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I look over my shoulder to find Penelope standing in the exact same spot. She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable about something, but before I can ask her what’s wrong, Penelope says softly, “I need my cane.”
“Shit, I’m sorry.” Quickly, I go back to the bike, popping open the storage compartment and pulling out her white cane, handing it to her. “Here you go.”
I watch as she unfolds it, her body relaxing instantly, and that smile returns back to her lips. “Okay, where to?”
I give her directions to the building. This place is slightly secluded from the main road, and the first time I saw it, I thought it was some kind of storage unit or something. But only on a closer inspection did I realize it’s a game center.
A few people give Birdy curious glances as I hold the door open for her, the noises from the inside assaulting us all at once. She jumps a little when a loudbangcomes from down the hallway, so I place my hand on the small of her back.
“It’s just a bowling alley.”
“They have a bowling alley?”
“Yes, they actually have a few different things here.”
“And out of all the things we could do here, you want to take me ax-throwing?” she asks, the sarcasm dripping from her tone.
“It’s the most fun one!” I protest as we come to a stop in front of the counter, and I turn to the attendant.
“Hey guys, what can I do for you?” the guy asks, the expression of complete disinterest changing the moment his eyes land on Birdy.
Seriously? Does he not see that we’re here together?
My fingers clench by my side as I glare at the guy under the brim of the ball cap I put on the moment I took off my helmet, not wanting to be recognized. I guess I didn’t have to worry. And yes, I’d rather have the guy’s eyes on me than see them glued to her.
I clear my throat loudly as I step closer to Penelope and cross my arms over my chest.
“One lane for ax throwing,” I say, my eyes narrowing on the guy.
His cheeks flush in embarrassment at being caught gawking, but he nods his head, and his attention shifts to his computer.
It was about fucking time.
He clicks away on the keyboard for a moment. “Lane five is empty.”
“Great, we’ll take that one.” I pull out my wallet from my leather jacket, take out a few bills and hand them to the guy.
“Oh, let me—”
I place my hand over hers. “Don’t you even think about it.”
“But…”
“This was my idea. Now be a good girl and put that away.”
If eyes could kill, I’d be a dead man, but instead of saying anything, she presses her lips together.
The guy finishes ringing us up and grabs the axes from the storage behind the counter before leading us toward our lane, where he shows us how to throw the ax properly and tells us about the safety precautions.
“Do you want to try it?” he asks, his attention shifting to Penelope.
Before she can answer, I grab the ax out of his hand. “We’ve got it, buddy, but thanks.”
“Okay, if you need anything, just holler.”
It’ll be a cold day in hell before that happens, but I don’t bother pointing it out. My free hand slips to Birdy’s waist as I give her a little push toward the lane as the guy finally leaves us in peace.
“About damn time,” I mutter.
