4. Asher
4
ASHER
“You can knock off early for the night,” Wyatt said, stepping out of the office.
“I don’t mind finishing up.”
He chuckled, leaning against another car. “It’s Valentine’s Day. Don’t you have some pretty lady to take out on the town tonight?”
I instantly thought of Holly, but I hadn’t called her. Not yet. I wasn’t sure I was going to. I hadn’t decided. “Not tonight.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because, as you pointed out, it’s Valentine’s Day. Can’t give anyone the wrong idea.”
His eyes flicked to my left hand, but he quickly averted them, walking over to the bay doors where he looked outside. “And would this have anything to do with the new scratches you have on that pretty truck of yours?”
I pulled the rag from the back pocket of my coveralls and grinned at him, knowing he was baiting me. “It was just a scratch.”
“A pretty good scratch. Looks to be maybe a dent or two. I’d say a shopping cart.”
I stared at him in shock. “How the hell did you know that?”
“I’ve been in the business long enough. You recognize these things after a while. So, it was a shopping cart, and you’re either an extremely nice guy or some pretty lady batted her eyes at you.”
“As a matter of fact, it was neither of those things.”
Holly hadn’t batted her eyes at me. She’d left me a note. I just hadn’t bothered to call for her information. There was no way I’d ask her to pay for the repairs on my truck. Not when I’d been daydreaming about her rolling around on the ground for the past two weeks.
“Ah! There it is. I saw that.”
I stared at the man who couldn’t be more than ten years older than me and refused to let him see past my poker face, lousy as it was. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It was a lady, and by the looks of it, you liked her quite a bit.”
There was no point arguing with him. I did like her. What was wrong with admitting it? He’d only hassle me more if I didn’t tell him about her. “As a matter of fact, I did like her. She’s…unique.”
A small chuckle left his lips. “That’s not usually the way a man describes a woman.”
“Yeah? And how does a man describe a woman?”
“Gorgeous, alluring, intoxicating, breathtaking…you know, something along those lines.”
Yeah, those were all the ways I had described Jade. My smile slipped just a little at the thought, but I pushed Jade from my mind. I couldn’t change the past. I could only refuse to let my mistakes rule my life and live better for her. That’s what I believe she would have wanted.
“Well, it’s too soon to tell. When I met her, she was rolling around on the ground to measure for an area rug.”
He went still, then shook his head vehemently. “Nope, run. Get as far away from that one as you can. Girl measurements. That’s what that is, and it’ll drive you fucking crazy. You don’t need that kind of insanity in your life. Trust me.”
I smirked at him. It sounded exactly like the kind of normalcy I needed.
“Shit, you’re going for it, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.”
“Asher—”
“I think I’ll finish up here and head out.”
He sighed heavily. “You’re not going to make her pay for your truck, are you?”
“It was a freak accident,” I shrugged. “The ice carried away her shopping cart.”
He pointed at me accusingly. “That’s no excuse. People need to hold onto their shopping carts in parking lots. It’s that kind of lackadaisical attitude that leads to thousands of shopping cart disasters every year.”
“She fell on her ass trying to chase down the cart.”
“Still not good enough.”
“She called after it to stop. It was cute.”
“And that’s supposed to make up for the fact that she fucked up your truck?”
“The shopping cart did,” I countered.
He scoffed at me, shaking his head. “You’re already pussy-whipped and you haven’t even gotten any yet.” He paused and quirked an eyebrow at me. “You haven’t, right?”
“I don’t work that fast.”
He nodded once. “Good, because I don’t think I could forgive you for sleeping with the woman right after she nailed your truck with the shopping cart. That’s going just a step too far.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve done worse than that.” Jade came to mind again, but again, I pushed her away.
“Well, don’t stick around too long. I’m just finishing up some paperwork.”
I nodded and got back to work. I wouldn’t be too much longer. I hated to leave any job unfinished, especially for Wyatt. It was good to start the day fresh with the slate wiped clean. It made everything run easier for all of us.
