Chapter 6
Six
T he blaring alarm cut through Evelyn’s restless sleep, dragging her into consciousness.
She groaned, rolling over to squint at the red numbers flashing on her clock.
Seven A.M. For a moment, she lay there, staring at the ceiling, her body heavy with exhaustion.
She had barely slept, her mind replaying the night before in an endless loop.
Jo’s sexy smile, how her hands felt on Evelyn’s waist, the warmth of her breath against Evelyn’s skin.
And then, of course, the way Evelyn had run.
She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the memories away.
It doesn’t matter , she thought. It’s over .
With a sigh, she forced herself to sit, rubbing her hands over her face.
She had a plan. A distraction. Work. It was Saturday, but that didn’t matter.
She was already behind on a project at the research facility, and if she was going to spend the day overanalyzing everything anyway, she might as well be productive while doing it.
As she swung her legs over the side of the bed, her phone buzzed on the nightstand.
She grabbed it without thinking, feeling a ridiculous flicker of hope that it might be Jo.
But that would be impossible, she thought.
We didn’t exchange phone numbers, not that I’d dare text her after what I did.
She looked at the screen and saw it was one of her best friends, Brooke.
Evelyn sighed and answered, putting the phone on speaker as she padded toward the bathroom.
“Morning, birthday girl,” Brooke’s voice rang through the room, far too cheerful for this hour. “Pretty sure I saw you do a tequila shot last night at the bar. How’s your head? And more importantly, how is your new friend?”
Evelyn groaned, turning on the sink and splashing cold water over her face. “It’s too early for this.”
“Oh, so something happened,” Brooke teased. “Come on, spill. Don’t tell me you didn’t leave with your tall, dark, handsome stranger. Clearly, she was into you.” She laughed. “And you better not tell me you only went for a friendly midnight stroll.”
Evelyn pressed a towel to her face. She still felt the ghost of Jo’s fingertips brushing against her skin, the way her voice had softened when she asked, “Are you okay?” Evelyn swallowed hard. “Yes,” she answered. “I left with her. With Jo.”
“Ohhh,” Brooke said, drawing out the word. “I’m shocked but so happy for you. I want more details.”
With a sigh, Evelyn leaned against the counter. “We went for a ride on her motorcycle,” she said. “To her house.”
There was a long pause on the phone, and Evelyn checked the screen to see if Brooke was still there. “Oh my God,” Brooke finally said. “Now that is some birthday present. Is this new friend, Jo, a good kisser?”
Closing her eyes, Evelyn thought of Jo’s lips, so full and warm, on hers and felt a twist of regret in her stomach. “I left her place before anything happened,” she blurted. “In an Uber. Pretty much without saying goodbye.”
There was another pause, and Evelyn braced herself for what her best friend might say next.
“Wait, you left?” Brooke sounded genuinely shocked.
“Like, ran?” Evelyn winced. She hated how easily her best friend could read her, even over the phone.
“I didn’t run exactly,” she muttered, stepping into her bedroom and pulling open her closet. “I simply wasn’t ready.”
“But you really like her, don’t you?” she asked in a softer voice.
Evelyn froze. Do I? she thought. Images of Jo flashed in her mind.
Her smile. The way she looked at Evelyn like she was something worth paying attention to.
The way she made Evelyn feel wanted. Yes .
I liked her . More than I am ready to admit.
“It doesn’t matter,” Evelyn said finally, pulling a pair of navy blue slacks off the hanger and laying them on the bed. “She probably thinks I’m ridiculous.”
“Or maybe she doesn’t,” Brooke countered. “You could text her. Call her and explain.”
Evelyn let out a bitter laugh. “I can’t, actually,” she said, selecting a simple white blouse from the closet. “I don’t have her number. I don’t even know her last name.”
Brooke was silent for a beat. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” Evelyn pulled on her pants more forcefully than necessary. “I have no way to contact her. And she has no way to contact me.”
“So unless you’re willing to go to Sapphire again, you’re never going to see her?”
Evelyn swallowed against the lump forming in her throat.
“Probably not,” she answered, slipping on her shirt.
“And that’s probably for the best.” The words felt heavier than she expected.
She had known last night that leaving meant closing the door on whatever was happening between them but saying it out loud made it real. It made it feel final.
Brooke sighed. “Evie...”
“It’s fine,” Evelyn interrupted, smoothing her blouse and reaching for her Apple watch on the dresser. “It was just one crazy night. It’s not the end of the world.” Even as she said it, something inside her twisted.
“Yeah,” Brooke said slowly. “But don’t lie to yourself, okay? If you wanted to find her again, you probably could.”
