She opened her mouth, but no words came out. None. It was like she’d forgotten how to freaking speak.
Seconds passed. Long seconds.
Goddammit, say something, Callie. Anything!
Aspen cleared her throat. “Hi, Lock.”
His gaze moved to her, and finally Callie could breathe, because his eyes weren’t on her.
“Hi, Aspen.” When he looked back at her, the same tightness wrapped around her chest. “What are you two doing here?”
The words “none of your damn business” were on the tip of her tongue, but Aspen spoke first.
“We’re getting tools to tighten some door hinges. Because we can do stuff like that…tighten hinges.”
Oh, Aspen…
His gaze didn’t stray from hers. “You’ve got a door that needs repairs?”
“No.” The lie was out before she could stop it, but she couldn’t tell him the truth because she knew exactly what he’d do. Offer to help. To fix her problems like he’d done in the past.
No. No way in hell. Just picturing him in her space made her skin feel all hot and clammy.
He lifted a brow, suspicion looming in his eyes before he turned back to Aspen. “Whose door needs fixing, Aspen?”
Shit. He knew her best friend couldn’t lie, or at least not well. Literally everyone in Misty Peak knew that. The woman was an open book.
Callie turned to look at her, sending a don’t-you-dare glare her way.
Aspen’s mouth opened and closed. “Whose door? Um…well…I think—”
“It’s Callie’s, isn’t it?” Lock interrupted.
Aspen scratched her nose and her eyes scrunched. “I guess… Well, technically, it’s her dad’s.”
She pinched Aspen’s side a second time, and her friend yelped.
“Ow! Why do you keep doing that? We live together, so I can’t tell him it’smydoor hinge.”
Where was a hole to hide inside?
Lock looked back at her. “I’ll take a look at your door.”
She shook her head so vigorously, she probably looked like a psychopath. “No thanks. Excuse us.”
She grabbed Aspen’s arm a bit too tightly and went to step around Lock, but he cut her off, blocking her way and causing her forehead to hit his chest. His very firm, very muscled chest.
That would probably leave a bruise.
His eyes softened in such an achingly familiar way that her heart squeezed. “Callie, come on. Let me help you.”
“I don’t need help.”
Aspen nodded. “It’s true. Google already helped her.”
This time he frowned. “Google?”
“Well, we call him Master Google. You know, holder of all knowledge.”
