Dealing with Blue

by Stacia Leigh

  She didn’t laugh, didn’t even crack a smile. In fact, she was about as serious as an F minus grade in an underwater survival class. He never had to work so hard at trying to lighten up a situation. Smiles, anyone? Geez. And why was she tearing up her nails again?

  “Am I driving?” She gulped.

  “Hey, calm down,” he said and without thinking, reached out to squeeze her hand briefly, then let it go. “I’ll drive us out of town, and when we get to the lake, we can trade. It’ll give you a feel behind the wheel. Easy traffic, no lights, just a leisurely drive.”

  “Traffic? You’re not talking about Lake Judy are you?” Suzy glanced uneasily at the passing cars, slowing into the turn lane.

  “Yes, and what an excellent idea! We’ll drive by Gemma’s house, right? She’ll see you driving my truck. Newsflash…no one drives my truck but me.” Boom. There was Gemma’s face, twisted up with red-hot jealousy. Oh, yeah, mission accomplished and in graphic detail. If there was one thing he’d learned while dating Gemma for nearly a year, it was how to piss her off with big impact. Not like he went out of his way or anything.

  “I don’t know…” Suzy groaned, opening the door on the passenger side. “There’s lots of parked cars down there and people milling around. I thought you meant Brock Burrow Lake.”

  “Are you trying to get me alone because Brock Burrow Lake is pretty secluded, you know?” J.J. hiked up inside the cab and slipped the key into the ignition.

  “No, I—”

  “I’m kidding, Suzette. Lighten up.” The truck engine rumbled, and it sounded like sweet, sweet music.

  “Don’t call me that. I hate being called Suzette.” She pointed her pert little nose toward the windshield and crossed her arms over her chest.

  He clicked his seatbelt and studied her rigid profile. Red hair pulled back, a frowny brow, she looked unhappy and tense. This was supposed to be fun, and it would be, if he could put a smile on her face. Not to mention if Gemma really did see them drive by, man, his day would be complete.

  “Okay.” He nodded apologetically. “I was feeling partial to buttercup anyway.”

  Instead of punching the gas, like he normally would, he eased into oncoming traffic like a—Hello, Dad—responsible person. He didn’t want to scare the bejesus out of Blue. Not yet, anyway.

  “Okay, Larch Street’s coming up. I’ll pull over here.” J.J. steered his prized possession to the side of the road and turned off the engine. “You can drive the loop, nice and slow.” He hopped out of the cab and walked around the grill while Suzy slid across. He climbed in on the passenger side and caught her wiping her hands down her jeans. The hard case for her glasses sat on the seat between them. “Put on your glasses and remember, situational awareness. Look around, if it’s clear, pull out. You got it. Nice and slow. Nice and—easy!”

  “I looked both ways, and now I’m pulling out, just like you said.” She sat forward, gripping the steering wheel in a stranglehold as she eased the front end past the corner of a parked car. Tap, tap, tap on the gas. Jerk, jerk, herky-jerk.

  J.J. slunk down in his seat with a groan. His truck was an automatic, so there should be nothing to it. But, man, what a pitiful start. “Listen, steady on the gas pedal, buttered stuff, or I’m going to lose my cream puff.”

  “Enough with the names, alright? I’m trying the best I can.” Tap, tap. “I’ve never even been behind a wheel before, so give me a break.”

  “Never? What are you saying?” J.J. sat up and gaped. “Your dad never let you drive on all those mountain back roads?”

  “If I needed to go somewhere, he took me.”

  “He sure keeps a tight hold on his women. Watch where you’re going.” J.J. shook his finger at the center line.

  “What’s that supposed to mean, ‘his women’? That’s a pretty sexist comment, don’t you think?”

  “He takes care of your mom doesn’t he? Hello? They’re divorced. I stopped by your house earlier—”

  “You what?” Suzy shot him a wide-eyed look as the truck coasted forward.

  “Eyes on the road!”

  She stomped on the brake with both feet, and his hands shot out in front of him as the seat belt locked across his chest. “Jesus! And no stopping right in the middle of a lane. You’ll get us rear-ended or worse, T-boned. And believe me—”

  He froze mid lecture, and his entire body crackled with pressure. No way. What were the odds that they’d drive by at the exact moment Gemma was out jogging? He never really believed his imagined timing would work, but here it was the trifecta: Suzy with him, driving his truck, and now, meeting Gemma. Cool it, Radborne. Get into position and make it good.

