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Not so much with me. Which is how I prefer it.
Bree rambles on. “And this is Juniper. She’s married to Lee Powell, if you didn’t know.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Juniper says.
The ginger in my arms startles with the newcomers. I tighten my grip and incline my head in Juniper’s direction. “Same.”
An awkward silence expands in the RV, broken only by the rumbling growls of the cat and the steady snip of Cortney’s clippers.
“Are we interrupting something?” Bree asks. The sound of a plastic bag rustling comes from behind me.
“No.” Cortney and I answer at the same time.
My brusque tone probably does nothing to convince her of that fact.
“I can take over if you’d like to get out of here,” Juniper says, moving closer to the exam table.
“I got this one.”
“Are you sure?” she asks again, her tone losing an edge of confidence.
“I got it,” I reply curtly.
Juniper shifts her attention to Cortney, who keeps her focus firmly on her task.
“What’d you bring me?” Cortney asks, changing the subject.
“Only the best Fairview Valley has to offer. Fairview fudge and Grandma Nellie’s homemade cinnamon buns.” Bree rustles around at my back.
Without warning, the cat rolls in my arms and catches my forearm with his back foot.
“Ah, fuck,” I grumble. A streak of red grows on the surface of one of my scars.
“Done! I’m done,” Cortney declares through the commotion. I immediately scruff the cat and slide him into his cage.
“Excellent.” I locate a string of a gauzy material and wrap it around my arm twice to stop the blood. My eyes find hers once I’m done.
“I told you to wear the sleeves,” Cortney mumbles, flitting her eyes away from my stare.
“You’re welcome.”
“Thank you.” Her tone takes on a softer edge.
I want to stay and soak in her presence. But the audience makes me feel as caged as the fluffy orange cat. I can feel their curiosity like a dense fog. A suffocating presence when all I want is fresh air.
Tipping my chin, I nod to Cortney before dragging my gaze through the other women. “You seem to have more than enough hands, so I’ll be on my way. I’ll be at the shop at five if you want me to take a look at your car when you’re finished here.”
A cloud of confusion in Cortney’s eyes quickly dissipates as understanding sets in. A veiled invitation. “Right. I’ll come right over so you don’t have to wait.”
“I’ll see you later then.” With one last nod to the group, I make my way outside into the afternoon sun.
By the time I return to the racetrack, I’m sweating. My chest is tight. My quads and hamstrings ache with the need to turn around and go back to her. As I grab a beer from Tony’s cooler, I wonder if she knows this pull she has over me. That the moment I sat down beside her three weeks ago, my life was irrevocably changed.
For months, I didn’t know how I was going to make it through healing from the fire. There were dark times that I didn’t even know if I wanted to. I was alone and dreading every second of what the unknown future held.
Three weeks ago, that all changed.
That fire might end up being the catalyst to the best thing that ever happened to me.