Ignoring that, Evelyn slipped on her flats and headed toward the kitchen to make coffee. “I have to go to work.”
“Wait,” Brooke said. “It’s Saturday. Why are you going to work?”
Evelyn exhaled sharply. “I’m behind on a project.”
Brooke let out a dramatic groan. “You are such a workaholic,” she said. “This is why you don’t date.”
Shaking her head, Evelyn started the water kettle. “Goodbye, Brooke.”
“Goodbye, heartbreaker,” Brooke said in a teasing tone before hanging up.
Evelyn let out a long breath as she put coffee in the French Press. I am fine. I made the right choice , she thought. I’m not living in some romantic novel. She would never see Jo again, and she simply had to accept it.
The faint sound of classic rock played from the radio in the corner while Jo stood at her workbench, staring at the disassembled carburetor in front of her.
Normally, the meticulous process of rebuilding an engine part would be enough to clear her mind.
Today, it wasn’t working because her mind was still on Evelyn.
She puffed out a breath and shook her head.
Get it together , she thought. Let this one go.
It wasn’t like her to dwell on a woman after only one night, especially one that ended with her getting left in her own damn house.
But something about the way Evelyn looked at her before she bolted, the hesitation in her voice when she said she had to go, stuck with her.
Jo wasn’t mad. Confused? she thought. Oh, yeah .
Frustrated? A little. But mostly, she wished she had handled it differently.
Maybe if I said the right thing, Evelyn wouldn’t have felt the need to run .
The shop door swung open, and Mica strolled in, balancing two coffee cups in her hands. “Whoa, Jo, you look like hell.”
Jo glared. “Good morning to you too.”
Mica grinned, handing her one of the coffees. “I mean, I assumed you’d be all smug and well-rested after last night,” she said. “But you look like… honestly, I don’t know what you look like. I’ve never seen you like this.”
Jo took a sip of coffee, letting the warmth settle into her chest. “Yeah, well, things didn’t exactly go the way I thought they would,” she said. “Not at all.”
Raising an eyebrow, Mica hopped up onto the counter beside Jo. “Wait,” she said as her eyes widened. “Did she reject you?”
Jo groaned. “Can you not say it like that?” she asked, and Mica gasped but then grinned wider.
“Oh my God. She rejected you.”
“She didn’t reject me,” Jo said with a scowl. “She just left.”
“Wait.” Mica blinked. “Like, left left?”
Rubbing the back of her neck, Jo nodded. “Called an Uber,” she said. “Didn’t even let me take her home.”
Shaking her head, Mica let out a low whistle. “Damn,” she said. “That’s rough.”
Staring into her coffee cup, Jo sighed. “Yeah.”
Tilting her head, Mica studied her for a long moment. “And you’re actually really upset about it.”
Jo hesitated, then let her shoulder slump. “Yeah,” she said. “I am.”
“Well, hell,” Mica said. “I didn’t think I’d live to see the day.”
Picking up a rag and rubbing it over her hands, Jo gave her a glare. “Can you not?” she said, and Mica held up her hands in mock surrender.
“I’m only saying,” she said. “I’ve never seen you like this over a girl before.”
Staring at the half-assembled carburetor on the workbench, Jo exhaled, but before she could answer, the shop’s front door opening caught her attention.
“Ah, there’s my favorite troublemaker,” a familiar voice called out.
Jo turned as a man with black hair mixed with gray walked in, his old fleece jacket zipped up against the morning chill.
Grateful for the distraction, Jo smiled. “Morning, Mr. Diaz.”
Mica hopped off the counter. “Hey, Mr. D,” she said. “Out for your usual morning walk around the ol’ neighborhood?”
“Of course,” Mr. Diaz said. “Figured I’d stop by and check in on my old shop. Make sure you haven’t run it into the ground yet.”
Used to the playful banter with the man who taught Jo everything she knew about cars, she laughed. “As you can see,” she said. “It’s still standing.”
“I never had any doubt,” Mr. Diaz teased, his sharp eyes scanning the garage before settling back on Jo. “Though you look like you could use a few extra hours of sleep. Late night?”
Mica chuckled. “Oh, you have no idea.”
Jo groaned, shooting her a warning look. “Mica—”
“She got left in the dust, Mr. D,” Mica announced, clearly ignoring Jo completely. “Woman of the hour called an Uber and bailed.”
Mr. Diaz raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Well, I think that’s a first,” he said, and Jo sighed, rubbing a hand over her face.
“Great,” she said. “Glad my humiliation is so entertaining for everyone.”