  “There’s Gemma. Pull over…pull over.” J.J. waved to the side of the road. “No, not here, right there. There. Back there! Geez. Just…pull over.”

  “Calm your frantic self down. You’re freaking me out. I’m a new driver, remember?” Suzy grouched, coasting to the curb. “What happened to Mr. Cool? Huh? Mr. Ten Below?”

  “Ten below what?” He held up his palm like a stop sign. “Never mind. Just put it in park, and don’t forget you’re my girlfriend.” He un-clicked his seat belt, slid across to the middle of the cab, and put his arm across the back of the driver’s seat behind Suzy. He reached across her and pushed the button on the door, lowering the window.

  “Personal space,” she murmured, visibly sucking in her gut.

  “Shut it,” he breathed into her ear and on a whim, nipped her earlobe.

  Suzy jumped and clutched the steering wheel, ready for ramming speed ahead, not the visual he had in mind. He turned the key in the ignition and killed the engine. Better to be safe than sorry. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Gemma approach. Neon yellow jogging shorts, black tank, white shoes. Mere steps away.

  “Dang, this is fun,” he muttered against Suzy’s temple.

  Everything fell into place: timing, set, and characters. Now, get ready for action! It was the perfect script. With his nose in Suzy’s hair, he took a deep, slow breath.

  A cloud of marzipan and cocoa eased in and swaddled his mind. His skin tingled with electricity. Yeah, weird—he actually felt dizzy. He pulled back and focused on the redhead who sat next to him like a brick of ice. What was going on here? He took a tentative sniff, and there it was again, a faint tickle of magic. With Ms. Prissy As Hell? She was cute, but…

  He shook himself and looked out the window at the reason they were cuddling in his cab. Gemma, Gemma, Gemma.

  His ex’s happy, up-turned face aligned with the window but dropped the instant her gaze hit on his pretend girlfriend sitting behind the wheel. Thank God for Suzy because he had a show to put on.

  “J.J.?” Gemma’s dark-lined eyes flicked around the cab. “What’s going on?”

  “Oh, hey, Gemma. Just out for a joyride. Blue’s learning to drive, but we’re taking a break. I’m teaching via the reward system.” He squeezed Suzy’s shoulder and whispered into her ear, “Relax, girlfriend.”

  “Hi.” Suzy snapped out of her trance and cleared her throat. She pushed up her glasses, then dropped a stiff hand onto his leg with her fingers curving to the inside. Whoa! It was a little high on the thigh, there.

  J.J. almost blushed when Gemma’s eyes fell to his lap. He slid Suzy’s hand away from his crotch and closer to his knee, patted it a couple times, and held it captured against the denim. Keep it together, Blue.

  “Yes, I, uh…I brake for rewards,” Suzy said.

  “Oh.” Gemma swallowed hard like she might have a gym sock stuck in her throat. She blinked and cut her gaze from Suzy to J.J. “I waited at your locker yesterday. I thought you were still grounded. I thought—” Her voice wavered as she pulled her lip through her bottom teeth. Out of the corner of her eye, she cast a concerned glance at Suzy. “J.J., can we talk later?”

  “I’m with Blue tonight.” J.J. draped his arm over Suzy’s shoulder, and his hand dangled dangerously over Suzy’s Butter Me Up logo. “And I’m guessing, you’re with Ro
n. Am I right?”

  “You’re making a huge mistake, J.J. You think there’s something going on, but there isn’t. I told you, we’re friends. We talk, that’s all.”

  Talk, talk, talk. What was the old saying about crazy people? They repeated the same thing yet expected different results? She may not be crazy, but he’d heard this line before, and he still wasn't going to change his mind. Nothing new here. J.J. shook his head with disappointment and stroked his thumb over Suzy’s soft hand, the one he held against his leg.

  “Sure. Have a good time, talking. Blue and I…you remember how it is with new love? You can’t get enough of each other.” J.J. leaned over Suzy and twisted the key a half-turn in the ignition. He pushed the button on the door, “See you Monday,” he said as the window closed, nearly snubbing Gemma’s nose.

