Page 14 of Love in Overdrive

Chapter 6

Laney snuggled under the warmth of the covers a minute longer. She sighed at the lovely dream. Too bad she had to leave it.

Snatching her phone off the side table, she turned off the alarm. She braced for the rush of cold air sure to hit her and flung off the covers.

Brrr. Nope. Not yet.

She burrowed back under the mountain of blankets. She could linger a couple more minutes, just to let the furnace kick in. Blowing out a breath, she unlocked her phone. No new messages.

“Stupid. Stupid.” She banged her head against her pillow. Stop checking your phone. Why did she let herself believe in his broad shoulders and sexy brown eyes?

Don’t forget the long legs.

How could she forget? If she closed her eyes, she could still feel them brushing against her thighs.

Ugh. She flung an arm over her face. She should wipe him from her mind, but… she'd felt the connection.

She peeked at her phone. He could still call. Don’t guys have some silly three-day rule?

She snorted. It was more likely he found someone he liked better that night to warm his bed.

Seriously, she was giving this guy too much head space. She threw off the covers and stood. A shiver ran down her body as she bolted for the shower.

An hour later, Laney stood in the entry eyeing her boots. The kitten heel ones matched her outfit. Hand extended, she paused. A quick glance at the weather app told her the high today would be fourteen. She sighed. Her car’s heater wasn’t working. She could handle the cold for the short drive, but they had outdoor playtime today. That clinched it. She grabbed her subzero-rated boots and left the fashionable ones on the rack.

She shoved her feet in the boots and opened the door before she remembered to grab her flats and shove them in her bag. The last thing she wanted was to wear her big boots in the building all day.

The drive to work was beautiful—what Laney could see of it through her frosted-up windshield. A light dusting of fresh snow covered the ice on the road, and the streets were quiet. A lone jogger braved the cold.

Pulling into the Tot Time parking lot, she smiled at the circular tire tracks. Marti was here.

“It’s almost spring. It’s almost spring,” Laney muttered as she climbed out, grabbed her bag, and trudged across the parking lot.

She stopped in the office to hang up her things and change her boots.

Making her way into the main room, she paused. Red and pink hearts still hung from the ceiling. The children’s cubbies were all decorated from the holiday party on Friday. The gaping hole in her chest wanted to burn all the cheery, lovey-dovey stuff. For a brief moment this weekend, she thought that might change, but no. She was her own Valentine. Party of one. On the bright side, it was over. She’d made it through her first Valentine’s Day in over a decade without Pete.

The click of heels echoed down the hall. Laney couldn’t see her friend’s face over the box of painting supplies in her arms, but between the colorful sweater and four-inch heels, it was a dead giveaway it was Marti. She owed flats or athletic shoes, but Laney's friend would take any boost to her five-foot height she could get.

“Hey, girl. Good morning.” She set the box on the counter and fluffed her dark curls.

“What’s good about it?”

“Boy, aren’t you a happy camper this morning.” Sarcasm dripped with every word Marti spoke, but her smile was genuine. “What’s got your undies in a bunch this morning?”

“My car. The heater’s gone out, and I can’t afford to fix it right now. I’m afraid it might be above Sawyer’s technical skill level.” The car wasn’t all of it. But she didn’t want to rehash her disappointing love life minutes before the little ones showed up.

“That guy didn’t call, did he?” Marti’s mouth turned down.

“How…?”

“Addison and I went shoe shopping yesterday. I’m sorry, honey. But the good news is you are ready to date again.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Sure you are. I mean, do we need a man in our lives? No. But they do come in handy. You know, for things like shoveling and car maintenance, among other stuff.” Marti winked.

Laney shook her head. Like she could order the perfect guy online and have him delivered through one of those apps. Oh, there were apps for hookups, but no one-click soulmate apps or build-a-dream-boyfriend apps.