When Mari walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later, I had to look away before my arms reached out to grab her and hold her to me. Seeing her in a favorite tee and a pair of my shorts made my heart flip and my stomach hurt. I longed to touch her all over and check for any damage. I wanted to strip her and kiss every inch of her body to make sure she was okay. I wanted to take any pain away and replace it with pleasure.
There was no doubt in my mind I had developed feelings for Mari. Feelings much deeper than shallow attraction.
I had cornered her in the basement, and the memory of what I had been about to do flooded me as the iceberg of adrenaline melted away. I’d almost kissed her.
This attraction to her was the last thing she wanted. Another “disappointing person” in her life. If ever there was a man to ultimately let her down, it was me.
She slumped into a chair and collected her long hair over one shoulder. She deftly braided and tied it off with a band from around her wrist.
“Sorry about all that”—she thumbed with minimal enthusiasm toward outside—“almost getting myself killed nonsense.”
“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice still shaky.
The floor creaked above our heads, where Janice moved around upstairs.
“Yeah. I reacted without thinking. Very on brand for me. It felt very important to move my car at the moment.”
“To be fair, it did get crushed by a giant branch. Maybe that was the rush?”
She smiled, but it faded away quickly. “Yeah, but thanks to you,Iwasn’t crushed. Sorry for beating you up for it.”
“I’ve managed worse. Was anything important in there?” I had a weird burst of post-adrenaline panic at the realization we had been minutes away from putting the drum kit in there. So maybe it had been a good thing I couldn’t keep myself away from her? In the game of what-ifs, it was very easy to win whatever side you wanted.
“No, actually. Not really.” She tossed her braid over her shoulder and sat up straighter. “It’s not the car. The car is whatever. I have insurance. But this is just another thing I don’t have time for.” Her fingertips went to her temples to rub circles. “It’s another way for the system to beat me down. The car is my independence and my way to help Cath. It’s really starting to feel like something is out to get me. It was a freak accident, yet it feels like a sign.” She stood, arms punching down in determination. “Okay. Enough. I need a plan. The Winstons will likely have a loaner I can use while this gets fixed.”
Just like that, she’d shaken off her near-death experience. Maybe she should process it before she got to work, but she was ready to go.
“Pishposh. You can borrow ours,” Janice said, appearing out of nowhere.
Or maybe I’d been too ensconced in watching how Mari moved in my clothing. Either way, I jumped when Janice had reappeared magically at my side.
“You mean the one car I’m already sharing with you?” I asked.
I could not possibly risk any more time with Mari. My feelings for her were growing too quickly, so any alone time needed to be avoided at all costs. How hard could that be? She was busy, and I was a hermit. I had not agreed to spend time with Mari. A few months to help out Cath and come out on the other side unscathed. That was the new plan. Even if part of me thought the new plan was shitty and just hovering around what I actually wanted.
“Who’s sharing with whom?” Janice asked, crossing her arms. “And anyway, where do you suddenly have to be?”
I opened my mouth to argue, but she had a solid point.
“Though it does remind me. I don’t have anybody else insured except us two.” My mother patted my head. “Looks like you’ll be driving her around.”
Mari and I both started to object at the same time. I turned to her. Wait, why was she objecting?
Oh, right, being escorted around by the town’s biggest disappointment.
“What about you, Janice? We can’t even use the car until this is all cleaned up, it’s currently blocked by the remnants of the tree.”
“Actually. The car isnotin the garage.” Janice made a scene of cleaning up the spotless counter. “I had a friend drive me home. When I started not to feel good.” I carefully did not look at Mari, already sure what look I’d find. That look that sounded likemm-hmm. This was most definitely the same friend that was either still upstairs or had snuck out when we were in the basement. “And I can always get a ride from the bunco ladies as I need. Or walk. It’s good for me.”
I suspected this same friend would be driving her around, and she was all too happy to have the ready excuse to spend more time with them.
“I couldn’t. And it’s fine. Like I said, the Winstons will have a rental.” Mari nodded, determined.
Weirdly, the more determined she was not to let me drive her, the more I felt like insisting I didn’t mind.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said.
“It is more than you think. I have to be at school by six thirty for zero hour.”
