Sabrina laughed, and Hew wanted to hug Becky for adding levity to such a tense situation.
“Now.” Becky slung an arm around Sabrina’s shoulders, steering her toward the stairs. “Couple of things for you. One, the Wisconsin highway patrol called. They’ve towed your car. I wrote down all the info on a sticky note and stuck it to your bedroom door. They say you can come get it whenever you’re ready or call to have it sent to a mechanic.”
Sabrina wrinkled her nose. “I hope it isn’t totaled. I haven’t even changed the oil in it yet.”
“Mmm.” Becky nodded in commiseration. “I once had a client total a bike within ten minutes of taking it for its maiden ride. He got sideswiped by a taxi and lived to tell the tale. But the chopper?” She shook her head sorrowfully. “I actually cried when he called to tell me.”
“All that hard work straight down the drain.” Sabrina shook her head sympathetically before prompting, “And that second thing?”
“Martin called.” Becky smiled broadly. “Said he’ll be out front in fifteen minutes.”
Sabrina skidded to a stop at the same time Hew’s heart quit beating.
“My god!” Her hand shot to her messy bun. The one he’d watched fall down around her shoulders before he’d undressed her. The same one she’d retied atop her head before meeting Graham in the War Room. “I forgot about Martin. Again! I’m such an asshole!”
Hearing the man’s name in her mouth made Hew’s chest feel hollow, like someone had carved him open with a dull spoon.
Becky, oblivious to the change in circumstances, smiled at Sabrina. “You have just enough time to wash your face, brush your teeth, and comb your hair. Better hop to.”
Sabrina turned to Hew, her expression caught somewhere between guilty and apologetic. “I made plans with him this morning before?—”
She stopped and swallowed, cast a furtive glance at Becky, who was all ears.
What? She didn’t want Becky to know what had transpired upstairs? Why not?
“Before what?” Becky blinked between them.
“Never mind.” Sabrina waved her off, and Hew slowly curled his hands into fists.
Becky narrowed her eyes. “Curiouser and curiouser.” Then she shrugged. “Back to the grind for me, though. Literally. I have a new gas tank to shape.”
Hew didn’t move until Becky disappeared behind a rack holding parts and tools. Then he turned, slowly, feeling like his bones were made of concrete, to find Sabrina watching him closely.
“Sorry.” She twisted her fingers together, her expression stricken.
“For what?” He forced mortar through his veins, hoping it would harden his resolve and shore up his walls. “No one would blame ya for keepin’ the plans you made first. Least of all, me.”
“So you’re…okay with this? With me going to meet Martin?” Was that hope in her tone? Or worse…anticipation?
He huffed out a dry laugh. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Her dark eyebrows pulled together over her perfect nose. “I know we planned to put those condoms to use, but?—”
“But now you’ve gone and proved ya can be with a man without fallin’ to pieces,” he cut her off. His desperation had gotten tangled up with his jealousy and uncertainty until he couldn’t tell which part was eating him alive. “So, mission accomplished, ayuh?”
She didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Simply stared at him. Seeking. Searching. Wanting. Needing something from him.
But what?
His permission? His absolution? His endorsement?
Was she waiting to see if he could keep his promise to remain friends? To ensure nothing changed between them?
But everything had changed. He had changed.
There was the Hewitt Birch who had existed before he made love to Sabrina Greenlee. And there was the Hewitt Birch who existed now.
He could tell her. Admit his feelings. But one of the first lessons he’d learned in life was that vulnerability equaled hurt.
