8. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
M y head swiveled as something in the usually deserted morning streets caught my eye. I froze as a sleek, black Range Rover came barreling toward me. The noise-cancelling headphones had worked right up until the screeching brakes broke through them.
Despite my circumstances, I couldn’t seem to move. Cars and I had a rough history. Every time I found myself near one, I simply lost all ability to act like a normal human being. Eleven years might’ve passed since the accident, but I still only climbed into one when it was absolutely necessary.
Perks of living in a small beach town.
The shiny, clearly new Range Rover came to an abrupt stop a mere foot away from me. I took a step back, pulling my headphones from my ears and throwing my hands in the air.
What the hell , I mouthed.
My heart pulsed in my throat while my eyes moved toward the man behind the dash. His striking appearance didn’t help the racing in my chest, but it did hinder the rage a tiny bit. His dark brown hair, shaggy and perfectly styled, stayed in place as he ripped off his classic-style Ray Bans. A look of panic flooded his dark eyes as they frantically scanned up and down my frame.
Still a little annoyed and now a bit anxious, adrenaline pumped through me. I turned away from him, expecting to return to my run and hopefully a normal heart rate.
“Hey!” he shouted, his voice wavering.
I wanted to keep moving, but as I heard him open his door and crunch toward me, my body had other plans. Spinning around with a little extra sass, I found myself gazing into his eyes. From this vantage point, I noticed they were actually more copper-colored than brown.
With broad shoulders and a large chest that seemed surprisingly steady, this man stood roughly six feet tall and appeared to have been plucked straight from a Ralph Lauren ad. He wore a tailored navy suit that was made to fit every inch of his body, further signaling that he clearly didn’t belong in this town—at least not permanently. His trousers hit his ankles just so, and a pair of cognac loafers complemented the entire outfit. His chiseled jawline seemed to become even more defined by the second.
I stood, mesmerized, and watched the hand-crafted silver watch that fit snug on his left wrist shine as he swiped his fingers impatiently through his hair.
“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Holy shit. Thank god. You scared me,” he said, canvasing my entire frame while he rubbed his chest back and forth.
“Maybe you could slow down next time,” I said. “This town isn’t big enough to be driving that fast.”
I was criticizing him all while trying not to gawk at him.
He furrowed his bushy brows but not before letting a tiny smirk slip through his perfectly straight teeth. “Got it. Too fast. Slow down. Small town.”
“Great. You’re a quick learner. Now that we’re done here, I can get back to my run.”
As I turned, my foot got tripped up on the curb behind me, and in an instant, I was plummeting toward a complete face plant.
Until I wasn’t.
Two strong hands wrapped around my lower half and twisted me upward. Within seconds, I was standing upright, my chest pressed against his. For a moment, the world paused, and all I could feel was the constant rhythm of his unwavering heartbeat.
Neither of us spoke a word, but we didn’t need to. His expression mimicked mine. A blend of confusion and fascination drifted between us. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something about him felt familiar as my hand rested on his firm chest.
“Thanks,” I muttered, briskly stepping out of his reach.
“Of course. It’s the least I could do after nearly running you over.”
“Did you just admit that you did in fact almost run me over?” I asked, a little less angsty and a little more playful.
“I’ll always admit when I’m in the wrong, but…” His voice drug out the last word.
“But what?”
His right eyebrow rose up while the rest of his face displayed a to-die-for smile. “But… I do remember the light being green.”
Quickly defending myself, I countered, “It was green, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be aware of your surroundings and watch out for other people,” I huffed. “You’re clearly not from around here, so I’ll let you in on a little secret. We look out for each other in this town, that’s what makes this place so special.”
“This place is special, there is no doubt in my mind about that.” His comment caught my attention, but not for long. “Didn’t your parents teach you to look both ways before crossing the street?” he teased.
Clearly, he wasn’t done trying to make a point, but neither was I.
“Didn’t your parents teach you to follow the speed limit?”
“Okay, okay. Touché. Can we agree that we’re both in the wrong here?” He held out his hand, almost as if he wanted to confirm a truce between us.
Our hands grasped and I swore I felt tingles of energy shooting up my arm, but I wasn’t about to make it obvious.
“Let’s just say we can agree to disagree.” I shot him a wink before shifting my body toward the water and away from him. Just as I was walking away and putting my headphones back in place, I heard his voice.
