23. Grant
TWENTY-THREE
GRANT
I walk my bright orange mountain bike through Get in Gear’s doors, hot, sweaty, and still breathing too hard. I might have overdone it on the trails.
The guy behind the counter looks over his shoulder. He’s putting the chain back on a road bicycle that’s upside down on a stand. “Good ride?”
When I picked up the bike first thing this morning, another employee gave me a few options for the day’s trip. I chose the longest—out of ego or punishment, I’m not sure. But not even a grueling ride through pine trees with stops to take in gorgeous views could keep my mind off of Lila.
When she pulled me to her and kissed me, it rewired my brain. I can’t get her out of my head. To be totally honest, I’m not even trying. For years, I’ve been careful. Minimal dating, and never with anyone I could have feelings for. Meaningless first dates where nobody walked away wanting more. Enough to say I’m trying without ever having to actually try.
Enough to be sure that what happened with Kelsey never happens again .
And now? I spent all day wondering what Lila’s wearing and whose ear she’s chatting off and how many hours until I see her again. I miss her, and we’ve only been apart a day.
But I don’t think this guy with the tattoo sleeves down both arms wants to hear about how a whirlwind of a woman brought me to my knees.
“Great ride,” I answer. “It was a bit more than I bargained for, though.”
It’s been a while since I biked on terrain that uneven and unpredictable. I think I jostled my spine out of alignment, and I probably have bruises in places I’d rather not name.
His beard twitches with a hint of a smile. “The ones that push you are the best rides. Which one did you do?”
“Garrett Trail.” Half a dozen biking paths start within a fifteen-minute ride of the bike shop, everything from paved loops for the family to the bone rattler I opted to try. “It’s unbelievable what you’ve got right outside your front door.”
No disrespect to my hometown, but I have to drive thirty miles to Georgetown to get a similar experience.
“We’re in mountain biking heaven out here.”
“Do you have a recommendation for something similar to Garrett but, let’s say, a step down in technical difficulty?” I wouldn’t mind getting out there again before I leave, but I don’t need to go home with a slipped disc.
“Sure.” He pulls a laminated map to the counter between us and indicates different trail names. “You’ve got a few options, depending on how much time you have to burn. My favorite all-day?—”
A clanging behind me makes both of us turn. A blond woman barges through the shop door, practically knocking the bell off its hook. She stalks past the rows of bicycles and over to the counter, glaring like she’s about to tear the guy apart .
She crosses her arms over her purple apron. “Your truck is in my spot again, Callahan.”
He just blinks at her. “Is it?”
“You know darn well it is.”
He pulls his hand over his beard as if he’s contemplating this. “The alley spaces aren’t assigned, are they?”
I don’t know the man, but his innocent act could use some work. Then again, it’s probably meant to be obviously fake.
“That’s the one that’s closest to the bakery’s back door. The one I park in every day when I open like I have since I was sixteen. And yet, whenever I come in after you’re here, where do I find your truck?”
“In an unassigned space that’s convenient to my business’s back door?”
She looks like she’s trying to mentally melt his face off. “You’re doing it on purpose.”
“I am. It’s my favorite spot.”
“I asked you nicely.”
He snorts. “When?”
She purses her mouth into a frown. “I’ve been here longer than you.”
“Do you want to point me to the part in the lease agreement where it says seniority guarantees premium alley parking?”
“I’ll point you to exactly where you can go, you big?—”
“I’d love to keep chatting with you Krause, but I’m with a customer.”
She turns to me like she hadn’t registered I’ve been standing right here the whole time. Dropping her arms, her murderous gaze softens.
“I apologize,” she says, suddenly sugary sweet. “That was rude of me to interrupt.”
I brush off her apology. “It’s not a problem.”
“If you come in next door, I’ll give you a free hand pie to make it up to you.”
The bike shop owner’s eyes narrow on her, but otherwise, he doesn’t move.
I feel like I’m on a tightrope strung between the two, and one wrong step will spell disaster. “Thank you, but it’s not necessary.”
She turns back to him and lifts an eyebrow in a silent challenge. “Callahan.”
“Krause. Always good to see you.”
She spins on her heel and leaves the store, bells on the door jingling behind her.
Once she’s gone, the man’s shoulders relax. “Sorry about that. We, ah…aren’t on the friendliest terms.”
“No need to explain.” I won’t mention that the last couple I saw snipe at each other like that are married now. “Callahan—you wouldn’t be related to Charlie Callahan over at Moonlight Lodge?”
The flint that had been in his eyes when the woman was in here disappears. “That’s my sister. She and my folks run the place. Are you staying there?”
“For a couple more weeks. It’s an impressive location.” I don’t want to leave, but that’s not entirely due to my comfortable accommodations.
“It is. My grandparents started it, and my parents built it up. Now Charlie’s turning it luxury.” He wipes his greasy hands on a rag and extends one to me. “I’m Shepherd.”
“Grant. Good to meet you.” I nod at the array of bikes around us. “Is this place yours?”
“In all its glory.” He spreads his hands wide. “The high-end resort life wasn’t for me. I’m better with tires and gears any day.”
“I understand that.” If my folks’ business had leaned a different way, I don’t know if I would be as invested as I am. “I’m surprised there aren’t more bike rental shops in town, considering all the trails.”
