Last night, I’d had another intense dream. Although it hadn’t been quite as sexy as the previous dream, the fact remained that I went to bed thinking of Brax and I woke up thinking about Brax.
Truth be told, Brax was in my every waking thought, and that concerned me.
I told Kara everything. She hung on to my every word and every few sentences she muttered, “You lucky bitch.”
The boys returned and we all worked in relative silence until Kara left. Toby chatted incessantly until he went to meet his girlfriend, which left me alone with Brax.
I played a few songs on my phone and smiled when I heard Brax singing along to it. To my horror, my dirty thoughts of him returned in full force. It didn’t help that he had stripped down to his shorts.
“I brought you something,” Brax said, nearly startling me out of my skin.
“You did? What is it?”
“When we were at the falls, you mentioned to the gentleman that you liked his camera. I have one that’s just been lying around.” He handed me a nice Canon. “It’s older and not as nice as his, but you’re welcome to it.”
The gesture was incredibly sweet. During my years with Ross, we had been so frugal that it had become a way of life. Even with both of us working, we had taken to putting money away versus blowing it. During all those years, I’d learned to be conservative and live within my means. To receive such a heartfelt gift meant everything to me.
“It has a new memory card in there, too,” he said, looking anxious. “So you’re good to go.”
“Thank you, Brax,” I said, taking the camera from him. “How generous of you.”
He shifted on his feet. “Maybe you could take some before and after photos of the house, so you can one day look back and show your grandkids what you did.”
The thought of kids and grandkids made me smile.
Hopefully one day. I immediately snapped a few pictures, getting familiar with the camera as I went. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed taking photos, of the creativity that coursed through me as I snapped one shot after another. I had a lot to learn. Those high school lessons had seemed like a lifetime ago.
I snapped a picture of every single room of the house, then went outside and took a few of the porch.
“Here, let me get a picture of you,” he said, nodding toward the front of the house.
I handed him the camera and walked to the porch, feeling awkward as I tried for a casual pose. I had this tendency to have a deer-in-the-headlights expression whenever I was being photographed. Forcing myself to relax, I smiled for the camera.
After he had taken a few shots, I grabbed the camera from him. “Now let me get some of you.
“Really? I can’t guarantee what kind of model I’ll be, but I’m down if you are.”
* * *
Brax
What the hell was I doing?
I had told myself to be careful with Mandy. To treat her with kid gloves, and here I was going down the same pathway again.
I modeled for her, mostly campy pictures of me in gutted rooms. Before and after pictures, she said, although I wasn’t quite sure why she needed me in every shot. I wouldn’t complain though. The sexual tension between us seemed even more amped up than before.
“Tell me about your life…” she said, leaning against the doorframe that led to all things, her bedroom.
I shifted on my feet, surprised she wanted to know what I wanted out of life. I don’t think any girl had asked me that question before.
I hated talking about myself. Despised it, actually. It always made me uncomfortable, and I didn’t know why. Then again, I didn’t want to come across as a dick. I shrugged. “You know a lot of it. I started construction at sixteen, and after I graduated I started flipping houses. I wanted to start my own company, so that’s what I did while still working for Drake’s Concrete. Obviously construction is in my blood. God willing, it’s what I’ll do until the day I die.”
Seemingly interested, she watched me with a soft smile. “Most of your work is here in Maple Creek?”
I nodded. “I have a house over in Camas that my subs are working on. This house, and you, is my priority right now.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” She looked pleased by the admission. “So the jobs are pretty local. You’re a hometown boy, huh?”