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Abuela’s eyes went shimmery with amusement. “Do you want more cookies, Harleigh?”
Harleigh shook her head and sighed. “No. I have to be going, anyway.”
I took a sip of my coffee and studied her.
While she spoke with my grandmother, I finished off my food, then took my time on the coffee.
“Shame,” Abuela said. “My grandbabies are on their way in. I know that Astrid would’ve liked seeing you again.”
Harleigh smiled. “I have to go into work tonight, or I would totally stay. But I’ll be back tomorrow!”
Abuela smiled, then walked to the display case and pulled out one more cookie.
“For tonight when you get tired of all those jerks you work with,” my grandmother declared.
Harleigh smiled and took the cookie. “You’re too good to me.”
They shared a secret smile. A smile that slid off of Harleigh’s face when she saw me staring at her.
“Anyway,” she said softly, peeling her eyes away from mine. “Y’all have a good night.”
With that, she walked out and didn’t look back.
It was only when the silence went on for too long that I realized that I’d watched her walk out the door, and my grandmother had watched me watch her.
“You go there,” my grandmother said. “And you’ll get burned like you did with that other girl.”
I made a face.
That other girl meaning the girl that I dated in high school. The one that I’d loved to hate there in the beginning.
She’d gone off to college and broken my heart while I’d stayed here and shouldered responsibilities that I never should have had to do at that young of an age.
I should’ve been able to go to college, too.
Should’ve gotten to use that college football scholarship instead of staying home and being forced to work in the family cleaning business.
Should’ve…could’ve…but didn’t.
“Whatever.”
My grandmother laughed just as the bottom of the sky opened up and it began to rain.
“Shit,” I muttered darkly.
“Better go,” my grandmother urged. “It’s not supposed to stop until next week. April showers bring May flowers.”
I rolled my eyes. “Abuela, it’s only February.”
She shrugged. “Whatever.”
Her use of ‘whatever’ was amusing to say the least.
After giving her a quick hug and stealing a cupcake, I headed for the doors.
After eating the cupcake in two quick bites, I threw the trash into the trashcan by the door, gave one final wave, and headed out into the wetness.
Luckily it wasn’t as cold as it had been the last couple of weeks.
Today it was balmy and seventy-five degrees, meaning that spring in Texas had well and truly begun, even though the calendar indicated we had six more weeks of winter to go.
See, weather in Texas did its own thing. It didn’t follow the rules all the other states followed.
The rain, however, was quite cold as it saturated my t-shirt.
After fumbling with my phone in my pocket, I shoved it into the saddlebags of my bike before getting on and starting it up.
It was only as I was a half a block down the road that I realized that Harleigh was carless.
I passed her two blocks down from the bakery, and she was already soaked to the bone.
I pulled over and called out to her.
“Get on.”
Harleigh made a face.
“I think not.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re wearing suede boots. You allow water to get into the liner, and you might as well throw those bad boys away.”
Harleigh looked down at her grey Ugg boots, then sighed.
I’d tried not to pay attention to her outfit, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.
She had on black leggings, a black long-sleeved t-shirt that had ‘Rogue’ across the breast, and her grey Ugg boots to finish off the ensemble.
Her hair was once again plaited down each side in piggy tails, and it took everything I had not to reach out and tug one.
God, what the fuck was wrong with me?
“Ugh,” she grumbled. “Fine.”
I scooted farther up the seat to allow her room to get on seeing as I didn’t have a seat for an extra person, then grinned when she mounted behind me as if she’d done it every day for her entire life.
Which, knowing who her father was, she probably had.
Idly I wondered if she knew how to drive a motorcycle but decided now wasn’t the time to be asking her that.
“Ready?” I asked.
She hesitantly put her arms around me, and I rolled my eyes.
“Tighter, Princess,” I teased. “Or you’ll fall off when I take the first turn.”
She tightened her hold, and I decided that was likely good enough.
Any tighter and I’d be thinking about the things pressed against me and not the road.
Using my thighs to level the bike, I levered the kickstand up I had no memory of placing down, then started off.
The rain was pelting me in the face and neck, hitting me so hard that I could feel the stings burning each time one hit me.
