by Chloe Morgan
“And I don’t have the time to stand around and listen to an entire list,” I said.
“Just think about what I said. You’ve got two people to consider in this, and neither of them are you.”
“Yeah. I heard you,” I said.
“You got time to sit and have lunch with me?”
“Nope. Picking things up for Mom and the employees at the shop,” I said.
“Well, my advice is to find yourself a nice little slice of temporary before we head back to Pendleton. If you get out, you can consider yourself ready to do something more serious. But right now? You’re not even in the realm of ready with your life to do something permanent. Much less with a girl who’s got a kid.”
And again, he had another point.
I hugged him one last time, then walked inside to order the food. I pulled out the list and rattled off everyone’s order, then stopped at Erin’s. She wanted a full-sized chicken Caesar salad with extra chicken and sauce, a cinnamon roll, an apple, and a root beer.
I grinned at the drink.
She’d be sorely disappointed when she tasted the root beer at this place.
“Anything else?” the cashier asked.
“Yes. Add to all that a full-sized chicken Caesar salad with extra chicken and dressing and a cinnamon roll. Oh, and an apple,” I said.
“That comes with a drink.”
“Your lemonade is fine. I love it here,” I said.
“Anything else?”
“Nope. That’s it.”
I could take the lemonade and stop by the pizza place to get Erin a root beer for her lunch.
Wasn’t out of my way at all.
Chapter 12
Erin
I sipped on my root beer and watched the clock run down. All day, I had been avoiding Claire. Avoiding talking with her and looking her in the eye. Avoiding being around her so as to minimize the risk of conversation. I sipped my root beer again and made my way quickly down the hallway. I needed to get to the stock room and make some adjustments to this week’s order before—
“Erin! There you are. Can I have your ear for a second?”
Guilt pooled in my gut at Claire’s voice. I felt like shit for what I had done. I drew in a deep breath and plastered the best smile on my face I could muster, then turned around and looked into her eyes.
Eyes she shared with her son.
“What’s up, Miss Claire?” I asked.
“I have to figure out a solution to my scrap fabric problem,” she said.
My blood froze. “That’s probably a good idea.”
“I came in last night and they were just everywhere.”
“I can only imagine,” I said.
“And someone must’ve spilled something on them. Or they’d been sitting there too long anyway. I picked up a few stained ones that—”
“I can toss them into the dumpster out back, if you want.”
Holy hell. This conversation needed to stop now before my mouth ran away from me.
“Well, I don’t want to throw all of them away. Some of the bigger scraps can stay. I do use them, you know,” Claire said.
“Then, I’ll sort through them. I’ll throw the dirty ones away first, then sort them by size. How does that sound?” I asked.
Claire smiled. “I’d really appreciate that. It isn’t too much?”
Not if it gets this conversation over.
“Not at all,” I said.
“Okay. Well, then go ahead and get working. I’ll cover the front desk for now,” she said.
I couldn’t get into the stockroom fast enough. And the first thing I did was gather the fabrics Dane and I had fallen onto the other night. I ignored the scent of his cologne and walked out back, tossing them all into the dumpster. Just armfuls of scrap fabric. I hoped they didn’t need to be put in a trash can liner or anything. I heaved them over the edge, erasing the sins of my past.
I began sorting the rest of the scraps until it was time to leave.
I couldn’t get out of there quick enough. I clocked out and forced myself out the back door, scurrying for my car. Holy shit. I couldn’t believe Claire was talking to me about dirty scraps of fucking fabric. I slammed myself into my car as tears rushed my eyes. I felt beyond guilty for what I’d allowed to happen between her son and myself. She’d fire me the second she figured it out.
I knew she would.
I raced home in my car and blew through the front door. I saw Hailey on the floor, playing with her puzzles while Whitney came down the hallway. She pulled her work shirt over her head before our eyes connected, and she immediately narrowed her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I slept with him,” I blurted out.
My eyes dipped down to Hailey, and she looked up at me.
“Mommy!” she exclaimed.
“Hey there, sweet girl. Come here. How would you like to go play in your room for a little bit, huh? Maybe watch a movie?” I asked.
“Watch wif me?” Hailey asked.
“I’ll be in there to watch in a second,” I said.
I got Hailey set up in her room before I backed out, closing the door. And when I turned around, Whitney was behind me. I jumped and gasped, slamming my hand over my chest as my heart jumped into my throat.
“Don’t do that to me again,” I breathed.
“You did what now?” she asked.
I grabbed her arm and tugged her all the way into the kitchen.
“I slept with Dane last night,” I said.
My sister’s jaw fell open.
“I know. I know. Trust me, I know. But it just happened. Claire left early and Dane caught wind of it, so he came down there all pompous and manly and ‘I have to make sure you’re okay’ and shit like that. Then, we went into the stockroom to organize things and we fell into the scrap fabric pile and—”
“His dick just slipped into you?” Whitney asked.
“I’m freaking out here,” I said.