  She had proved, once again, how Ron was a permanent fixture, and friends or not, did it matter anymore? She had her friend, and now J.J. did, too. Doling out the equality felt—J.J. brushed his fingers over Suzy’s—it felt good.

  Suzy thawed out, relaxing under his arm, and looked down at the hand dangling over her chest.

  “Don’t breathe,” J.J. chuckled, “or I’m going to get a handful.” He pushed away before she could even think about elbowing him in the stomach again, and once on the passenger side, he buckled up. “Now gun it! Let’s get out of here.”

  Suzy looked for traffic over her shoulder, pushed the gas, and nothing. They sat there face-to-face with Gemma gaping in the window.

  “Buttercup, you need to start the engine.”

  “Right.” Suzy turned the key all the way, and the engine roared like a beast.

  “Foot off the brake, please. And don’t forget…situational awareness.”

  Suzy pulled forward like a blind granny and puttered down Larch Street at a whopping five miles an hour. J.J. slapped a hand over his face and wiped it off his chin. Worst stage exit ever.

  After a couple miles of offering patient instructions—Go faster. Easy. Watch it. Stop sign. Are you looking? Smooth out. Cops!—Suzy finally coasted into Badger Court and tap-tap-tapped the brakes into his driveway. The fun never really got started, yet it was over, thank God.

  “So ends the worst driving experience of my life.” J.J. dropped his head back and stared at the roof of his cab. The whole Gemma sighting left him emotionally drained.

  Suzy turned off the ignition, slid the gear into park, and unclipped her seatbelt. The door creaked as she opened it and slid out.

  “J.J….” She turned and looked up at him. He was still sitting on the passenger side with the seatbelt over his lap. “I wanted to let you to know I had a blast!”

  Her blue eyes sparked with excitement, and her smile was the biggest he’d ever seen. Her energy was infectious, and he couldn’t help not to smile back.

  But seriously? Honesty prevailed. “No, it wasn’t,” he said.

  “What do you mean?” She pulled off her glasses and frowned with concern.

  “I mean the driving. I don’t know what to call it, but it wasn’t fun. Don’t get me wrong…it will be. But the fun part, the best part, was Gemma’s face. Did you see her mouth hanging open when you tried to cop a feel? Genius. I’ll admit, it caught me off guard, but pure genius.” He laugh-sighed while unclipping his belt and dropped out of the truck. Suzy slammed her door and came around, keys dangling off her finger.

  “I didn’t cop a feel.”

  “You practically grabbed my crotch, moaning about rewards, and all this time, I thought you were Little Miss Priss.” He took the keys from her and wagged his finger. “You better watch it, though.” He laughed. “You came real close to a deal breaker. No pawing, remember?”

  She stood by quietly with her fists clenched. She looked like she was either going to squirt tears or punch his lights out.

  J.J. stopped laughing. “What?” He threw his hands up. “It’s all true.”

  “I…I didn’t mean to touch you like that. I’m sorry. I…it was an accident.”

  J.J. leaned down and looked her straight in the aqua blues. Sometimes she seemed kind of tough, like she wasn’t going to take any of his crap. Other times, like now, she seemed sensitive and a little bit fragile. Earlier, he’d given her a spiel about not having to care what he said or did, about not needing to impress her. But they were friends, and he did care.

  “Listen, I’m only teasing you,” J.J. said. “And I hate to tell you this, but I only get worse the better you know me. Truth. C’mon, I’ll help you back in your window.” He brushed her arm gently. “Good driving, by the way. For never having touched a steering wheel or a gas pedal, you did some pretty fancy footwork.”

  “Thanks, J.J.” She smiled and her entire face bloomed. Her aqua eyes deepened into a brilliant turquoise and warmth tinged her cheeks. The whole effect made him stumble back.

  He braced himself as he warily checked out the freckles dusting her nose. Gemma’s words, You’re making a huge mistake, J.J., buzzed in the folds of his gray matter.

  Chapter 9: Flash

  Bright sunbeams pierced a small opening in the blinds and turned Suzy’s dark world into one of hazy pink. She lifted her brows, but her lids wouldn’t follow. Instead, they remained in place like a thin film. Her hand snaked out and patted around the twist of sheets until it came into contact with a fluffy, cozy quilt. Grabbing the edge, she jelly-rolled under the covers. Heaven.

