter and the potatoes sitting on the plates, Tucker walked in with steaks. “I was thinking I would have to run in here for a plate but you put a clean one underneath.

  I smiled and nodded my head. “That’s my lazy side coming out. I hate having to run inside when I’m grilling. Always prepared.”

  “Isn’t that the boy scouts motto?” he chuckled.

  “I wouldn’t know.” I brushed my hair off my shoulder. “I tried to be a girl scout but they kicked me out.”

  “Kicked you out?” Tucker laughed. “I’m going to have to know this story.”

  “Have a seat and I’ll tell you the tale of Nova and the Girl Scouts.”

  Tucker moved behind me and his hand trailed along my back. “I love a good story, babe,” he replied low. He grabbed the bottle of wine and topped off my glass.

  I sat down at the counter and noticed when Tucker sat down he nudged his stool closer to me. Butterflies floated in my stomach and I had to wonder if I was teleported back to freshman year of high school and the time Justin Morris kissed me by my locker. The thing with Tucker was he hadn’t even kissed me and the butterflies were hundred times more intense.

  “Start spinning the tale, babe.” Tucker placed a steak on my plate and laid the other on his plate. “I’m already picturing you in the little girl scouts uniform.”

  I choked on my wine. “Are you picturing me as a seven year old or now?”

  He wiggled his eyebrows and sliced off a hunk of meat. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

  I had a pretty good feeling he was picturing me now. “I’d like to preface this story with my mother wanted me to be in the girl scouts. It was not something I wanted to do.”

  “Hear ya loud and clear, babe.”

  I scooped some salad onto my plate and motioned to Tucker if he wanted any.

  He shook his head. “I’ll skip on the rabbit food, babe. I’m more of a meat and potato guy.”

  “Then it’s a good thing I decided to make potatoes, right?”

  Tucker pointed his fork at me. “Story,” he insisted.

  I poured dressing on my salad and started the story. “My mom really wanted to be a girl scout. She had been one and wanted me to continue on with the tradition.”