Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Cash
Nori Sinclair is a fidgeter. And I know this because in the two minutes she’s been in my truck, she’s tucked her hair behind her ears, adjusted the straps on both her shoes, and now she’s playing finger drums on her knees.
I get it, though. The situation with her car looked fairly bleak before the tow truck guy from Spring Valley Auto showed up. He barely glanced under the hood before telling her she’d not only blown a gasket, but the blown gasket had probably warped her engine. He said he’d tow her car to their garage, and they’d get a repair estimate to her in the next day or two. Nori mumbled something about eating ramen for the rest of her life, then I’m pretty sure I heard her sniffle. Now she’s got her hair hanging in her face as she gazes out the window.
I can’t tell if she’s crying or not.
Either way, I’ve got at least one heartstring tugging for her.
“You want to stop by a rental car place?” I cast a glimpse at her now that Oldford Park is in the rearview. “You’ll need something to drive until your car’s fixed. ”
“No thanks.” She breathes out a sigh. “This blown gasket situation is going to take a big enough chunk out of my bank account without adding the cost of a rental. When my brother finds out about all this …”
Her chin droops as her voice trails off. I can’t help wondering if the issue with her brother has something to do with the unlucky backstory Sandra’s friends were whispering about.
“I get it,” I say. “Family can be a little much sometimes.”
“They can be a lot much sometimes.” She turns toward me, and I notice a tiny freckle above the curve of her lip. “Is it weird that I feel … like his love is annoying right now?” As soon as the words are out, she slams her mouth shut.
“No, seriously. I understand,” I say, so she knows I’m not judging her. “My parents mean well, but they can make just about anything I’m going through that much harder. My brother, Cullen, is pretty much the only one who really gets me.”
“Cullen?” Nori puffs a breath out through her nose. “You’re kidding? My best friend and I are obsessed with The Twilight Saga .”
I shake my head. “Well, my brother was Cullen way before the series. Cullen is my mom’s maiden name.”
“Huh.” She wrinkles her nose. “Does he hate it?”
“My brother? Nah. He loves everything about his life.”
“Lucky him,” she says under her breath. Then she starts working her lip with her teeth. I get the sense she’s stressed about more than her old Lincoln, but I’m not about to pry. “So, I know it’s only temporary, but how will you get around without your car?”
“My work’s only about two miles from home, so I guess I can walk there.” She hitches her shoulders. “I’ll just take the bus if I need to go anywhere farther.”
“That’s a lot of walking. ”
She sighs. “I don’t have much of a choice.”
Without realizing what I’m about to offer, I open my mouth and the words “I could drive you” fly out.
Oops.
Nori scoffs. “Oh, sure. I’ll bet Dr. Hanson would love that.”
“Uh.” I pull down my brow. “Excuse me?”
“Your girlfriend,” she says. “Margaret? Maggie? The one from Vincenzo’s?”
I shake my head. “Dr. Hanson’s not my girlfriend.”
“Ahhh.” Nori nods. “So you’re with Sandra, then. I wondered, after you two came into Serendipi-Tea together, but obviously, who you’re dating is none of my business.”
I arch a brow. “So you did see me there last week.”
“Oh, right.” Nori winces, staring out the window. “Sorry I didn’t say hi. I was just … I’m the manager there, and I was in the middle of something. I’d just been talking to my boss … and … well. There was a lot going on.”
“You were busy. I get it.” I glance at her, and spots of red bloom in her cheeks. “Anyway, I’m not dating Dr. Hanson or Sandra.” My focus slips back to the road. “I work with them at Springs Memorial. But there’s nothing going on between me and either of them. With me and anyone .”
Nori clears her throat. “Well, like I said. It’s really not my business.”
Something pecks at my chest, an instinct to explain myself. “The thing is, I don’t have time for relationships.” I force a laugh. “I barely have time for coworker-ships.”
“Hmm.” Nori presses her lips together. “I’m not surprised. I’ve seen you coming and going from the building at all hours.”
Aha.
So she has been paying attention, which means she’s probably been avoiding me on purpose. But why ?
“I knew doctors worked long days,” she says. “But I had no idea how crazy things could get.”
“They do work long hours.” I huff out another chuckle. “But I’m not a doctor.”
Nori shifts in her seat to fully face me now, and her gaze dips to the ID tag clipped to my pocket.
