by Daws, Amy
She growls in frustration. “So wait…you’re doing all this to win back your ex? What about Sam?”
“Sam is just helping me out! There’s nothing going on between us.” I state it so defensively that I know Kate isn’t going to let it slide.
Kate’s lips disappear into her mouth before she replies. “If Sam is hiding this from his best friend, that means something is going on. Fess up.”
Now it’s my turn to groan. For Kate being my brother’s girlfriend, she has an uncanny way of irritating me like a nosy sister. “It’s nothing, okay? We may have kissed when we first met, but that was an impulsive accident, and we didn’t even know each other yet.”
“Oh my god,” Kate exclaims. “This just keeps getting better and better! How far did it go?”
“Just a kiss. Would you stop? Sam is just a friend. I don’t want Miles to know Sterling dumped me because Miles will hate him forever. I’m hoping if I show Sterling that I’m more exciting, he’ll want me back, and we can get back together before anyone realizes we ever broke up. I want our original plan. I had our whole life figured out.”
“Which was?”
“I don’t know, the usual…marriage, babies, seeing the world together. Love at first sight is so rare, and I think it’s serendipitous that my parents had it, and now so do I. I already have my wedding toast halfway written in my head.”
“Oh Meg,” Kate says, reaching over and patting me on the head. “You really are a slightly unhinged hopeless romantic, aren’t you?”
“Oh, shut up,” I snap, batting her hand away as I pull into the parking lot of Tire Depot and find a front row parking spot. “I’m just focusing on my dream life. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
I kill the engine, and at the same moment, Miles walks out from the big shop door off to the side. He’s rolling a tire over the snow-packed sidewalk toward the front lobby entrance. He’s not wearing a coat, and working outside in his jeans and a Tire Depot T-shirt looks damn cold in this frigid temperature.
“I’m living in my dream life,” Kate replies slowly, her voice taking on a deep, husky tone. I look over just to see her staring hard at my brother and licking her lips like a tigress getting ready to pounce.
“Ugh, you’re going to make me puke.” I look away from her just in time to see Sam come out of the garage next, also rolling a tire. His biceps flex beneath the fit of his Tire Depot polo, and I feel a sharp pang of attraction.
“Admit it,” Kate states quietly. “You think Sam is super freakin’ cute.”
I roll my eyes and groan before pressing my forehead to the steering wheel. “Of course, he’s cute. I mean…if you like that bearded, mountain man sort of look.” I peek up again just as he turns to enter the main part of Tire Depot, and he gives me a shot of his ass in those work jeans of his. “It doesn’t matter, though. I have plans with Sterling.”
“Blech,” Kate mumbles under her breath. “Fine. It’s your life, and you’re entitled to do what you want. So what do you need from me exactly? You want to go away with your brother’s best friend this weekend, and you need to make sure Miles doesn’t know?”
“Yesss,” I reply slowly, hating that she has to throw the best friend part in my face again.
“Okay, let me think…” Her eyes light up instantly. “You know what? Oddly, Miles has been pushing to go see my parents again sometime soon, so I guess I could finally agree to it. That would get us out of the house for the weekend, and he won’t even know you’re missing.”
“That would be perfect, Kate!” I exclaim, grabbing her and pulling her into a hug. “He might see if I can come along, but I’ll fake an illness or something.”
Jiggling her chest into mine, Kate coos, “Oh baby, are you this thankful to Sam, too?”
“Shut up!” I exclaim and shove her away. “You’re such a perv!”
“I’m told it’s my best quality.” She winks and hops out of the car.
With a heavy sigh, I follow her into Tire Depot for some complimentary coffee, cookies, and a free oil change from my brother. Gosh, I’m liking Boulder more and more every day.
When Kate and I walk into Tire Depot, I do a quick scan of the shiny lobby area for Sam. I just need to know where he is. As long as I’m not surprised by him, I can school my features to be cool and collected. Miles is wiping off a display tire that he’s hung up on a rack with several other tires when he sees us coming.
