In many ways, I wished I was dirt poor, so I could be free of this kind of shit. Her threats really didn’t scare me. What did scare me was how my actions might cause her to inflict harm on others. Yes, I did like Raven—a lot. I’d ask her out in a heartbeat if I didn’t think my mother would make her life a living hell.

I needed to stay away from Raven for her own good. This was going to be one long summer.***As much as it sucked, I made a conscious effort to keep my distance from Raven over the next several days. I didn’t want to get her in trouble and knew my mother would be watching her—and me—like a hawk.

My determination stuck for a while, until one afternoon when I knew Mother was at a charity luncheon at the club. She’d be gone for at least a few hours. I told myself if I happened to run into Raven during that time, I was going to say hello. After all, I’d gone from being friendly to completely ignoring her. I didn’t want her to take it personally, although she didn’t seem like the type of girl who would be stewing over it.

But of course, with Mother out of the house, I hadn’t seen Raven anywhere. When I finally went out for a coffee run, I happened to notice her bent over on the grass, digging in the dirt.

Fuck. Me.

Her ass looked good in those tight, white uniform pants.

Had she been out here all day? No wonder I hadn’t seen her.

She had earbuds in and was shaking her ass to the music while down on all fours.

Damn.

Damn.

Damn.

Her ass was small, but perfectly round. The way it jiggled made me consider adjusting myself. I had a feeling I’d be dreaming about that ass later in the shower.

I eventually walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey...”

Startled, she jumped, removing her earbuds. “Oh...hey.”

“What are you listening to?”

“‘I Will Survive’—the Cake version.”

No way. “I love that song,” I said.

She made her way just a little further inside my damn soul when she said, “I have their whole Fashion Nugget album downloaded.”

“You like alternative rock?”

“I do.”

Of course. She has to be even more kickass than I thought.

“So do I.”

I kept hoping something would turn me off so I could get this girl out of my mind.

“What are you doing out in the dirt, anyway?”

That was a dumb question, considering it was clear she was planting flowers.

“Gardening.”

“I know. I’m just surprised.”

“Why is that such a shock?”

“We have a gardener, for one.”

“Apparently, he’s been sick. So my mother asked me to help out.”

“Ah. I guess I’m not used to girls who aren’t afraid to get dirty. But you know what? Now that you mention it, that shouldn’t surprise me about you.”

“When you grow up without a man around, you learn to do pretty much everything, both inside and outside the house. I have no problem getting dirty.”

Her face turned pink. I couldn’t tell if her last statement had been intentionally provocative or not. I wanted to believe it was.

“What happened to your dad?” With my hands in my pockets, I kicked the grass. “I’m sorry if that question is too intrusive.”

She looked up at me for a moment, and I felt a ripple of excitement that wasn’t exactly appropriate, given that I’d just asked her a serious question.

Raven stood and brushed the dirt off her hands. “It’s okay. My father was abusive. My mother left him when I was a baby. He lives up in Orlando.”

“Do you ever hear from him?”

“He calls occasionally, but I don’t see him. I do speak to my grandmother, though—his mother.”

“That sucks. I’m sorry.”

“It does, but in a weird way, I think having no father around made me a stronger person. Having no dad is better than having the wrong one.” She shrugged. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have appreciated the right kind of dad—an upstanding man like your father. He’s a good guy. My mother has always spoken very highly of him.”

“He is. Thank you.”

“Yeah. You’re very lucky.”

Her hair blew in the ocean breeze. The color was so dark it had blue highlights as it caught the sun. It was thick and beautiful, and I wanted to run my hands through it. With her fair skin, she reminded me of a porcelain doll, so petite and…perfect. Porcelain.

But porcelain was fragile, better to be looked at and not touched. You get my drift.

Still, I couldn’t stop staring at her. She had dirt all over her white pants, and she didn’t give a shit. I’d nearly forgotten I was supposed to be going somewhere.

Fuck it. “I was just about to go for a coffee run. Can you take a break and join me?”

Say yes.

She looked around. “I’m not sure if I should.”