Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
Now, on my way to Sunny Pines, where Rachel was, all I could think about was Tyler and prom night. The only thing making things better was the fact that I would be getting bougie coffee from their local shop.
Once I got to the address Rach had given me, I had to do a double take at the house I was parked at.
Nice didn’t begin to cover it.
I grew up in Oakhill and went to school in Willow Grove, so I had never been around opulence. Even if someone was well off you couldn’t tell from their houses. That was not the case here. Sunny Pines had money, that much was obvious now.
My mom did mention that the Dunnetts were responsible for most of the town’s growth. When I got out of my car, I knocked on the door, and Rachel opened it.
“Thank you so much for coming. I didn’t know who else to call,” she told me.
“Dude, what are friends for? Don’t worry about it.” I waved her off as I stepped inside.
An old man was sitting down on one of the love couches. He wasn’t ugly, but he seemed like he had better days.
I turned to look at Rachel.
“Is that your sugar daddy? I mean, he’s not what I would have envisioned, but his house is dope.”
If he didn’t have the face card, at least he had the pockets to meet sugar daddy requirements.
“Astrid,” Rachel scolded me.
I put my hand up in mock surrender.
She walked into the living room and motioned me to follow her.
“Paul, this is Astrid, my friend. Astrid, this is Paul, my ex-father-in-law.”
Well, that made more sense. Rachel said she was divorced, and if she belonged to this family, she probably did okay with her spousal support. Not that it mattered as she still had a good job, but it made me feel better that I didn’t have my shit together like her.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” I told him, and he nodded almost like he was embarrassed.
Rachel took me into the kitchen and explained what she wanted me to get from town.
“I would do it, but I don’t want to leave him alone,” she said, but I felt like she was hiding something.
“It’s all good. I don’t mind. What do you want from Emma’s? I’m thinking I want something caramel, but a part of me also feels guilty because of the calories.”
“Whatever is fine with me,” she told me. “I’m sorry for pulling you away on a Friday night.”
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t doing anything exciting.”
I ran all over town, getting everything on Rachel’s list. It seemed like she would be meal-prepping for her ex-father-in-law. Just as I was pulling up into the coffee shop, my backstabbing car informed me I needed an oil change.
Seriously, did Tyler jinx me?
There was no way I could show up there and ask for an oil change. I didn’t know his work schedule, and even if I went while he wasn’t there, I was sure his brother would narc on me.
First coffee, and then I can attempt to take on all my problems.
The place looked the same as the last time I came here. I looked at the wall, and I saw they had a ‘quote of the day’, and I wondered if that was something that always happened or if it was new.
We were just friends that spoke like lovers, and that seemed to be enough for two teenagers who were scared to love one another.
That was not what I needed to see, especially today. What kind of voodoo nonsense was going on here? Did they have contact with the girl at the crystal shop?
I slowly pinched myself, but sadly, I wasn’t dreaming.
Drinks in hand, I was ready to leave, and that’s when I bumped into the cop guy who gave us a ride home the other night. I almost blamed him for ending up at Ty’s house, but that was no one’s fault but my own.
As soon as I turned my car on, that stupid light telling me I needed my oil changed came back on.
Don’t do it.
Don’t do it.
Don’t do it.
I knew where the Haywards’ auto shop was located because I’d accompanied Tyler to drop off a few cars there back in the day. Since we are closer to the nearest city, when people from Sunny Pines need a tow they got Kanes’ Auto to bring it over.
I’m sorry, Rach.
By the time I finished, her iced coffee would have been a bit melted. At least she didn’t seem as excited as I was to get one, which made me feel better.
Perhaps I should have dropped off the groceries back at Rachel’s ex-father-in-law’s house, but if I had done that, I wouldn’t have been getting my oil changed, and if I knew Ty, he would be asking me about it soon.
So, I made my way to Haywards’ Garage. Once there, I parked. I got out of the car and made my way toward the counter. The guy there was looking at the computer. He had tousled light brown hair, from what I could see, and his side profile was striking.
“Hello, I hope I’m not too late. I’d like to get an oil change,” I told him, going for extra sweet, because why not?
He looked down at his watch. It was close to nine, but there was plenty of time for him to give me an oil change.
“Sure, I can do it. Have you been here before?” he asked without looking at me.
“Nope.”
“Name and car model?”
“Astrid Hart—” I barely got my name out when he turned to look at me.
Okay, yes, for an older guy, he was hot.
“Civic?” he asked.
All I could do was nod. Was he a psychic or something?
