Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
I decide to call Marissa, but then realize my phone is still on the patio, left behind when I scrambled to put distance between myself and the skunk. “Shit!”
“Are you okay?” It’s a man’s voice, and then Wyatt’s head appears above the back fence.
“No. There’s a skunk on my patio!”
When he says, “I’ll be right there,” I assume he means he’s going to run around the block, but the next thing I know, he’s atop the fence, then jumping down into my yard.
CHAPTER 20
STELLA
“I heard you and Goldfish were terrorized by a rabbit last night,” he says. “Now you’re being attacked by a skunk?”
“At least it’s just me this time. Goldfish is in the house.”
“That’s a relief. Where is the smelly little critter?” It’s dark in the yard, but the light coming through the back window allows Wyatt to spot the skunk before I point it out. “It didn’t spray you, did it?”
“No, but it smells like it sprayed something.”
“I hate to say it, but a full-on attack would smell much worse.”
“Have you had skunks in your yard?”
“Not here, but we had a few come into my parents’ yard when I was a kid. They got our dog twice, and it was miserable.” He shudders at the memory.
“I can imagine.” As we talk, huddled near the back fence, the furry invader continues its gardening, not seeming to care about us at all.
“Do you have anything back here like a rake or maybe a big stick?” Wyatt asks.
I think for a moment, looking around. “There’s a broom, but it’s over there.” I point to where it’s propped against the house on the other side of the patio.
“That’ll work. And do you know where there are any holes in your fence?”
I point to the right. “Up front on that side. There’s a small spot where it might have come in.”
He nods and starts off toward the house, but I grab his arm. “Won’t it spray you?”
“I’ll be careful.”
As I hang back watching, Wyatt moves stealthily toward the broom, and manages to grab it without attracting the skunk’s attention. I expect him to use it to push the skunk toward the side of the house, but instead he pulls out his phone and aims his flashlight toward the ceiling of the patio, illuminating the area. Then he starts tapping the end of the broom handle on the concrete, softly at first, and gradually more loudly.
He’s wearing a loose-fitting tank top that gives me a great view of his upper body, even in the dim light, and I can’t help thinking that all of this would probably make good content for the Battle Duel Boys channel.
The skunk abandons the flower pot and ambles toward the house, then turns and heads away from Wyatt and the noise he’s making.
As Wyatt follows the skunk’s retreat at a distance, continuing to repel it, there’s another voice from the other side of the fence. “What’s going on?” Cam asks.
“There’s a skunk in my yard. Wyatt’s chasing it out.”
Cam comes over the fence the same way Wyatt did, and quickly scopes out the action before turning to me, taking my arms in his big hands and assessing me. “Are you okay? You smell okay.”
I grin and nod. “Gee, thanks. Yes, I’m fine.”
“What about Goldfish?”
“Inside, luckily.”
“Great.”
He releases me, and I feel an immediate pang of disappointment.
He has a shirt on for a change, but of course, it’s almost fully unbuttoned, adding to the feeling that I’ve somehow ended up in the middle of one of their videos. Today, it’s a skunk battle!
Cam heads toward the side of the house, following Wyatt around the corner, and both of them disappear into the darkness. With the skunk out of sight, I hurry over to the porch and grab my phone. Using its flashlight, I trail after them, and find them both near the part of the fence that faces the street.
“He’s gone,” Wyatt says. He props the broom against the house and scans the ground with his light. “I’ll block the hole for tonight, and we can come back tomorrow and do a more thorough job.” He picks up one of the large rocks that forms the border of a flower bed and wedges it against the hole in the fence.
“We’ll check to see if there are any other holes, too,” Cam says. “Wire mesh will work well to keep the critters out.”
“Or we can find a black cat with a white stripe on its back that the skunk can fall in love with,” Wyatt says.
When I give him a confused look, he says, “Pepé Le Pew?”
I snort out a laugh. “Of course. I should have thought of that. I guess I’m just tired.”
Cam puts an arm around me and rubs my shoulder in a way that’s meant to be encouraging, but ends up making me long for more of his touch.