“I’ll enjoy my monopoly while it lasts. I’ve been pushing for expanding the trails even more. If that means competition, I’ll take it.”
A couple with two small children walk through the shop’s doors. The boy and girl immediately run to the kids’ bikes, and Shepherd’s attention shifts their way.
“I’ll leave you to it.”
“Glad to meet you,” he says. “If you rent a bike again, let me know the type of trail you’re looking for, and I’ll point you in the right direction.”
“Will do.” I still want to get Lila on a ride, but we’d be better off on paved paths and cruiser bikes. Get in Gear has a wide selection of bicycles though, so that shouldn’t be a problem. I start to head out.
“And hey, Grant?”
I turn back to him. “Yeah?”
“Take Krause up on her offer of that free hand pie. Blackbird’s next door has the best pies you’ll ever eat.”
I can’t get comfortable. I ate dinner, soaked in the hot tub, and tried to read Walden , but nothing helped. I even flipped through television channels. And I thought I wanted a month of this?
Normally, I don’t mind my own company, but tonight, I’m crawling out of my skin. It’s not the quiet that bothers me—it’s that she’s not here.
I can’t do this. I can’t get used to someone I’m going to have to give up in a couple more weeks. I can’t miss her when she’s only across town. Soon enough, she’ll be across the country, and what will I do then?
I legitimately need to know.
Two minutes later, I pick up my phone.
Grant: How did party planning go?
I lay out on the king-sized bed in my T-shirt and shorts. Night seeps through the cabin, leaving everything but the halo of light around the bedside lamp in shadow. I can’t imagine it’s too late for her, but as the minutes tick by, I start to second guess.
Finally, my phone buzzes in my hand.
Lila: We’re all set for tomorrow!
Lila: Sorry, I was in the shower when your text came through
I refuse to let my thoughts go there . It was bad enough sharing a hot tub. If I think about sharing a shower, I’ll go crazy.
Lila: Are you ready to make goo-goo eyes at me for my family?
Grant: I’ve been practicing goo-goo eyes all day
Lila: How was the bike ride?
Grant: Brutal. Know a good chiropractor in town?
Lila: Of course. But maybe you should take it easy on your old bones
Grant: Old? OLD?
Lila: I said what I said
I send her a couple of the better pictures I took on the trail, including a selfie with one of the mountains peeking out from behind me. I get a string of fire emojis in return.
Lila: That’s the best one
Grant: Just wait til we get you out there
I won’t even see the views.
Lila: It’s been a while since I rode a bike
Grant: Years?
Lila: Decades
Lila: Maybe we could do a tandem bike
Lila: You can do all the pedaling, and I’ll lounge in style
Grant: I’d be into that
At this point, I’d do pretty much anything in tandem with her.
Grant: Did you know the bike shop owner is trying to expand some of the biking trails? Might be something there you can use in your presentation
Lila: Really? I’ll talk to Shepherd this wee k
Hmm. Probably shouldn’t have told my princess to visit the tattoooed, bearded guy.
Lila: You’ve ruined my sleep lately, you know that?
Maybe we’re more in sync than I thought. My sleep’s been absolutely wrecked by dreams about her. About us . I never thought I had that great of an imagination before, but it’s been working overtime lately.
Grant: I could say the same about you
Lila: ???
Lila: I keep thinking about where we left off in your book
I have to read that three times before my brain catches up. Right. She’s not talking about those kinds of dreams.
Lila: What did you mean?
Grant: That’s what I meant, too. Gotta know what happens next in the book. It’s an addictive story
Well, this has been fun. I sound like an idiot. I guess she thinks so, too, because it takes a while for her response to come through.
Lila: Or maybe I just like the sound of your voice
Ooh la la. I hit the call button before I overthink it.
She answers on a laugh. “Did you want to talk about the addictive story?”
“Not really,” I admit. “I wanted to hear your voice, too.”
“What did you mean when you said you could say the same about me ruining your sleep?”
“I think you already know.”
Her breath comes out on a soft sigh. “Yeah. I think I do.”
We breathe in tandem for a minute, because apparently that’s what happens after two people admit they miss hearing each other talk—they have no idea what to say.
“What would help you sleep?”
“Not hearing more of your book,” she says. “Everyone has funny names, and they drop you straight into the story like you know what’s going on. It’s confusing nonsense. I mean, what even happens after the main character got kidnapped by those thieves? Hmm? What?”
“You want me to keep reading?”
“Yes, please.”
In a flash, I get up and grab my e-reader from the couch and cozy up on the bed again. It’d be better if she were here listening in person, but if I think too much about that, I won’t be able to focus on the book.
Not that that’s much of a concern. I read to her for an hour, but I couldn’t tell you what happens in the scenes. My voice is a soft caress, as though I’m telling her something else entirely in every word.
I missed you today.
I would read to you every night if you asked me.
It’s way too soon to fall for you, but I don’t want this to stop.
She yawns as though she’s ready to cuddle into her pillow. “Thank you, Grant.”
I thought I had it bad before? Hearing her say my name in those sleepy, content tones is a drug. I’m immediately hooked.
“You’re welcome, princess. ”
We hang up, and I lay flat out on the bed in the darkness. I won’t be the same man when I go home to Texas. I don’t know if I would want to be. Whether she knows it or not, she’s marking on me in permanent ink, tattooing herself on my soul.