A half-hour later, I clocked out and cleaned up, then waved to him and headed out to my truck. A light snow was falling, dusting the streets and causing chaos everywhere. You’d think people would be used to it, but as usual, it was like they’d never driven on snow before.
I knew there was nothing in my fridge to eat for dinner, and even if there was, I had no desire to cook a damn thing tonight. I pulled into Whataburger and was going to just sit in the drive-thru lane, but it was about ten cars deep and it already took too damn long to get food.
It was fine. I could park and eat inside like a normal person. I didn’t have to eat at home like a hermit. I was living amongst humans now. I no longer lived in a cabin in the woods, determined to ignore the rest of society for the remainder of my days. Sometimes, I still had to remind myself of that.
I strode up to the counter behind someone bent over, and when the person popped up, a very familiar pom pom nearly smacked me in the face. Grinning, I gave it a little tug.
Holly spun around, her hand flying to the pom pom as she faced me with righteous indignation until she saw the smirk on my face. With her mouth hanging open, she stared at me for a moment, then snapped her jaw shut.
“Asher,” I reminded her. “And you’re Holly.”
“I am,” she said warily. “You pulled my pom pom.”
“I did. It’s cute.”
Her cheeks pinked slightly, matching the pink in her hat. It was cute.
“Next!” the guy behind the counter called out.
“They’re calling for you,” I motioned forward. “I’ve got this,” I winked at her, taking charge. “The lady will have—” I looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to order. She was so flustered that it took her a moment to order. When she was done, I placed my order, which was twice the size of hers. “And can we also get two milkshakes. One strawberry and one…” Again, I looked at her.
“Vanilla,” she answered.
I cocked a grin at the kid, but he wasn’t paying attention to anything but his register. I paid and took the number and our cups.
“Ah, Diet Coke,” I noted as she filled her cup. “Interesting choice.”
“How is that interesting?”
“Just is,” I answered, going for regular Coke. I snapped a lid on and stuck my straw in, then took a long sip, staring at her the whole time.
“What’s interesting is that you find my choice interesting. Where do you want to sit?”
“Lady’s choice.”
She chose a seat by the window, another interesting choice. “So, why is Diet Coke interesting?”
“Well, it says a lot about you.”
“In what way?”
“Either you’re worried about your weight and you’re trying to keep off the extra pounds, which you definitely don’t need to, or it’s some kind of blood sugar thing.”
“Actually, I just think regular Coke is too sweet,” she grinned.
I nodded and glanced around the restaurant. “And then there’s your choice of where to sit.”
She pulled off her gloves and hat, setting them on the inside chair of the four-seater table, then pulled off her coat. Honey-blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, sticking up in all directions as static electricity got the better of her. She patted down her hair, but it was a bit of a lost cause, and it was adorable.
I decided to pull off my own hat and make her feel better. I ran my fingers through the long strands and tossed my hat onto the chair. Her breath caught in her chest as her eyes locked on me for a moment. Then she cleared her throat and dropped her gaze.
“Um…and why is my choice of where to sit interesting?”
She wouldn’t look at me. Was it something I said? “Because it’s cold outside and you don’t seem to like the cold, but you’re sitting by the window.”
She nodded, but again, didn’t look up.
“Did I say something?”
She looked up, biting her lip. “You’re um…married.”
Ah. She saw the ring. I glanced down at it for a moment and sighed. “It’s uh…not what you think.” I tugged the chain out from under my shirt and held out the other ring, the one that belonged to Jade, for her to see. Her eyes widened in surprise. Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes fluttered closed.
“Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I tucked the chain back in, and my fingers automatically went to the ring on my finger, sliding it around. “It’s been…five years.”
Her hand slid across the table and covered mine. I was so surprised by the gesture that I flinched, then covered her hand with my other one, squeezing it lightly.
“Guess I just never got around to taking it off,” I chuckled.
She bit her lip again. “Well, then, it’s a good thing you didn’t have some awkward encounter where some random woman accused you of cheating on your wife or something.”
My lips twitched in amusement. “I guess I’m lucky.”
“Especially if said woman had waited until the milkshake came and then she tossed it in your face. That would have been super awkward.”
