They held each other’s gazes for another second, and her smile slipped.
“Sky—”
“We’re starting to pack up now, so Bella should be your last dog. Thank you again for volunteering your time today.”
He dipped his chin. “Of course.”
She walked away, and he was left feeling like the air no longer moved so freely in his lungs when she wasn’t close by.
Damn, he was losing his mind.
He looked down at Bella. “What do you think, Bells? Am I losing my mind without her?”
Bella barked.
He was going to take that as a yes.
When Bella was done, Becket returned her to Rosemary.
She patted his shoulder. “Thank you, young man. You did a good job. Not the best job, but good enough.”
Well, that kind of sounded like a compliment. “You’re welcome.”
After that, he said a quick goodbye to his brother and Aspen before he started grabbing the buckets scattered around the bath stations.
“What are you doing?”
He lifted another bucket and turned. “Building the Great Wall of China.”
Sky’s frown deepened. “You don’t need to help pack up.”
“I already am.”
“Becket—”
“I was actually wondering if you could give me a lift home.”
There was a short pause. “You need a ride home?”
“Clara brought me, so it would save her a trip.” It was a damn lie, his truck was around the corner, but he’d deal with that later. Right now, he needed an excuse to get her alone.
A conflicted expression crossed her face, and she turned her head as if searching for someone else who could give him a ride.
He almost laughed. “Come on, Peaches. It’s just a lift. We’re right next door to each other.”
She sighed. “Okay. I’ll give you a ride home.”
Not the most gracious agreement, but he’d take it. “Thanks.”
Her eyes held his for one more beat before she moved back to the folding table.
They spent the next twenty minutes packing everything up, and in that time, Sky didn’t talk to him again. In fact, she seemed do everything she could to avoid him.
When they finally got into her car, her hands were shaking. Was she nervous?
He set a hand on her arm. “Hey.”
Her gaze shot to him.
