“Why in the hell does the tow truck of agaragehave a busted stereo? Isn’t that giving the wrong impression?” she asked haughtily, sitting back in her seat and folding her arms across her chest, as if she was suddenly cold. My eyes dropped down, and I swallowed hard. Her protective stance wasn’t doing much protecting. In fact, her folded arms just made the tops of her breasts spill out from her little tank top even more.
I grinned and shrugged, forcing my eyes back to the road before I drove right off it. “Or maybe it shows that we’re more concerned with keeping said tow truck available for people who need tows. We only have one, and most people don’t care too much.Mostpeople don’t mind talking to me. Hell, I’d say a lot of them even like to talk to me.”
“I bet they do,” she said dryly, eyeing me with her lips pinched into a tight line.
I pulled up to the garage and parked the truck haphazardly in the lot. Tessa was driving Brock’s truck, and already waiting out front. Elle went to unbuckle her seat belt, and I turned to her. “Let me take you out to dinner,” I said, my voice sounding borderline desperate.
Elle stopped what she was doing and slowly raised her eyes to meet mine. Her brow furrowed slightly, the tiniest tell-tale sign of her confusion. “Why on earth would you want to do that?”
“I need to explain,” I said quickly, sensing she was going to bolt at any minute. “I need to apologize.”
“Maybe I don’t want an explanation, or an apology,” Elle’s eyes narrowed with disdain. “Maybe I want you to stay exactly where you belong—in my past.” She finished unbuckling her seat belt and went to open the truck door. My hand automatically shot out to wrap around her wrist gently. We both looked down at the contact.
“Maybe,” I said, forcing the word out. It was sharp and unpleasant sounding, just as sharp and unpleasant as it had felt to say. The possibility that Elle wanted me to stay in the past was painful. “Or maybe you do need this, hell I know I do.”
My words made Elle take pause. I could see the thoughts racing through her head.
“Besides,” I added, releasing her wrist. “It’d be nice to get on a semi-good basis with one another…for Tessa. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other over the next several weeks, and I don’t want any animosity between the two of us at the wedding.” I knew it was a cheap shot, but I also knew it would work. Elle looked over to where her best friend—my soon to be sister-in-law—was patiently waiting. Tessa looked as if she was hopped up on caffeine and sugar. She was all but bouncing on the heels of her feet.
“I’ll think about it,” Elle relented grouchily. She opened the door and slid out.
I watched as she walked towards Tessa, her hips swinging subtly with every step she took.
Elle
“What wasthatall about?” Tessa asked me, her eyes wide as she watched Braden back the tow truck up into the garage, my poor little car hooked up and looking quite helpless.
I scowled over my shoulder in his general direction, trying to ignore the tingles his touch had left upon my skin, trying to ignore the fact that I felt alive for the first time in forever. “What do you think it was all about? My stupid car broke down, I called for a tow from the only tow service in town which happens to be run by the only garage in town, whichhehappens to work at!”
“Ah, I thought you knew he was working here again.”
“No, I don’t seem to know a lot of things about him anymore, do I? But it doesn’t matter. Again, it’s theonlygarage and theonlytow service in town.” I reminded her bitterly as I climbed up into the cab of Brock’s truck. “Sorry I’m late.”
“These things happen,” Tessa waved away my apology with her hand. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
I huffed in response.Okaywasn’t a word I’d used to describe myself right about now. I was a jumbled mess of nerves and anxiety.
Ever since that moment at the bar the other night, when Braden’s eyes slid over to mine and he’d gazed at me with unrepressed desire, I’d felt off-centre. Probably because for a fleeting moment, I’d wanted him too.
It was just like my dreams, only a thousand times worse because he washereand I was just as powerless to those deep blue eyes as I’d been in every dream I’d had for the last ten months. The only thing that had stopped me from acting like a fool and giving in to those feelings was the cracks in my heart. Braden had broken me once before, and I knew he’d do it again.
Plus, there was Alex. I didn’t know what I felt for him anymore, but I knew with utmost sincerity that I didn’t want to hurt him.
He called me every night, and I had long since run out of things to tell him. Planning a wedding was exhausting. I didn’t have anything important to add to our conversations, so I let him rattle on and on about work and hemmed and hawed in all the right places, all the while falling deeper and deeper into a pit of self-loathing and despair.
Thinking about pits of despair and self-loathing had me remembering the other night, at the bar, and the odd stand-off between Becky and Braden.
All my thoughts circled back to him, and it was driving me crazy.
“Hello? Where did you go?” Tessa waved her hand in front of my face, trying to capture my attention.
“Sorry, I’m just worrying about the car,” I sighed. “I really can’t afford a huge mechanics bill right now.” I really couldn’t—the mere thought about how much this was going to run me had my stomach twisting with anxiety.
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Tessa said with confidence. Before I could ask her what she meant, we had arrived at the florist shop. She parked out front and turned to face me. She saw the questions on my face and shook her head, her beautiful blonde mane dancing against her shoulders with the action. “You and me, we’re going to need to talk about this later. Right now, we’re an hour late for a very important florist appointment.”
I nodded obediently, not wanting to irritate Bridezilla. If Tessa’s wedding had taught me anything, it was that even the most laid back of brides can turn into total monsters if provoked during this stressful time.
* * *
