Page 34 of Dreams and Reptiles

“I don’t care that you’re older than me. Wearing this hot uniform, playing with trucks and hoses... those are boy things. You even collect dinosaurs.” I rolled my eyes, but he caught my face between his palms. “And you’re fun. You like to have fun. You bring fun into my life, and it’s been a long time since I’ve felt like I wanted to have fun.”

“Fire Boy it is, then.” I gripped his hips. “You’re the most fun I’ve had in forever. But I love that we’re talking about real stuff, too. I want it all, Francis. The fun and the real. I’ll take whatever you want to give, okay? And if you just want to be held when the world is on fire, I’ll be your Fire Boy.”

His saucy smile faded into something warm and genuine, like I hoped he would be with me. Saucy was fun, but I wanted the real Francis, too. Baggage and all.

We shared a sweet kiss that we both tried hard not to let get out of hand, even though he was sitting on my lap. When we came up for air, he fanned himself.

“I could kiss you all night,” he breathed. “But your dinosaurs need you.” He climbed off my lap and rearranged his loose cream linen pants. He’d paired them with a long-sleeved black fitted shirt with a wide neck. I’d seen him in everything from his painting attire to khakis and polos, but this look—relaxed, sophisticated, and sexy as hell—was my favorite so far.

He took my hand and led me to the front door.

“Hey Kendall? I hope I didn’t overstep with Kimo. This project is for both of us.”

“Not at all. Although, I’m not sure putting you two together is good for me.”

Francis rolled his eyes. “Fine. I was worried, when you were late? I thought maybe…”

My eyes bugged out. “No way. I’ll always tell you if I’m not okay. Promise. Now, I’ll let you know what my schedule is like tomorrow. Is that okay? Can I text you?” I stood on the top step, leaning in, not wanting to leave.

“You can text me anytime,” he said, leaning against the door. “And if you happen to text me pics of Fire Boy Hijinks, I won’t be mad about it.”

“Only if you send me pics of Saucy Neighbor Shenanigans.”

“Hmm, not sure there will be any shenanigans. There will be Zoom meetings with my upcoming retreat folks, a couple of interviews, and the rest of the time I’ll be readying the guest rooms. I think I’m going to do some more quotes on the walls over there. It was fun. Nice to be able to flex my artist side.”

“You’re so fucking good at this, Francis,” I said, stepping back up to the door. “You were meant to make this place happen. I can feel it.”

His smile turned soft again as he gazed up at me. “Thank you. Thank you for saying that. My cousins are kind of treating me like I might break at any minute, and my mom, she’s my ride or die no matter what crazy scheme I come up with, so I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

“Ride or die, huh?”

He made a popping sound with his lips. “She once went with me for a last-minute job interview when I was finishing grad school. Our connecting flight from Vegas to Austin was cancelled, and I was going to miss it, but she rented a car and we drove twenty hours straight through.”

“Oh man. That is ride or die. Did you… well, I’m guessing you didn’t take the job since you were in the Bay?”

“Didn’t get it, but we ended up finding ourselves at a karaoke bar, and we danced and sang ’til it closed, grabbed a few hours of sleep in a seedy hotel with the largest bugs I’ve ever seen, and then we flew home. Any other mom would have been like, ‘Francis, it’s not meant to be,’ or ‘Francis, there are other fish in the sea,’ but not Anne Liang. Well, now Lau.”

“My mom was like that when I was young, too. She was a very resourceful woman when she needed to be. With a husband deployed so much, we got creative.”

He frowned. “It must be hard, being so far away from her and your daughter?”

“We talked a lot about it before I made the decision to keep Grandma’s property. Mom knew I wouldn’t be able to travel for a while. She fully supports my sanctuary dreams, unlike my ex and my daughter. Well, my daughter just hates that I came to California without her. She’s finishing undergrad soon, and I have a feeling she’s going to want to come out here. She’s coming to visit when her summer term is over.”

Would that be uncomfortable for Francis?

“That’s great! I’d love to meet her. Oh, well, as your neighbor. I don’t want to make it weird.”

“No, I don’t want to make it weird for you,” I said, my cheeks getting hot. I needed to go home, but I wanted every possible minute with him. “She’s very… She has opinions.”

He burst out laughing and covered his mouth before giving me a knowing grin. “You mean, she’s a little saucy?”

I groaned, and he laughed harder.

“I don’t know what would be worse for me, you spending time with Kimo or my daughter.”

He winked. “Aw, come on, Fire Boy, can’t take the heat?”

I stepped in and reached for his waist.