Chapter Seventeen #3
Mr. Wilson took his hard hat off and ran his fingers through his graying hair.
He opened his mouth to object but was interrupted by a short yell and the clang of metal against metal.
My legs were moving before I even fully registered the scene below me.
The floor thudded as my mud-covered boots hit it running.
Evan hovered over Reyes and yelled for help.
Reyes held his bleeding hand to his stomach and rocked as if it would ease the pain.
Open flesh hung from the side of his palm, and I cursed.
It looked fucking ruined. I wanted to hit Evan.
There wasn’t any doubt in my mind this was his fault.
I swallowed a snarl and averted my eyes in case the damned things were glowing under my fury.
“We need to get him to the clinic,” I barked out.
Mr. Wilson handed me the first aid kit he’d swiped from one of the stashes. Though they tended to be well stocked and not your average medical supplies, it was still monumentally inadequate for an injury like his. I wrapped an entire roll of gauze around his hand, ignoring his screams of pain.
Mr. Wilson squatted beside me. “Evan, drive him into town,” he ordered.
Evan leaned against the rail like we had offered him a rat. “Me? Why don’t you make your golden boy do it?”
Mr. Wilson’s face turned a deep shade of furious red. “Because that golden boy actually works around here.”
Evan crossed his arms stubbornly. “No, thanks. Don’t want him bleeding like a stuck pig all over my truck.”
I didn’t hesitate. I tossed him the keys to my truck. It wasn’t surprising in the least that he worried about his trashed out pickup over his friend. That was just Evan.
He sighed heavily and stomped down the stairs, leaving Mr. Wilson and I to trail behind with a very pale looking Reyes propped between us.
****
Mira
How would I ever get used to the feel of touch? I had gone for so long without any kind of physical contact. It sent my skin buzzing. I brushed my mouth with my fingertips and imagined for the thousandth time what Caleb’s soft lips had felt like against mine.
Even more important than affection, Caleb had opened up and shared his favorite spot.
He’d held my hand the entire way back to the house and kissed me at the front door when he dropped me off.
And he’d returned and kissed me again before he made it all the way to his truck, like he couldn’t get enough.
My lips throbbed just thinking about the way he’d kissed me for half an hour before he left.
“Oh, lover girl,” Opal sang as she slammed the phone into its sling.
I straightened and laughed in embarrassment. I had spent most of the day in a dream. The lunch rush was over and only a few customers remained. All satisfied and not wanting for anything, I had drifted off down memory lane. Again.
“We got an order for three Very Cherry pies. They are picking them up first thing in the morning. Put the big sugar granules on top like you did last time.” Her voice faded as she disappeared into the back room, but I could still hear her when she said, “They’re like little tongue orgasms.”
Shaking my head, I sighed. I mean really. How could a thing as small as a kiss make me feel so different? My hands went to work while my mind twirled merrily on its way.
“What do you recommend?” Caleb asked from behind me.
His voice startled me, and I let off a loud squeak. I spun around and knocked the yellow flour container to the floor. A culinary smoke cloud wafted around me like I was supposed to disappear in a magic show.
Opal poked her head out of the storage room and looked from me to Caleb and held out a broom.
Caleb leaned over the counter to better see her. “I’m sorry, Ms. Opal. That was my fault. I scared her.” He was trying unsuccessfully not to smile.
“If you’re here to harass my girl, you’re going to have to wait until after her shift is over.”
“No ma’am. I heard you guys have the best dessert around. Just got off of work and wanted to try some is all.”
“Hmm,” she said through narrowed eyes. The corner of her mouth was turned up in a tiny smile, though, which softened her expression. “Mira made a lemon pie this morning that is to die for.” She winked. “We are calling it Grizzly Bear Meringue.”
Caleb huffed a laugh. “Well, I’ll have to have a slice of that one, then.”
I wiped my hands on my apron and pulled a slice out of the front display case for him. My hands shook as I rang him up.
“Hey,” he said, grabbing my fingers as I held out his change. “You all right?” He looked down at my hand with a worried frown.
“Yes, I’m fine,” I whispered. “You just startled me.”
He ran a thumb over my knuckles, leaving a trail of heat where his skin touched mine. Caleb’s smile said he liked my physical reaction to him. “When do you get off?”
“Uh.” I looked at the clock on the back wall. “Two more hours. Why?”
“You want to go out tonight?”
I hesitated. My heart was in my throat, and if I spoke too soon, he would be able to hear how downright giddy I felt. Deep breath. “Okay.”
He looked surprised, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why. I’d basically thrown myself at him yesterday. “Yeah?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Okay. I’m going to go get ready. I’ll pick you up here in two hours.”
He took his pie to go and looked back at me with a grin that just about buckled my knees before he walked out the front door. If I didn’t have his crumpled dollar bills in the palm of my hand, I would’ve sworn I’d just dreamed him.