“Hey,” she said, pushing up her glasses with that nervous gesture I’d come to adore. “Sorry to drop by like this.”
“It’s no problem,” I said, stepping back to let her in. “Everything okay?”
“Oh yeah, I’m fine.” She tilted her head, peeking inside. “Hi Xavier.”
Xavier didn’t turn around. “What the hell are you doing here?”
June blinked, looking a little startled. “I, um, Milo left his wallet on my coffee table last night. I thought I’d bring it by on my wayhome from work.” She held up the brown leather wallet I hadn’t realized was missing.
“You could’ve texted,” Xavier said, still not looking at her.
“I had a meeting in Denver, so I was on the highway. I looked up the address on your driver’s license when I realized I didn’t know where you lived, even though we’ve been...” She trailed off, a blush rising on her cheeks.
“Even though we’ve been fucking for weeks?” Xavier supplied.
June, bless her, didn’t seem bothered by his crudeness. Her eyes were darting around the barndominium, taking in every detail with that analytical gaze I’d come to recognize. “This is really cool,” she said, moving deeper into the space. “Did you convert this yourselves?”
“It’s a piece of shit,” Xavier muttered.
“No, it’s not,” June countered. “Are you grumpy because you were fired?”
I blinked, whirling to face Xavier, who had dropped his face into his hands. “From the Rusted Spur? When?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Doesn’t—” I cut myself off, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “That’s half our rent money, X.”
“Don’t be mad. He was trying to help me and didn’t realize the time,” June said absently, approaching one of our project bikes—an old Honda we’d been slowly restoring. “I love the way this place shows your passion. Everything else is secondary to the bikes, isn’t it?”
“We were living in apartments and never had a garage, so when my cousin said we could rent his pole barn for cheap… we went for it.”
“It’s the perfect solution. I can’t imagine leaving your bikes out in some apartment parking lot.” She shuddered. “And here, everything has a function. I like it.” She ran her fingers along the frame of the bike. “How long have you been working on this one?”
“Six months,” I said, unable to keep the pride from my voice. “Engine’s completely rebuilt. Just waiting on some parts for the electrical system.”
June nodded, then hesitated, her fingers drumming against the bike frame.
“What is it?” I asked. “You look like you’re overthinking something.”
She laughed, soft and genuine. “Isn’t that how I look most of the time? But yes, I do have something to tell you.” She took a deep breath. “I’m a little worried you’ll think I’m trying to be your meddling girlfriend, not that I assume I’m your girlfriend or something—”
Her voice broke on the word “girlfriend,” and something in my chest constricted. The more time we spent together, the more I wanted her to be our girlfriend, wanted us to be something real and permanent, not just occasional hookups and mind-blowing sex.
“My company keeps asking for me to ask for your help.”
“Your help?”
“Yes. Heleonix wants test riders for the redesigned Project Helios, and they’re digging deeper into local bike culture. Since you guys are Instagram famous now—”
“You told them about us?” Xavier snapped.
“She’s in a few videos. If they looked at our profile, they’d make the connection.”
“Right. So they know I knew you, and they want you to do a series of features. They’d start with test rides and feedback. Then, when we’re closer to launch, some teaser and hype content. Marketing wants to document rider involvement in the redesign process to combat the negative rumors from the first test runs. They’re willing to pay.”
My eyebrows shot up. “How much?”
June named a jaw-dropping figure. It would cover all our monthly bills, with enough left over to buy parts for at least twoof our project bikes. I wondered if it was a normal amount to be paid for things like this. June certainly didn’t seem moved by the size of the offer.