“Especially with the cold weather outside. It would have frozen to my face.”
“Yep,” she nodded.
I laughed, wondering if she really would have done it. I would have paid a lot of money to see her do it. “It would have stuck to my facial hair. I probably would have had to shave it off. Maybe my hair, too.”
She dropped her head into her hands and laughed. “That would have been so embarrassing.”
“I can appreciate your willingness to defend my wife’s honor. It’s very noble of you.”
“Yes, if?—”
“If she were alive,” I finished for her. “It’s okay.”
She nodded slightly, then leaned back in her seat as the food arrived, cutting the tension. After the man dropped off the food, she dug into her burger, trying her best to hide the ketchup that smeared over the corner of her mouth. It was damn cute.
“So, why are you here tonight instead of on a hot date?” I asked.
She chewed, rolling her eyes as she chomped away. “I work too much.”
“Where do you work?”
“I own a shop.” She sighed heavily. “You’re going to laugh at me. Holly Lane Boutique.”
I didn’t get the joke. “Why would I laugh at that?”
“Holly Lane? It’s like the ultimate Christmas-sounding name.”
“And?”
“My parents could have named me anything else in the world. They chose to give me that name.”
“I happen to like it. It has a nice ring to it.” I eyed her onion rings. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had an onion ring. “Are you gonna eat those?”
She snatched them away from me, growling under her breath. “Don’t you dare touch my onion rings.”
I held up my hands, chuckling at her fierce protection of her food. “I wouldn’t dare dream of coming between you and your food.”
“You’d better not.”
“I just haven’t had them in a long time.”
She eyed me warily, then her onion rings. “I might be willing to give up one. But just one.”
“Just one,” I smirked. “I’ll even take a small one.”
“You bet your ass you will.”
She picked out the smallest one she could find and handed it over with a grin. I popped it in my mouth and chewed, relishing in the taste. Damn, I should have ordered those instead.
“So, this shop…what do you sell?”
“House decor, furniture, accents…that sort of stuff.”
I was about to take a bite of my burger, but stopped. “But you were shopping for a rug at that chain store.”
“So?”
“So, couldn’t you have found something you liked in your own shop?”
She shrugged. “The heart wants what the heart wants.”
“How did that work out, anyway?”
She was just taking a sip of Coke and started choking. I got to my feet immediately, slapping her on the back as she gasped for air. She waved me off, coughing a few more times before shaking it off.
“You okay?”
“Of course.”
She flushed red, taking another bite of her burger.
“The rug?”
She nodded, stuffing the burger in her mouth again.
My lips twitched in amusement. “Your measuring system was a little off, wasn’t it?”
“I plead the fifth,” she mumbled around her burger.
I barked out a laugh, snatching another one of her onion rings. She scowled at me as I tore off a bite, not even a bit sorry that I stole from her. Man, these were good.
“You know, it’s not nice to point out a woman’s flaws.”
“It’s not,” I agreed. “But I find it cute.”
“Cute?” Her eyebrows flew up and the look on her face said she was offended. “I am not cute.”
“You’re a little cute,” I said, holding my finger and thumb just a scant inch apart.
“Cute is for little girls and puppies.”
“And ladies named Holly Lane.”
Again, she flushed red. She was just too easy to tease. I leaned back in my seat, taking a long sip of my milkshake. I was enjoying myself way too much. I hadn’t relaxed like this with a woman in years. In fact, I couldn’t recall a time I had ever just talked with a woman without thinking about my dick. Not that I wasn’t imagining kissing her. It had definitely crossed my mind, but I wasn’t quite there yet. I wanted to give it time and play this right.
“Well, you know my last name, but I don’t know yours. I can’t just go around calling you Asher.”
“You could, but yes, it is weird if you don’t know my last name,” I conceded. “It’s Stone.”
I’d given up my last name after Jade. A clean sweep and everything. I took my mother’s maiden name and moved on with life. I reinvented myself in every way possible. The one thing I truly couldn’t leave behind was her.
“You know what I do, Asher. What do you do?”
