Page 33 of Throttle Therapy

“Then let’s get you home.”He started the bike, waited until she’d wrapped her arms around his middle and pressed herself tight against his back, then cranked the throttle and off they went.

Chapter Eighteen

Jennacheckedthewindow,then turned and took another sip of her coffee as she watched Lacey finish shoveling oatmeal into her mouth.

“If you don’t slow down you’re going to choke yourself,” Jenna warned.

Lacey shrugged.“I’m in a hurry.I want to get to school and see Riley.”

“Choking on your food won’t get you there any faster.”She turned and looked out the window again.She didn’t know why she kept checking, he wasn’t supposed to be here for another ten minutes.But she’d finished dressing and doing everything she could think of to make a good impression and now she was stuck waiting.

“Are you impatient to get to the new job or impatient to see your big muscle man again?”Lacey asked, a sly grin on her face.

“He’s not mine.He’s just being nice.”Jenna’s face heated but she ignored it.

The last thing she needed was to encourage her sister.Then the kid would never stop teasing her about Roadkill.And the last thing she wanted was for her to say something in front of him.She knew, if that happened, she would want to melt into the floor with embarrassment.

“Uh, huh.That’s why you’re checking the window every ten seconds to see if he’s here yet.”

“No.I’m checking every little bit because he’s doing us a favor and I don’t want to make him wait.That would be rude.”

“Uh huh.”Lacey finished her oatmeal, took her bowl to the sink, and washed it before heading to her room.

A squeal outside made her twist around and check the window again.In the yard sat a dark gray four door pickup she didn’t recognize, a closer look at the driver proved it was Roadkill.

“He’s here, get a move on!”Jenna shouted.She drained her coffee and set the mug in the sink, then grabbed her purse, slung it over her shoulder, and stood tapping her toe while she waited for her sister.A few seconds later, Lacey hustled out of her room, her backpack flung over one shoulder.

“I had to get my phone.Don’t forget to call about me riding the bus to the shop.”

Jenna opened the door and held it while her sister went out then turned the lock and closed it behind herself.She paused only long enough to make sure it had latched then followed her sister down the stairs and to the truck.

“Thanks so much for this,” Jenna said as soon as she opened the door.“Hopefully they can look at the car today and get it fixed for me.”

“I can ride the bus to school, if I need to,” Lacey put in.

“I know you can, Lace, but you have to get up so much earlier to make the bus.I hate that.”

“No big deal, darlin’,” Roadkill said as he watched her get settled.She noticed he watched Lacey in the rear view, and hoped he was making sure she was buckling up.“Buckled up back there?”he asked as soon as Jenna’s seat belt clicked into place.

“Yes, sir.”

“No more of that,” he growled as he put the truck in reverse and backed out of the driveway.

“What?”Jenna asked with a frown.

“No more siring me.Call me Roadkill.”

“Um,” Lacey said behind her.“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, squirt.I’m sure.Makes me nervous when someone calls me sir.I’m afraid I’ll have to start making decisions.”

“But Roadkill?Are you sure you don’t want me to just use your name?”Lacey sounded unsure.“I can call you Mr.Roadkill if you want?It just seems, I don’t know… disrespectful.”

“Mr.Roadkill?No.Just no.”He pulled up to the red light at the highway and stopped.

Jenna watched Roadkill.“What branch did you serve in?”she asked after a moment.

He glanced at her, then to the road, then back to her for a moment.“Marines.How did you know?”