“Can I at least get your name?”
“My parents taught me to never give my name to strangers,” I yelled.
I quickly pressed play, shoving my phone into the spandex pocket of my black biker shorts before I could see the song. The familiar beat of “Follow Me” by Uncle Kracker spilled into my ears, and I smirked as the wind ran across my face.
A sliver.
Picking up my pace, I started into jog. This had always been our song, Liv’s and mine. It had been years since the accident, but not a day passed that she wasn’t with me. She made sure of it.
I was fairly confident this was her way of telling me that she was proud of how I just handled that situation. Normally, I would’ve stumbled over my words in the presence of a man who looked like that. But not today. Today I’d been quicker and sassier than ever. My responses came straight from Liv’s playbook.
“Proud of me, aren’t ya, Liv?” The words quietly exited my mouth as a small smile crept across my face.
I was proud of myself too.
Lately, I’d been stuck. Set in my ways. Ways that weren’t how I imagined my life turning out. Ways that seemed predictable, routine, almost automatic. Sometimes I caught myself remembering how I used to be. Before the accident. But that was when I had Liv. She was the lighthearted one, the wild one, the one whose spirit was so free no one was going to stop her. With her by my side, there was no choice but to embrace the chaos.
Sometimes, I wished I could go back to that place. That girl.
The salty air tickled my lips as I ran through town, and I used my tongue to wet them. I found myself daydreaming about Range Rover man and the automatic response my body had toward him.
Based on his attire and the car he drove, I could safely assume that he didn’t live here, at least not full time. And while he looked the part of a summer regular, I’d never seen him before.
Because trust me when I say, I wouldn’t forget someone like him.
He had an air about him. One that smelled intoxicating and carried a trace of arrogance, but not the annoying, in-your-face kind. More of the damn, that’s hot kind. I half expected him to get out of the car, throw his hand in the air, and be a complete asshole. To be fair, I was in the wrong, so I wouldn’t have been that shocked.
But instead, he’d stepped out of his car to make sure I was okay. He even appeared shaken up, and dare I say worried? My stomach danced, but only a little before I yanked myself back to reality.
I’d been mindlessly running around town for over an hour, and the coolness that’d floated through the air this morning had swiftly been replaced by sweltering heat.
That was my cue to go home.
My day was booked and busy. First on the list was a shower, because holy hell I was hot, and I wasn’t convinced the sun was the only contributing factor.
Running up my apartment steps, I unlocked my door and beelined to the bathroom.
Sliding the white ruffle curtain to the side, I stepped in. The water sent a wave of shock up my spine as it washed my sweat down the drain. Under the spray, I ran through my to-do list for the day—grocery store, lunch with Chief Williams, and then home to get a few words in before my shift.
I’d been working on writing my first novel since… well, since forever. At this point, it was just a bunch of words in a Word document, but everyone had to start somewhere, right? It had always been my dream to move to New York City and become an author—something I’d only ever shared with Liv. After the accident, I stopped talking about it, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t still my dream.
Wiping the mirror clean of steam, I stared at my reflection.
My damp hair looked almost brown, clinging to my wet body and hitting just below my boobs. Wavy in nature, the water only brought out the curls. I found myself questioning if I’d ever be the type of girl who could end up with someone like Range Rover man. Although, the thought made me chuckle. I was sure he’d prefer a woman with more of an it factor.
That notion sent a wave of disappointment flooding the base of my stomach.
I shrugged off the residual letdown and threw on a pair of ripped jeans and a loose linen button-up shirt.
As I grabbed my purse, my phone stopped me.
“Hey, Dad,” I answered.
“Hey, MJ. Can you do me a favor?”
“Always. What’s up?”
“The ice machine at the restaurant is on the fritz and I don’t have time to run to the store before we open for the day. Can you grab some and run it by?”
“Yeah, of course. How many bags do you think you need?”
“Just a couple to get us through the afternoon. I talked to Charlie earlier. He’s going to load up his truck with ice from the marina to fill our back freezer until I can get someone out here to fix it.”
“Sounds good. I’m actually running to the grocery store right now, so I’ll grab a few bags and drop them off on my way home.”
I hadn’t planned on getting that many things, but now that bags of ice were on the list, I grabbed my foldable wagon from the front closet and headed. out.
“Love you big.”
“Love you bigger! See you soon!”