“There are two of my favorite girls!” he beams, hitting us with a pearly white smile. “Ready for the Tire Depot experience, Meg?”
“Sure!” I state cheerily and wiggle my keys at him. “Here you go.”
Miles gestures for us to follow him over to the counter. “We’ll get you checked in here first.”
As we approach the counter, someone’s head pops up from beneath the bar height countertop, and as soon as I realize it’s Sam, I bump into Kate.
“Ouch!” Kate exclaims, turning to rub the back of her ankle. “Walk much, Meg? Or just read about it?” She giggles and winks at me, clearly pleased with her little joke.
Miles looks over at me with concern. “Are you feeling okay, Meg? You look kind of flushed.”
He moves over to feel my forehead, and I shake him off as Sam’s eyes dance with mirth the entire time. He waggles his brows at me playfully before resting his elbows on the counter to enjoy the show.
“I’m fine, Miles. Can we just get my oil changed, please?”
“Sam?” Miles says.
Sam holds his hands back. “I’m afraid I can’t help you today.”
My expression falls. Is he about to out us?
Then Sam gestures over at a small girl standing beside him whose chin barely clears the counter. Sam does a quick maneuver, evidently moving his step stool over, and this little strawberry-blond girl climbs on the stool.
“Is this your kid?” I bark out without thinking, sounding even more psychotic than I intended.
Sam does that heart-melting shy smile thing again as he turns his face away from me. “No, this is my niece, Kinsley. Kinsley, these are some of my friends. You know Miles. This is his girlfriend, Kate, and his sister, Maggie.”
“What can I do for you?” Kinsley states, pushing her pink glasses up on her nose. “Are you in need of a rotation today?”
Her serious face has me smiling like a loon as my gaze moves from Sam to her and the adorable little connection they clearly have together as he leans on the counter next to her.
Kate elbows me, and I jump forward, realizing that everyone was waiting for me. “I need an oil change and probably a tire rotation. I’ve put a lot of miles on my car recently.”
“Can do,” Kinsley states, her voice deep as though she’s playing a character. “What’s the make, model, color, and year of your car?”
I giggle and tell her all those things. She takes ages to write it all down in her notebook, but Sam doesn’t rush her one bit. He just smiles affectionately down at her as she lowers her face to her notepad and sticks out her tongue in concentration.
When she’s finished, she looks at her little watch. “It’s going to be about an hour. Will you require a shuttle service today? Or would you like to enjoy our exceptional customer comfort center?”
My smile is permanent now. “Customer comfort center, please!”
Kinsley takes my keys and looks at her uncle briefly before holding her hand up to her mouth and whispering, “Might I suggest an excellent podcast.”
“Kins!” Sam barks, and her eyes go wide like she’s just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“Or just enjoying complimentary cookies and coffee is good too!” she rushes out and hops off the step stool. “I’ll just go take these keys to the guys in the back, and we’ll call you when your car is done.”
Kinsley scampers off, and I turn my eyes back to Sam who is smiling so big at his niece, his entire face lights up. When he looks back at me, I ask with a laugh, “What’s with the seriously adorable child labor?”
I frown. “That’s not a thing.”
“I made it a thing,” he says with a wink. “School is off today, and that one has been driving her mom nuts, so I’m just trying to help out.”
He smiles sweetly, and our eyes hold for a few seconds before Kate clears her throat behind us.
We both turn quickly to refocus on Miles as he says, “Well, let me show you ladies the comfort center so I can get back to work. My boss is a hard-ass.”
I hear Sam grumble under his breath as I follow Miles and Kate to the back. Before I round the corner, I can’t help but look over my shoulder, and my smile grows when I catch Sam checking me out. I know it shouldn’t make me feel so good because I have a plan, but damn, it kind of does.
Kate shows me the coffee machine, and we both get a cup of our preferred beverage before taking a seat at a high-top table. I look around at all the patrons with their Styrofoam cups, scrolling through their phones, or munching on a cookie. The Price is Right is blaring on the TV, but it all seems very cozy as a whole. I can see why Kate likes to hang out in here.
