God, I loved the way she looked at me, all surprise and concern and hope.
No one ever looked at me that way.
I was always a nuisance.
Even my mom struggled to see any good qualities in me. “What’s it to you?”
I asked it playfully, waggling my brows while scanning the shelves to check my supply of bike parts.
I needed to order a new set of handlebars for Jack, but that wasn’t a priority.
Fixing the power was my priority.
Rafe was too damned stubborn to let it go after the confrontation with the townspeople.
Maybe I could talk to him.
He might be more apt to listen after taking out his frustrations on Noelle.
I gave her a quick side glance to check her over.
Flushed cheeks and a relaxed posture meant she’d had a good time.
Good for them.
I retrieved my keys and jingled them in my hand.
My tongue flicked across the edges of my teeth, and I unwrapped a candy, popping it into my mouth.
The soft butterscotch flavor helped ease the need to chew on something.
“You look like you’re up to no good.” Arms still crossed, Noelle entered the garage.
Her hair was mussed, the usual curls framing her face and drifting over her shoulders.
I shrugged.
I could tell her that I was on my way to fix the power because I’d rather we didn’t wake up to a bunch of elderly popsicles in the morning.
I could, but I wasn’t going to.
I settled my bag of tools in the saddlebags and strapped them down. “I’m going out. If you want to know what I’m doing, you’ll have to come with me.”
I fully expected her to turn around and go back inside.
She’d enjoyed her time on the bike earlier, but that didn’t mean she was ready to go again.
Her eyes lit up at the challenge, and she arched an eyebrow. “You’d really let me go?”
“Sure.” I shrugged and leaned toward her. “I’m not much of a control freak. Unlike Rafe.”
Her cheeks flushed crimson. She covered them with both hands. “How much did you hear?”
“Not much.”
Lie.
We’d heardeverything.