Years ago, it would have been on the tip of my tongue to throw out how I was a badass. I was a door kicker—a Marine, born with adrenaline running through my veins. I didn’t know what it was to back down from a fight.
But that all changed after Jade.
All that fight, everything that made me who I was, vanished the moment she took her own life. I was lost for so long that I couldn’t function most days. I didn’t want to live without her. But Chase changed all that. When he started hallucinating that I was there, I had to show up for him. Suddenly, I was aware that I was needed in this world, that I didn’t exist solely for Jade. And as I sat by his bedside and watched him recover, something inside me healed and allowed me to move on. I learned to accept who I was and my part in this world, as shitty as it was. And eventually, I became content with life again.
“Asher?”
I smiled at her, shaking my head slightly. “Sorry, just got lost in thought. Uh…I’m a mechanic.”
Her eyes flared slightly and I chuckled. She slapped her hand against her forehead in embarrassment. “God, don’t pay attention to me. I’m not sane.”
“Is it the coveralls? Tell me. I need to know.”
She groaned, dropping her head to the table with a thunk. I continued to suck on my strawberry milkshake as I waited patiently for her to come up for air. She got flustered so easily, and I found it absolutely adorable.
She finally lifted her head, blowing out a deep breath. “Okay, so that happened.”
“What? Mortification because you think mechanics are sexy?”
“God, you’re so horrible.”
I gave her my most charming smile and leaned forward on the table. “Is it working? Are you falling into my trap?”
“And what trap is that?” she asked as she blatantly looked anywhere but at me.
“The one where I charm you into going out on a date with me.”
“Do you really need to set a trap for that?” she asked, finally looking up at me. Her eyes twinkled as she smiled. Blue. Ocean blue. They were so fucking gorgeous. I found myself just staring at them, memorizing the curve of her lips as she smiled and the way her hair fell across her cheek as she ducked her head.
“Honestly, I’m hoping you’ll take pity on me and won’t make me beg.”
“No begging necessary,” she smiled. “You already have my number.”
I did, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t have mine. I pulled out a pen and scrap piece of paper and wrote my number down, then slid it across the table to her.
She raised an eyebrow at me. “You know, you could just text me your number.”
“I’m old-fashioned like that.”
She picked it up, studying it for a moment. “You’re awfully trusting, giving a girl your number. How do you know I’m not a psycho who will call you five times between now and Friday?”
“You might do that. In fact, I’m kinda hoping you will.”
“You do not,” she laughed.
“Maybe I do. Maybe I like eager women.”
“I still think I’ll wait for your call.” She gathered her hat and gloves, and something inside me deflated. She was leaving. The night was ending. I’d go home and this would be over. I snatched my hat off the chair and tugged it on as she put hers on, her little pom pom wiggling on top of her head.
I gathered up all our garbage while she got her coat on. It was a shame to end things so quickly, but this wasn’t a date. We were just eating dinner after running into each other. As much as I wanted to spend time with her, she probably had other plans for the night.
When I turned around, she was all buttoned up and ready to head out into the cold. “Can I walk you to your truck?”
“Sure.”
As we stepped outside, I took her arm. The last thing I wanted was for her to fall on her ass like she had in the parking lot. “Where are you parked?”
“Just over there,” she said, pointing to the end of the lot. It wasn’t very well lit down there, and it was too damn far from the door. Instincts kicked in immediately and the need to yell at her for being an idiot almost took over. But I tamped it down.
“Do me a favor.”
“Sure,” she smiled.
“Next time you park at night, get as close as you can to the building and under a street lamp.”
She turned to me, raising an eyebrow. “Concerned about my safety?”
“Old habits die hard,” I muttered.
“I’ll try to remember that,” she answered, not giving me any attitude.
The urge to kiss her grew stronger as we stood outside her vehicle, but I stepped back, shoving my hands in my pockets to keep them warm.
Yeah, that was the reason.
“Be careful driving home.”
“I will.”
I waited until she got in her truck and then watched as she backed out. She grinned as she drove off, and I stood there for a good two minutes staring at the fucking road.
Two things were crystal clear to me.
I was ready to move on.
And I knew Holly Lane was going to change my life.