“Yeah. I would be, too. Why the hell would you do something like that?”
“I mean, it was kind of nice.”
“Nice?”
“Yeah. I mean, Whitney. It’s been forever since I’ve had a man’s touch against my skin. And at first, I was not for it. But when he kissed me, he paused.”
“What? Like he was second-guessing things?”
“No. Like he was waiting for my approval,” I said.
Whitney sighed and I watched her relax.
“It was nice to have a guy wait for my approval before he just helped himself to something he thought was his. And Dane felt warm. Welcoming. And he’s really nice to look at,” I said.
“You don’t need this right now. You nor Hailey need it,” Whitney said.
“I just gave in to something that hasn’t happened in a long time. Just because I’m a mom doesn’t mean I don’t have needs.”
“I know that, Erin. I’m not an idiot. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t get hurt.”
“But you’re going to do it again, aren’t you?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d be up for another round, if that was something he wanted.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, don’t come crying to me when he leaves without notice.”
“He’s not that kind of guy, Whit.”
“And you know this from one week and one round of sex on some fabric scraps?” she asked.
I sighed as she moved past me to get to the fridge.
“I need a glass of wine before work,” she murmured.
“Go ahead and make that two, if you’re pouring,” I said.
Chapter 13
Dane
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?” I asked.
“I’m sorry for calling. Did I wake you up?” she asked.
“Let me see. Did you wake the military man up at ten in the morning when he’s used to being up at the crack of dawn. Mmm…”
“Don’t be sarcastic. I have an emergency.�
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I jumped up from my chair and raced for my keys as I propped the phone against my shoulder.
“What is it, Mom? Where are you?” I asked.
“It’s not me. It’s Erin,” she said.
I slammed out of the house, running and jumping over bushes to get to my truck.
“Where is she and what does she need?” I asked.
“I’m on my way to meet a client, but she called me saying she’s on the side of the road with a flat tire. I-I-I gave her a late morning, saying she could sleep and just go straight to the client meeting. But—”
“Where is she, Mom?”
I slammed into my truck and cranked up the engine.
“Erin’s on the side of the highway. She says she can see mile marker twenty two. She said someone came up fast on her and ran her off the road. And now her tire’s flat.”
“Is she hurt? Was Hailey with her?” I asked.
“No, and no. At least, she didn’t sound hurt. I’m so sorry. I have to get to—”
“You get to your meeting. I’ll take care of Erin. Did she say anything about having a spare?” I asked.
“That’s why I called. She was really struggling in the background. My guess is, yes. And she doesn’t know how to put it on.”
“I’m on my way. I’ll let you know when I’ve got her back on the road,” I said.
“Thank you so much, sweetie. I really appreciate it.”
I raced through town as quickly as I could. I hit the highway and sped fifteen miles over the speed limit. Usually, I was thirty damn minutes away from that mile marker. But today, I was only fifteen. The second I blew by the mile marker, I saw her. She was rolling the tire around on the side of the highway while her car sat there, cockeyed on the shoulder. I slowed down and pulled up to her. I watched her wipe away a few of her tears. My heart went out for her as she whipped her head around, and I took in her red cheeks and puffy eyes.
But once she saw me, her face steeled strong.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Mom called. Said you needed help,” I said.
“I don’t need help. I’ve got this.”
“Erin, I don’t want to fight you on this, okay? I just want to get you back on the road, and I can show you how to do it in the process so if this happens again, you really don’t need help.”
“I can pull something up on the internet or—”
“Stop. Being. Stubborn,” I commanded.
Her eyes shot up to mine, and she held my gaze for a long time. I checked her body, taking in her crooked stance and her hands. I wanted to make sure she hadn’t been hurt. I checked over the state of her car as I stood there. I started walking around it, running my hand along the side just to make sure the structure of the car hadn’t been damaged.
And when I came back around to Erin’s side, she had stepped away to let me work.
“Do you have a jack in the back?” I asked.
“A what?”
“Pop the trunk.”
She scrambled for her keys and popped the trunk, and I found most of what I needed. I pulled out the jack and the unique utensil for most new cars to take off the lug nuts that held the tires on. I walked over to the tire in question and sat down on the curb, then patted the sidewalk next to me.
I was shocked when Erin sat down without protest.
“The first thing you have to do is jack the car up enough so the tire’s off the ground. Otherwise you can’t maneuver it. Bend down with me and I’ll show you where to set the jack, then you can crank it. Okay?” I asked.
“Sure. Yeah. That sounds good,” Erin said.
It went on like that for the entire tire change. I showed her something, then let her do the work. I showed her how to take off the lug nuts properly so the tire didn’t weigh itself down on one end, and then I let her slide the tire off. With my help, she slid it back on, and I watched as she worked the lug nuts and screws back onto the doughnut tire.
Then, I released the jack and had her put everything back in her trunk.
“What helps my mom is to have that list of things in the back of her car. Whenever you get somewhere, write those steps down and put it in the trunk of your car. So, even in a panicked state, you’ve got something that helps you out,” I said.