“So Meg, I have one more little tiny thing to say to you, and then I’ll drop it and let you go back to living in la-la land.”
I roll my eyes and exhale heavily as I wait to hear what craziness comes out of her mouth next. “Let’s hear it.”
“Okay, so let’s say your plan to win your ex back works. You end up married with babies and a crazy football player’s wife lifestyle that you’re convinced you will love. That’s all fine and good, and I hope that for you, you know? But right now, this moment, this weekend…you are a gorgeous twenty-two-year-old single woman with a hot, bearded ginger who’s bending over backward to help you out. Why not make your time with Sam really count? Why not make him your last fling before the ring? Sam is the perfect no-strings kind of guy. He doesn’t do relationships. Ever. No exceptions. You’re going to be locked up in a cozy cabin with him for two days, and I really don’t want your muscles to only be sore from snowboarding if you catch my drift.”
“Oh my god!” I exclaim and whack her on the arm because this is all so embarrassing. It’s one thing to read Kate’s dirty books, but it’s another thing entirely to have her basically coaching me about sex. “You are so not giving me permission to bone Miles’s best friend. You are completely unhinged.”
“I’m not unhinged, Meg. I’m a realist. And you’re an idealist, which gives you tunnel vision and causes you to miss the real adventure opportunity here.”
Kate’s voice goes quiet as Sam comes striding into the comfort center with his niece skipping alongside him. Kinsley reaches up and holds his hand like it’s completely natural and she does it all the time. They head over to the cookie case, and she picks out a treat and then gives him puppy dog eyes when she asks for two. He gives her a firm no and then turns his back to grab her a napkin.
She quickly grabs a second cookie when he’s not looking and stashes it behind her back. He looks over at her with a frown, and her angelic smile turns devilish as he turns her around and busts her with cookie number two. With a bemused smile, he shoves her toward the door, and she goes skipping away merrily with her two cookies.
Before Sam walks out the door, he swerves his eyes to where Kate and I sit watching him. He shoots us a sexy sheepish smile, and then with a wink, he’s gone.
Oh my heck, another wink.
Leaning in close, Kate whispers, “Admit it, Meg, you’ve got it bad.”
I realize that my chin is propped in my hands and my mouth is curved up into a swoony smile as I watch Sam disappear around the corner. Covering my face with my hands, I mumble against my palms, “Are you sure he’s a no-strings guy?”
“Absolutely positive,” Kate responds.
I turn to look at her. “I don’t even know him that super well yet.”
Kate shrugs and grabs my phone up off the table. “You have a week to get to know him.”
I stare at it in confusion.
“Text him, Megan.” She laughs at my denseness. “You’d be surprised by how powerful the written word is.”
I bite my lip and pull Sam’s number up on my phone. “What should I say?”
Kate shrugs. “What difference does it make? Tell him a stupid joke or something. Whatever it takes to get the ball rolling.”
As my finger hovers over the screen, I eye Kate and say, “You know if my brother knew about any of this, he would murder all three of us, right?”
“You leave your brother to me.” She winks and sinks her teeth into a cookie before cracking open her laptop and most likely taking notes about this insane love story that is currently my messed-up life.
A Reel Expert Can Tackle Anything
My cell phone rings, and I assume it’s Maggie because it’s Friday and she’s supposed to be here any minute now to ride out in my truck to the ski chalet, but when I look at the screen, I see Miles’s name illuminated.
My shoulders tense as I answer the call. “Hello?”
“Hey, man, how’s it going?”
“All right,” I say slowly, feeling nervous for why he’s calling.
“Listen, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Kate and I are headed to Longmont this weekend to visit her folks.” The phone muffles as Miles whispers into the line. “I was hoping to ask Kate’s father for permission to marry her this weekend. Kate has no clue.”
“Okaaay,” I reply with a soft laugh. I knew the minute Miles bought that ring it would burn a hole in his pocket.
