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“Yes. Sorry, I just…since the accident I have a hard time with someone else at the wheel.”
Her eyes softened as she exhaled. “Oh right, sorry I didn’t think about…” Her head shook. “Sure. Absolutely.”
She nodded and walked to the passenger’s side of the car. He followed behind and they both reached for the door. He was quicker than she was. He grabbed the door handle first and as he lifted it, her hand landed on top of his.
They both froze at the skin-on-skin contact. He stared down at the innocent connection. Her fingers were slim, and her nails were painted a pale pink shade. The contrast between his tattoo-covered hand and her delicate one was surprisingly erotic.
In that moment, time stood still. Just like it had when they looked into each other’s eyes before he signed the marriage license. Seb was beginning to realize that not all time was created equally. The past six months of his life since the accident had felt longer than the first thirty-six years. They’d dragged on and on. The days had felt like weeks, the months had felt like years.
It was probably only a second or two before her hand dropped, but those two moments were significant ones. They stayed with him. He immediately missed her soft touch and still felt tingles on the back of his hand where her palm had rested.
Fuck. If this was how he felt after an innocent touch, how the hell would he feel if their touches weren’t so innocent?
He couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d overheard Laura say when he stepped out of the bathroom. She’d said she couldn’t believe that he was ‘hot wet crotch guy.’ Which meant Kennedy had told her about meeting him at the rehab center. Which made him wonder what she said and how she’d said it.
Was it just a funny story that happened that she’d shared with her friend? Or was it more than that? Had Kennedy been thinking about their encounter as much as he had?
As he got behind the wheel and drove out of the parking lot, he slowed when he came to the barrier gate.
“So why were you at Well Brook yesterday?” he asked as he slid the ticket she’d handed him when he got into the driver’s seat into the ticket reader.
“I was visiting my grandma.”
“Is she a resident there?” He assumed she was but Well Brook offered both in-patient and outpatient treatment.
“Yeah. She had a heart attack and then a stroke six months ago. She lost the use of one of her legs and developed other complications.”
“I’m sorry.” When Seb heard stories like that, or worse, he felt like a dickhead that he’d been so upset about his injuries. He was one of the lucky seven that walked away from the pile up. He should be grateful to still be alive and have all of his limbs, even if he couldn’t use them the way he used to be able to.
Trying to get his mind off the accident he asked, “Are you two close?”
He’d been really close with his grandpa, and still missed him. Ford had definitely taken over the daily roles of a father, but his grandpa had been the one who taught him to fish, how to change a tire, and other even more important life lessons like treating people with respect, having a good work ethic, and always carrying a handkerchief. That last one had come in handy today.
“Yeah, she pretty much raised me,” Kennedy explained as she leaned down and slid off her high heels before tucking her legs underneath her. Seb did his best to keep his eyes on the road, but the action caused her pencil skirt to hike up past her knees revealing her bare thigh. It wasn’t more than a few inches of bare skin, but his body definitely took notice. His jeans grew a little tighter.
“I mean, my mom was in the picture until I was nine, but even then, Nana did a lot of the heavy lifting,” Kennedy continued, unaware of the effect she was having on him.
He cleared his throat and did his best to not be distracted by her toned legs. “What happened when you were nine?”
“My mom got cancer. A couple years later she died.”
“I’m so sorry. My dad died when I was four. Car accident.”
She exhaled in understanding. “I’m sorry.”
Seb’s shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I was lucky. I had my brothers and Keaton. And my mom was there. She worked a lot so Ford really stepped up. He was only six years older than me, but he really was like a father figure.”
“I could see that about him. He definitely gives off those vibes.”
“Do you know Ford well?” Seb asked. His brother had lived in Whisper Lake for over a year now, but he wasn’t the most social guy. If you googled strong, silent type Seb was sure Ford’s picture would be on the first page.
“I mean, I’ve been around him a lot, I was the one who sold him his house. But I can’t say that I really know him that well. He doesn’t talk much.”
Seb chuckled. “No he doesn’t.”
“But I could see him stepping up like he did. The first time I met him, he just seemed like…I don’t know…like an old soul.”
“Yeah, he is.” Two sharp stabbing pains radiated in his lower back and Seb shifted in his seat to try and alleviate the discomfort. Sitting for long periods of time seemed to aggravate his injury, which did not bode well for him since a normal day of tattooing meant he was sitting down for ten plus hours. Trying to put that out of his head, he focused on the conversation they were having. “I sometimes feel bad for Ford. He had his hands full with me.”