“I work for Powell MedTech,” I elaborate. “I’m in medical device sales.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I sell the instruments and implants for spine surgeries. Then I consult with the doctors and assistants during their cases. That’s why I was out with Dr. Hanson. And Sandra, too. Being friendly and available to them is all just part of keeping their business—or earning it in the first place.”
“So why the scrubs, then?”
“I’m in the OR all day, every day. It’s just easier.”
“Wow.” Nori blinks. “I assumed …” She shakes her head.
“Yeah, no.” I shrug. “Not a doctor. And no girlfriend.”
“Still.” She furrows her brow, just a small crease down the middle. “You really do work a lot.”
“My schedule’s pretty unpredictable.” I bob my head. “Emergency surgeries come up. Cases get pushed out or run long. I never really know when I might get called in. And if I don’t go, the doctors use my competitors’ products.”
She flashes me a pointed look. “In other words, you can’t really drive me to work every day. At least not reliably.”
This pulls a grimace out of me. “It would be tough,” I admit. “Offering seemed like the neighborly thing to do, though.”
She snorts. “You’re lucky I turned you down.”
As we continue through town, Nori shifts her focus back out the window. By now, the sun’s fully dropped below the horizon, and my heart sinks too. For her. Overhead, the first stars are winking in the sky. Or maybe those are planets. I studied spines, not solar systems. What I do know is Nori’s life just got more complicated, and I want to make things easier on her.
What would a busy friend do under these circumstances?
Think, Cash. Think .
As we get closer to our building, the streetlights cast oval pools across the road, and trees shed flowers that collect like pink snowflakes along the sidewalk. I think they’re dogwoods, but don’t quote me. The Serendipity’s ahead, tall and majestic in the twilight. I wait for the dotted line indicating a break in the bike lane, then turn into the alley that leads to our parking deck.
The bike lane. That’s it!
“I’ve got a mountain bike you could borrow,” I say, maneuvering down the narrow road. “It’s a pretty nice one, actually.”
“Thanks.” Nori breathes a small sigh. “But you heard the tow truck guy. Ordering parts for a discontinued model could take weeks. What if you wanted to use your bike and I rode it to work?”
“That won’t happen.” I pull into the three-story parking deck and slowly make my way up the levels. “I don’t ride anymore.” I take a beat. “Ever.”
“Oh.” Nori turns to me, lifting her brow in a silent question, but she doesn’t directly press for answers.
“The thing is, I can’t ride anymore.”
I have no idea why I just shared that. Maybe talking to Nori feels safer because she knows nothing about my past. Has zero expectations. No agenda. She doesn’t want anything from me. If anything, Nori’s trying to refuse my help.
Still, a familiar tightness commandeers my chest. My gut tells me I can trust her, but my gut’s been known to fail me.
“Anyway, the bike was expensive,” I admit, “and I barely got to ride it. ”
“That’s too bad.” Her voice is soft, but she’s still not digging for anything more.
I like this about her.
“I just hate feeling like the whole thing was a waste.” I ease the truck into my assigned spot and throw it into park. “So you’d be doing me a favor. Using my bike, I mean.”
Nori chews at her lip. “I haven’t ridden one in ages, and my skills were already wildly subpar. It’s kind of embarrassing, to be honest.”
“It’ll come back to you.” I kill the engine. “The phrase ‘it’s like riding a bike’ is a cliché for a reason.”
Hopping out of the truck, I jog around to get the passenger door for Nori, but she’s already opened it. When I reach out to help her down, her hand practically disappears in mine. Her palm is soft and smooth. I swallow, ignoring the spark of electricity running up my arm.
We drop hands.
“Anyway, I was thinking we could take the bike out for a test drive,” I suggest. “Just to see if you’re comfortable.”
Nori ducks her head, glancing at the stretch of visible sky. “I think it’s getting too dark.”
“I didn’t mean tonight.” I puff out a laugh. “When’s your next day off?”
She cocks her chin. “Thursday.”
I squint, searching my brain for my upcoming schedule. “I’ve got an early case that morning, but if I get a break in the day, and you happen to be around, we could fit in a practice ride.”
“You’re sure you’re willing to risk me wrecking your bike?”
“A bike I don’t ride?” My mouth quirks. “Least I could do for a neighbor.”
She holds my gaze. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Because I am nice, Nori Sinclair.”
Her lips slide into a smile. “Yes, I guess you are.”