“Anyway, I assumed Megan would come with us, but she says she isn’t feeling well. I feel kinda bad leaving her here all alone since this isn’t her town and shit…but I really do need to see Kate’s dad in person to do this, ya know?”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“So I was wondering if you could check in on Meg?”
My body tenses with his very innocent request. “Check in on her?”
“Yeah, stop by with some soup for her tomorrow maybe. Make sure she doesn’t need to see a doctor or something.”
“You want me to bring your sister soup?” I ask for clarification because I’m a guilty motherfucker.
“Yeah, man. I wouldn’t ask, but she’s my baby sister, ya know? I normally watch out for her, but I can’t, so I’m hoping you can.”
I pull my lips into my mouth and exhale through my nose before replying. “I can watch out for your sister, Miles.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, hating that I’m keeping this secret from my best friend, but I also made a promise to Maggie that I can’t break. “I’ll check in on her tomorrow.”
“Awesome, you’re the best. We’ll be home Sunday afternoon, so depending on how she’s feeling, you might need to go back Sunday morning. That cool?”
“That’s cool.”
“You’re a great friend, Sam, you know that? I know I’m a shitty one these days, but you’re a great one. I really appreciate it.”
My head bows in shame. You wouldn’t think I’m a good friend if you knew what I did last night while picturing your sister. But of course, I don’t say that. Instead, I continue to lie to my friend and don’t mention a word about taking his sister to a secluded cabin for the weekend. I am such a fucker.
We hang up, and I scroll through the text messages Maggie and I have exchanged this past week. There are easily over a hundred. So many that I had to change her contact name in my phone from Maggie to Sparky because I was terrified she was going to text me at Tire Depot when Miles was around.
Sparky: Why can’t you tell a joke while ice fishing?
Me: Because you’re sitting beside me, and I don’t think you’re funny.
Sparky: Eye roll emoji.
Me: Fine…why can’t you tell a joke while ice fishing?
Sparky: Because it’ll crack you up! Get it?
Me: I got it,
sparky.
Sparky: What do fish and women have in common?
Me: This could go so many ways, and most of the ways I have in mind are dirty.
Sparky: They both stop shaking their tail after you catch them!
Me: See? Dirty.
Sparky: That’s not dirty.
Me: It is if you’re in my head.
@Sparky: ☺
Sparky: Where do football players go shopping in the off-season?
Me: I hope it’s not Marv’s.
Sparky: The tackle shop.
Me: Oh boy, just when I thought these were getting better.
Sparky: My ex didn’t think that was funny either.
Me: In that case, I thought that joke was fucking hilarious. You are a comedy genius, and I think we should go on tour together.
All week, Maggie kept hitting me with stupid fishing jokes she found on the internet. And all week, I couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off my face. It was really fucking annoying. And adorable. And charming. And all the things I’m not supposed to be feeling for my best friend’s little sister. Any minute now, she’s going to show up, and we’re going to head to a cabin together where we’ll be all alone for over twenty-four hours.
It’s going to be fucking torture.
It’s dark outside by the time I see headlights pull into my driveway. Maggie parks her car beside my already loaded pickup packed with snowboarding gear, snacks, booze—all the main supplies you need for a weekend of snowboarding. I was able to borrow my sister’s snowboarding gear for Maggie so we won’t have to bother with a rental.
I hear Maggie dragging her suitcase up the stairs and make my way to the front door, opening it just as she lifts her hand to knock. Her dark hair is wild as it sticks out from her red stocking cap and her blue eyes are wide and frantic. “Sorry, I’m so late. I swear I think Miles and Kate had sex before they left because they disappeared into his bedroom for a much longer time than necessary to pack a few things for a weekend with her parents. I had to fake a cold because Miles wanted me to come with them, and then my mom called, convinced I’m having some sort of mental breakdown because I’m staying in Boulder for a few weeks, so I had to talk her off the ledge, and then the roads are slick from the snow, so I had to be really careful driving up your winding road, and holy cow, it’s scary driving around here in the dark, and the sandwiches I picked up for us are probably cold, but I’m lucky I got here, so please don’t expect me to look decent.”