  Rap, rap, rap.

  Suzy groaned. Sleeping. Yum.

  Yummy was working the extra hours at The Butterhorn Bakery yesterday, leading to the extra money and extra time away from her chaotic house. She cleaned the back counter and organized the plates into stacks and the cups into rows while surrounded by yummy sweets: fresh baked cherry almond chews and marzipan swirls, tart lemon bars and gingersnaps, not to mention pumping chocolate into espresso drinks by the hundreds.

  After driving with J.J. on Saturday, Suzy drifted through the rest of the day on a soft dollop of contentment. Sunday came along, and she drifted some more. The total weekend was a yummy feeling of lightness and freedom. Nothing touched her—no lamps, no boxes, no dust, no dolls, no guilt. No distrust. She had embraced life with her arms stretched out wide like J.J. did. Everything seemed to come easy to him. Nothing blocked him in. He kept moving, teasing, laughing. He was fun; driving was fun.

  If she doubled her shifts, she’d double her tips, and she’d have enough money to buy her own car when summer started. She could move, and laughter and freedom would be hers. She could drive anywhere, see anything, and go anytime she wanted. A visit to Tessa in Bozeman was very doable, and it all started with a car. What a sweet dream.

  Rap, rap, rap.

  Suzy lifted her brows again, and this time, her eyelids peeled back a hair-width. She shifted her knees deeper into the warmth, and her lids closed.

  Rap, rap, rap!

  What? What! Suzy jerked upright. Did her alarm go off? She scissored her legs free of the blanket cocoon and picked up her phone to check the time. It was early. She still had twenty minutes to sleep.

  She scooted across her bed and jerked the draw string back, squeezing her eyes shut against the piercing sunlight. Her vision adjusted as she fumbled with the lock on the window pane, then pushed the glass aside. She leaned forward and glared down at J.J., who looked rumpled like he’d rolled out of bed and sauntered to her window for a morning visit.

  “It’s early.”

  “Stunning.” J.J. put a hand over the front of his gray sweatshirt and stepped forward. “Look at all that hair. You really do look like the princess. You know, Rumplestiltskin.”

  “L…O…L,” she said drily. Why was he looking at her like that? Astounded, like he’d never seen such a sight. What? Suzy touched her tangled hair. Was she that hideous?

  “I’m kidding. Uh…you’ve definitely got the whole Rapunzel thing going on—”

  “What do you want, J.J.? My alarm hasn’t even gone off yet.”

  “Okay. First off…” He held up hi
s hands. “I hate to tell you this, but I sort of have to because I’m a gentleman.”

  “Right.” Suzy rolled her eyes and laughed. A gentleman. “Wait…tell me what? Is something wrong?”

  Maybe he got into trouble. Was he grounded again? No more truck, no more driving lessons. Or maybe he’d been with Gemma, and they’d spent Sunday giggling in the cab of his truck. Ugh! But it’s what he wanted, right? To get back together with her? Suzy’s heart pinched a little.

  Or could it be her? Was she the problem? He’d told her on Saturday he’d stopped by her house. Did he see inside? Oh, God. Suzy closed her eyes. If he did, then he’d be utterly disgusted.

  “Nothing’s wrong.” He finger-combed his surfer-dude hair while looking up. “It’s only…I can see everything.”

  “Everything?”

  “I can see straight up your shirt.”

  “What?” Suzy blinked. What did he say? Reality bonked her on the head like a brick. “Gah!” She threw herself backward and bounced on the bed, heat flushing her skin. In a fury, she clutched at the v-neck of her nightshirt and inched toward the window.

  “You…you jerk!” she wailed, tears pricking the backs of her eyes. She could die!

  “Hey, now…no worries.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s a nice way to start the day, buttercup. A very nice way.”

  “Stop calling me by that stupid name!” Pressing her neckline flat against her skin, she reached across the opening to pull the window closed.

  “Hold on.” J.J. threw his hand up and blocked the track. “Let’s walk to school together. You know, keep up appearances.”

  Suzy growled and bump-bumped the window pane against his fingers.

  “What if I see Gemma this morning?” he said quickly. “She knows we’re neighbors, so it only makes sense.”