Pros & Cons by Sydney Logan

the groceries. I manage not to laugh when I see him pull out a small pharmacy bag and hide it in his jacket. I walk over to the fridge, and suddenly, Ethan grabs me by the waist and lowers his head, burying his face against my neck. It’s just a soft kiss, but it’s enough to cause goosebumps to erupt on my flesh.
    “Oh, they’re cute,” Minnie says. “Aren’t they cute, Joe?”
    “They are, indeed.”
    With a grin, Ethan heads back over to the pile of groceries. He pulls a bottle of detergent out of one of the bags.
    “Have I . . . um . . . shown you the laundry room?”
    Minnie knows I started laundry, but I play along, anyway.
    “No, I think you skipped that room during the grand tour.”
    He reaches for my hand and pulls me to the small utility room just off the kitchen. After kicking the door shut, he grabs me by the waist and lifts me into the air. I laugh when he sits me down on top of the washer.
    “Hi, there,” Ethan says.
    “Hey.”
    He leans in, kissing me softly.
    “I take it your trip was successful?”
    Ethan pulls the bag out of his pocket, and I sneak a peek inside.
    “Wow, that’s . . . a lot of boxes. A little optimistic, aren’t you?”
    “I’ll never be unprepared again.”
    “Speaking of prepared,” I say, just as the washer changes to a different cycle. I grip his shoulders. Holy crap, the vibration. “Umm . . . what was I saying?”
    He laughs and nuzzles my nose. “Enjoying the spin cycle there, York?”
    Wow.
    “Are you wearing my shirt?”
    “Maybe.”
    He slips his hands beneath the cotton. “You look good in it. You’d look better out of it. Take it off immediately.”
    “Are you insane? Minnie and Joe are in the kitchen.”
    “So?”
    “No!”
    Ethan groans against my neck.
    “Later.”
    “Promise?”
    I nod. Seemingly content, Ethan gently lowers me to the floor.
    “We’re being really rude to Minnie and Joe.”
    He sighs but nods in agreement. Reaching for my hand, he leads me back out into the kitchen. Minnie and Joe aren’t there, but there’s a note on the fridge, telling us our lasagna is on the top shelf. There’s a big smiley face at the bottom, along with Minnie’s name.
    “You know what that smiley means, don’t you?”
    Ethan grins. “It means Minnie knows. Does that bother you?”
    I shake my head. Weirdly enough, it doesn’t bother me at all
     

     
    The rest of the afternoon is awkward, and I’m not entirely sure why. After lunch, we discuss the deal with Stavros. Neither of us is particularly thrilled with the idea, but when I tell him our partners are now engaged, he thinks this could be their final job. Our last heist together might as well be an easy one.
    “Do you ever think about it?” I ask. We’re sitting on his front porch, drinking lemonade.
    “Think about what?”
    “Getting out.”
    Ethan gazes out at the mountains. “Sometimes. Especially when I go home and my parents give me a hard time. I don’t like worrying them.”
    “My dad was really weird this time. He’s never been happy with the way I live my life, but something was different. Almost like he knew something I didn’t. It was just odd.”
    Later in the evening—after Minnie and Joe have come and gone—Ethan gets a call from Coop. Stavros is eager to get started and wants an answer. If we’re in, we have to leave Tennessee . . . tonight.
    It’s this part of the plan that upsets Ethan. I’m not happy about it, either.
    I don’t know what I’d been expecting on this little vacation, but I certainly didn’t plan on falling in love with this house. And I definitely hadn’t planned on wanting to spend more time with the house’s owner. I’m happy here. How long has it been since I’ve been able to say that?
    And I’m not ready to say goodbye to any of it.
    If his mood is any indication, neither is Ethan.
    “I can’t believe Stavros! What’s his damn hurry? I hate the man, anyway. I don’t want to do this. Why are we doing this again?”
    I’m about