“You know, it’s going to be a really long summer if I have to keep coming over here and seeing that neighbor of yours, especially if she starts laying out in a bikini or something,” Ben said.
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you when you went over there and propositioned her.”
He sighed. “She doesn’t seem like she’s interested in any guy.”
I snorted. “Just because she turned you down doesn’t mean she’s not interested in anyone.”
“Oh yeah? You think you can get with her?”
I thought back to the day I did her pap smear, the way her thighs had trembled slightly when I touched her, the way her nipples had hardened when I pressed my fingers against her.
“Yeah,” I said. “I do.”
He grinned. “Cocky Cole. A friendly gentleman’s bet, then?”
“Gentleman’s bet? With you?”
“I know, I know, I ain’t no gentleman. Just a regular old bet, then.”
“What on earth could you possibly have to bet that I would want?”
Ben scrunched his face up. “You have a point,” he said. “I might not have anything you want, except maybe... free time.”
I had to give him that. “True. You sure as hell have a lot more free time than I have.”
“So if you win, then I’ll watch Declan for you. I’ll watch him once a week, you can pick when, so long as I’m not working.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Should I even trust you with him?”
“Eh, you know, I’ll make sure he doesn’t play with matches or run out into traffic. That about covers it, right?”
We both laughed. The thing was, I did trust Ben, probably more so than anyone else. In some ways, he was like a big kid himself, and Declan adored him. They’d both have a ball if this bet thing worked in my favor. Which it would, I knew.
“I’m going to need proof, though,” Ben continued. “You know, it can’t just be your word.”
“My word’s not good enough?”
“it is, my man, but you know... a bet like this, some sort of proof is needed. And, I’m giving you a deadline. You have until the end of the summer. Until Labor Day.”
I smirked. “I don’t need the end of the summer.”
“Well, consider me generous, and I’m giving it to you, anyway.”
“And who said chivalry was dead? And hold up—what is it you get if I don’t win? Which isn’t going to happen, by the way, but I’m curious what it
is that you’re looking to get out of this whole thing.”
“Ah...is someone conceding already?”
“No. But if you’re making a bet, it’d be foolish not to know what’s on the line—even if you’re sure that you’re going to win.”
He raised his eyebrows. “That doesn’t make sense,” he said. “If I knew that I was going to win a bet—if I was as certain about it as you seem to be—then I wouldn’t need to know. Because it would be completely irrelevant, since there would be no doubt in my mind that I was going to lose in the first place. So I think it’s fair to say there’s at least a tiny part of you that isn’t 100 percent sure you can win this bet. Which is fine; it shows you’re mortal. And the thing is—after talking to her, I am pretty sure there’s no way in hell you’re going to win this bet. You’re a handsome fucker and all, but I just got a vibe from that chick that makes me think it’s all hands off.”
“I think you missed your calling as a psychologist,” I said. “A relationship expert. You could get one of your own talk shows, like that Dr. Phil guy and whatever his name is that came after him. Audiences of swooning women. They’d eat that shit up.”