“I really appreciate it, thank you,” Erin said.
“You’re welcome. Are you sure you aren’t hurt?”
“I’m sure.”
“Then, why do you look worried?”
She sighed. “I hit that curb pretty hard. I’m concerned I did something else to my car.”
“Want me to take a look at it?”
“Do you mind?” she asked.
“I don’t mind at all. If you want, you can look with me and I’ll point out a few of the things everyone should know about a car.”
“I’d really like that, thank you,” she said.
Her calm and submissive demeanor was shocking to me. It was unlike her constant need to combat help at every turn. But I didn’t question it. She went over to her car door and popped the hood, but it didn’t take long for me to see that there was a serious issue that needed to be contended with.
“Why don’t we postpone that lesson and get this car to the shop?” I asked.
Erin came around quickly. “Why? What’s wrong?”
I pointed. “See that fluid leaking onto the curb? Between those two hoses?”
“Yeah. I see it.”
“That’s your gas line. It’s been compromised. Probably cut it on something sharp when you hopped the curb.”
“Fuck,” she whispered.
My eyebrows rose up, and I tried to stifle my laughter.
She sounded very cute when she cussed.
“Come on. I’ll help you get it to the shop before all the gas leaks out. There’s one a couple of exits up. They’ll make sure you can get up and running,” I said.
She got into her car, and I followed her. And it turned out that she had just enough to get to the shop before her car sputtered out. We put it in neutral and rolled it into the garage, but the diagnosis wasn’t good. A lot had been fucked up when she’d run off the road because she’d hit a pile of branches in the process. Something she hadn’t told me when I pulled up. Erin was shaking. Panicking. And my heart went out to her.
The diagnosis was an overnight stay at the garage, which meant a hotel stay for us.
“I could just take you back home in my truck,” I said.
“I don’t want to leave my car out here. I don’t want you transporting me around everywhere. If they know my car’s gonna be okay by morning, I want to be here to get it,” Erin said.
“It’s really not a big deal. I can just—”
“I don’t expect you to understand what that car means to me, but I’m not leaving this part of town without it.”
There was something in her eyes that burned with determination, so I wasn’t going to fight it. Instead, I nodded and escorted her to my truck while she called her sister. I heard them talking on the phone as I drove around, looking for a hotel with a vacant sign.
I pulled into the only one I saw just as Erin got off the phone.
“My sister can watch Hailey until tomorrow evening, so we’re covered if my car has to stay longer,” she said.
“Sounds good. I’ll let Mom know what’s going on once I check us in. Now, are you sure you want to—?”
I looked over and saw Erin glaring at me. So, I held up my hands in surrender. I slipped out of the truck and managed to snag the only room they had available. Well, the only room they had available that wasn’t disgusting. But I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be up to snuff with what we needed. I got back into the truck and drove us around to our room, then unlocked the door to take in what we had to work with for the night.
And the first thing I noticed was that it only had one bed.
Chapter 14
Erin
The room wasn’t the greatest. A box television. Dark-colored walls
. A leaking faucet. And, of course, one queen-size bed. I couldn’t leave my car. I couldn’t let myself be driven around by some man. That car was everything to me. It had gotten me away from Hailey’s father. Away from a family that kicked me out. It got me into this town in the first place. It symbolized my independence. My strength. The honor I felt I still had in my life. I wasn’t abandoning that. I couldn’t.
I wouldn’t.
The door closed behind me and it ripped me from my trance. I went over and sat down on the edge of my bed, kicking my shoes off. I lay down and pulled myself up to the pillows, trying to forget the musty smell of the sheets. I listened as Dane took out his cell phone and called his mother. I listened while they talked and he filled her in on the circumstances that had taken place. And while he spoke with her, my mind swirled.
I’d be sleeping next to Dane tonight.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
His voice beckoned to me as he lay down. I looked over and found him staring at me. Smiling at me. Closer than I needed him to be and hotter than I could have ever imagined a man being. His dazzling eyes locked with mine, and I felt pulled to him. Drawn to him. Close to him in ways I’d never felt with another person.
Not even Hailey’s father.
“What is this?” I asked.
Dane furrowed his brow. “What is what?”
“What’s happening between us?”
Dane sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, I go back to California in a month. Back to my station. But, if I’m honest, I’m struggling with leaving you behind.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I guess I feel… drawn to you somehow. I can’t really explain it.”
“Neither can I.”
“So, you feel it, too?”
“I do, yes,” I said.
Dane slowly rolled over and brought his face to mine. His hands propped himself up as his body cloaked mine from the chill of the room. I gasped as his face came closer and his body lowered itself onto mine. He fell to his forearms, our lips only inches from one another, and I felt his breath pulsating against my lips.
“I can’t go with you,” I whispered.
“I know,” he said.
“I can’t lose my job. It’s the only way to get my daughter the medicine she needs.”