5. Decker
“Ididn’t even see—what do you mean twice today?”
“Well, tonight, obviously, you walked right past me a few booths up, and earlier, I dropped my truck off at your dad’s shop with Ranger and saw you walk right past me to your car.”
Her mouth falls open then snaps shut when I take a seat across from her in the booth. She sits up. “That was you today?”
“So you did see me?” I give her my best grin, the one I know she used to like.
“Well, I thought it might have been you, but I didn’t realize you were back home.”
“I didn’t know you were home either.”
“Chicken soup for you, my dear,” Karla says as she places the bowl down in front of Juniper before reaching into her apron to pull out a handful of saltine packages. “Anything else for you?” Juniper shakes her head and then looks over at me.
“No thanks, Karla.” When she walks away, I lean back into the booth, lifting one foot and then the other to rest on the bench Juney is sitting on. “So, why are you back home again, Miss Riley?”
“Because it’s home.” Her face scrunches in confusion. She picks up a spoonful of soup and blows on it. “I think the real question is, since you still live back in Texas, why are you home?”
“Because as of this week, I no longer live in Texas. I’ve officially moved back home.”
The spoon falls from her fingers and clatters against the bowl, making her jump. She picks it back up and laughs nervously. “Well, isn’t that funny then?”
“Why?”
“Because I took over for my dad—” She cocks her head. “Did you not know he retired?”
“Retired? No.” I guess I wondered why I didn’t see him at the shop this morning, but I just figured he was busy in the office. “Hold up, you took over? You’re running the shop?”
Her brows knit together. “Yeah, and . . . ?”
“Not like that, Juney. Come on, I know you’re more than capable. Your dad raised you in that shop—hell, you know more about damn trucks than any man I know. I just didn’t realize it had happened so fast.” I run my hand over my beard a few times. “Surprised Ranger or my dad didn’t say anything to me is all.”
She extends her hand and slowly pushes her bowl away from her. “So it looks like we’re both back in Dodge then, huh?”
“Looks like it.” We both smile at each other, a hint of tension brewing between us. I avert my gaze and clear my throat. “So, how’s it going then, running the business?”
“Good, actually—great. Busy, a lot busier than I expected,” she adds with a laugh.
“Yeah, I get that. I don’t think I ever realized how short 24 hours could be until I started running the ranch down in Texas. Sometimes it feels impossible to get the things done you need to get done.”
She fiddles with her wadded-up straw wrapper. “Are we ever going to talk about it?” she finally blurts out. I could tell she’d been wanting to ask that from the second I sat down.
“You done?” I nod toward her bowl.
“Yeah.”
I start to exit the booth and motion toward the door with my chin. “Let’s talk away from anyone else,” I mutter, pulling out my wallet and tossing $20 on the table. That should more than cover the soup and give Karla a nice tip.
“I can cover it,” she objects as she watches my movements.
“And so can I. Let’s go.” I grab her elbow and wave a goodbye to Karla before heading out.
“So was this a date then, since you paid?”
“No. Just a friend buying another friend’s dinner.”
“What about when you had your tongue in my mouth? Was that a date?”
I ignore her comment, guiding her to the other side of Ranger’s truck that I borrowed while mine is in the shop. It’s late and there are only two other people here, but I really don’t need local gossips getting it in their heads that I’m fooling around with Juniper Riley.
“Look, about that . . . I was going through some shit, and instead of handling it like a fucking adult, I acted out of line. I shouldn’t have done it.”
Her eyes stay focused on me. “What kind of shit?”
“Nothing important. It’s in the past anyway.”
She nods, leaning back against the truck as she crosses her arms over her full breasts. Even in a simple black T-shirt, jeans, and a worn baseball cap, she looks like a siren. Without thinking, I reach my hand out and wrap my finger around a single curl that’s fallen out of her ponytail. Then again, maybe she styled it like this on purpose. It’s perfectly mussed and sexy beneath the hat, with a few stray tendrils hanging around her delectable neck.
“I like the purple streaks.” My voice is lower than it was a moment ago as I toy with the silky strands.
“We both liked it,” she says softly, reaching her hand forward to touch my shirt. “Why can’t it happen again?” I stare down where a single finger runs ever so slowly down my chest. “Last time I checked, we’re both consenting adults.” She says the last part with a smirk, and it takes everything in me not to take her up on her offer right here, right now.
“What about your boyfriend?” I grab her hand and slowly place it back at her side. “Pretty sure he’d mind.”
“Oh,” her expression looks confused for a second before she shrugs. “Yeah, we aren’t together anymore.”
I’m tempted to ask her what happened, but the reality is, I don’t want to know or hear about her and some other guy.
“Well, apart from that, Juney, we both know there are several reasons why we have no business letting it become more than what it was: a simple kiss that shouldn’t have happened.” She shrugs again, and her halfhearted attempt to look sad kind of stings.
“Whatever you say, Deck.” She reaches into her back pocket and pulls out her keys. “Thanks again for dinner.”
“Our dads grew up together.” She pauses and gives me a questioning look, as if to say and? “I’m not about to cause some family rift over a hookup, Juniper.” She doesn’t respond—just stares up at me with those big blue eyes. “Besides, you’re 22?—”
“Twenty-three in less than a week.”
“Fine, 23.”
“An adult,” she clarifies.
“Yes, you’re an adult, but let’s state the facts here,” I take a step closer to her, staring down at her plump lips, the same ones my body is screaming at me to kiss again. “I’m a 31-year-old man who has no business getting involved with you.”
I’m not sure what I expected. I figured maybe her bottom lip would begin to quiver as big, fat tears tumbled down her cheeks, or maybe there’d be a slap and some well-deserved profanities, but giggling while rolling her eyes was not it.
“Whatever, Deck.” She glances at her phone. “Anyway, it’s late, I’m exhausted, and tomorrow I have to do it all over again. But,” she reaches her hand out and grabs my wrist, giving it a quick squeeze, “I’m so glad you’re back home, and thanks for sitting with me tonight.”
“Yeah, of course.” I clear my throat. “I’m glad you’re back home too. Let me walk you to your car.” I reach for the keys in her hand as we walk, but she pulls them away.
“What are you doing?”
“I was attempting to be a gentleman,” I say when we reach her car.
“Hmm, I see things have changed since last time.” She smirks and I know she’s referring to the night I kissed her when I told her I was trying not to be a gentleman.
“Just give me the damn keys,” I mutter, snatching them from her hands and hitting the unlock button. “Get in the damn car, Juney.” I open the door.
“Bossy,” she mocks and grabs the top of the door, swinging her legs inside. But just before she sits down in the car, she stands up on her tippy toes, her lips now so close to mine, and whispers, “And for the record, it wouldn’t just be a hookup. It would rock your fucking world.”