Rich knew they had to stop, but he didn’t want to. He finally mustered enough strength to pry his lips from Olly’s. “Sandy,” he croaked into the soft skin of Olly’s neck.
“I know. And neighbors,” Olly replied with an unhappy sigh. He pushed at Rich’s chest. “Better stop, or we’ll be caught.”
Rich reluctantly let Olly climb off his lap and slide a safe distance from him. Safer, anyway. He had to adjust himself. “I really don’t want a boner with my sister around,” he admitted. To be honest, he was weirded out by his own reaction to Olly’s proximity, but tried to hide it.
Olly chuckled. “Yeah, me neither. Think unsexy thoughts. Big, hairy German tourists in Speedos. Eating ice cream.”
“Now, don’t have to go overboard.” Rich was grateful for Olly joking the tension away. “You work hard,” he said to steer the conversation further away from choppy waters.
“For a skinny runt?” Olly asked with a self-deprecating smile.
“I wouldn’t say runt.” Olly was on the slender side, but not runty at all. Not by a mile.
“Working at FTP builds strength. Lots of lifting crates and boxes, stacking and unstacking. I’m saving a fortune in gym membership.”
Olly’s job didn’t quite make sense to Rich. “I’m sure you could get an easier gig somewhere. One of those fancy boutiques maybe?”
Olly made a disdainful sound. “Oh, hell no. Those places pay shit and keep you part time just so they don’t have to give you benefits. I work thirty hours a week at FTP and still get top-notch health insurance, including dental and a 401K. You can’t beat that. And the pay’s good too.”
“You’re awful sensible for someone your age.”
Olly stretched, and his shirt rode up, flashing a strip of his stomach at Rich. “My friend Jem thinks it’s my way of rebelling against my flaky parents. He might have a point. I love my parents, but they drive me nuts. Have you ever had a rebellious phase?”
Rich tore his gaze from Olly’s tattoo. “Nah. I’ve always been the dutiful son.”
“What did you want to be when you were little? Very little.”
Rich rummaged around his dusty memories. “Fireman.” The recollection surprised him a little. “I’ve totally forgotten.”
Olly stopped stretching, thank God. “I could see it. Although, with your coloring, you’d fit better in forest service. Like a park ranger.” His expression turned more serious. “When you’re done here, are you going to return to banking?”
“No firm would touch me with a ten-foot pole,” Rich said.
“I don’t know shit about business, but I bet if you really wanted, you could’ve found another stuffy job someplace or other. I think you want to get away.”
“You’re right.” Rich paused before adding, “You don’t know shit about business.”
Olly didn’t seem convinced. “Hah! Do you want to go back?”
Rich didn’t have to think long about it. “Nah. I don’t think so.”
“Good. I’ve always thought you looked like a prick in a suit and tie.” Sandy appeared at the bottom of the porch, holding a tray of cups.
Rich had been so absorbed in the exchange with Olly, he hadn’t noticed her come around the corner. “Easy for you to say,” he said to her. “I still need to figure out what to do for a living.”
She climbed the steps and doled out the coffees. “It’ll work out. You could be my manager,” she suggested.
Rich groaned. “No way. And don’t you have one already?”
“I have an agent. It’s not the same.” She squeezed her behind onto the sofa, next to Rich, opposite from Olly. “Move over, fat ass.” She shoved him closer to Olly.
They sipped their ice coffees and ate Olly’s morning pastries for an early lunch, straight out of the bakery box, wiping their greasy fingers on their jeans. The rest of the day was spent applying three layers of polyurethane on the floors with two-hour breaks in between. They killed time between topcoats chatting, mostly Sandy sharing Hollywood gossip. Rich had only seen her for short, hurried visits for years, so it was like catching up.
Olly had entertaining stories of his own—for example about the so-called witch who’d given him the charm he was always wearing, and another one about a friend of his who supposedly had been cursed by a meter maid. Rich decided LA was full of wackos. Big surprise.
They opened the window to the master bath and put a box on either side for easier climbing in and out. This way they didn’t have to make a coffee run every time one of them had to take a whiz.