“Sorry, can’t do,” he said, not sounding sorry at all.
I felt my stomach twist in knots, wondering what the hell I had done to warrant me getting denied service at an establishment.
“Why?” I whispered.
“Tyler Kane called me a few days ago. Said he was doing work on it, and he didn’t want anyone else’s hands all over his stuff.”
My mouth dropped open. The guy looked like he was fighting off a smile.
“You can’t be serious?” I asked in disbelief.
This time, he did smile.
“For some free towing, I sure can.”
“That’s unethical,” I told him, aware I was fighting with the wrong person.
“Tell Tyler, Russel said thank you,” he told me.
Feeling dismissed, I huffed and then stomped back to my car, and I swear I could hear the guy chuckling behind me.
I processed what he said as I drove back to Rachel. While I helped her prep food, I started to get angry. How dare he blacklist me from getting my car serviced elsewhere?
Fucker.
He knew me damn well, and he knew I would run.
“Don’t you get tired of running?
Augh.
I wasn’t the only one unusually quiet while we meal-prepped. I guess I wasn’t the only one lost in my own head.
Once that was done, I drove back home. Now that I had nothing but the open road, all I could think about was my conversation with Tyler.
He had anticipated my next move and had prepared for it.
I should have gone home.
I should have never taken any sort of action when I was thinking this rashly. When I passed by the Kanes’ auto shop, I noticed his truck was outside. I was assuming that was his since Adam’s had been white and this one was black.
I couldn’t help but notice it was the same model, and if I wasn’t pissed at him I might have found it cute that they had matching cars.
After parking my car, I got out, not bothering to turn it off. This would not take long. It was already dark out, but the streetlight in front of the shop illuminated the small parking area.
There wasn’t anyone waiting around this time of night. No one was on the counter either. That nostalgic feeling came back, but I ignored it. This had been like a second home to me. I spent so many days just watching Ty work on cars. I should have known then that I was falling in love with him.
A small bell was on the corner so customers could alert the Kanes that someone was waiting for them.
I started to tap it furiously. A few moments later, Tyler walked out.
He was still wearing what he had on earlier, except he had thrown the auto shop button-up over his shirt, but the buttons were open.
“You blacklisted me,” I spat as I took a step forward.
“What?” He acted dumb.
“I went to get my oil changed at Haywards’ shop in Sunny Pines and they refused to do it!”
At this, he started to smile.
“It’s not funny! You can’t do shit like that!”
He took a step closer to me, and that grin was gone, and his green eyes were dark, and the look he was giving me had my stomach doing somersaults.
“You know, beautiful. At first, I was angry. This attitude you keep throwing my way pissed me off…” He took another step toward me, and just as I wanted to take another back, he reached out and put his hands on my hips, stopping me from moving. “…I never expect it would get me fucking hard.”
No words came out. Not when I could see Tyler had bent his head so he could be at eye level with me.
Not when I could smell the lingering scent of the cologne he put on this morning.
Instead, I let myself feel. The way his fingers tightened around my hips as if he were scared I would try to leave.
The way his eyelashes fluttered against my cheeks.
Or how I felt his breath glide down my nose toward my lips.
My heart was beating wildly. The poor thing was probably scared it had tachycardia by the way my emotions had been all over the place since coming back to town.
Tyler tipped my chin up, and our gazes locked. It was scary to be in this position, especially after wanting this for so long, but at the same time, it felt right—like this was where I belonged.
“I should have done this all along,” he murmured against my lips.
Before I could say anything or think better of it, Tyler Kane kissed me. He kissed me like the years between us had never passed. He kissed me like I had never been forbidden. He kissed me like a few kisses between friends wouldn’t change anything.
And I wondered why we had not even attempted this at all.
This kiss was nothing like I imagined it—it was better yet worse. Because at the end of the day, I still ended up hurt.
“Tyler.” I managed to say his name.
He pulled back, his chest moving up and down as if that kiss had taken a lot from him.
“You finally said my name, beautiful.”
He wasn’t gloating. His hands moved from my waist, sliding upward until they cupped my cheeks.
I didn’t know what to do.
I wanted to stay in this position, but I knew I shouldn’t when my mind was too confused.
“Tyler,” I said again because, it seemed like, it was the only word I could speak.
“What is it, beautiful?” His tone was mellow and his eyes soft.
It was too much.
It was like being given your favorite dessert after having the sourest taste in your mouth.
“I have to go,” I whispered as I pushed back and ran to my car, glad I had left it on.