Our fingertips brush as she takes the jar from my hand. It’s not nearly enough. I want her in my arms. I want her body pressed up against mine. I want—no—I need to feel her lips on mine.
“Do you make a habit of being a nuisance?” she asks with a crooked smile as she holds the pickles like it’s the most precious gift she’s ever received.
“As often as I can. It’s one of my most endearing qualities.”
She sets a dictionary beside my arm and flips through thepages, coming to a stop in the ‘I’ column. “You’re confusing endearing with insufferable.”
I riffle through the book and run my finger down the page until I get to the word I’m searching for, then I turn it back around. “I think this is the word you were looking for.”
“The only thing I find even remotely irresistible is the sight of you walking away, and maybe this jar of pickles.”
I lean closer, putting us almost nose to nose. “If you wanted to see my ass, all you had to do was ask.”
Or pay $19.99 a month, but I don't say that aloud. I don't think she’s made the connection yet. I’m biding my time, waiting for the right moment to bring it up.
She averts her gaze and shuffles through a stack of papers. “I have work to do.”
I bite down on my bottom lip, taking the opportunity to scan her from head to toe. “And you do it so beautifully. I’ll see you around.”
"Mhm." She hums around the pen in her mouth, effectively dismissing me without a word.
I’ve never wanted to be a piece of plastic until this very moment.
When I stop beside my truck, the bluebird is perched on my rearview mirror. Something foreign stirs in my chest.
Something like hope.
Chapter 7
The Thunder Rolls
?Carlo’s Song - Noah Kahan
Twelve Years Ago
Jaxon
I stareout at the landscape as a blanket of dark clouds rolls in, casting harsh shadows over the ranch. It’s fitting after the day I’ve had. Maverick carries me down the familiar path toward the waterfall with Ryan following close behind on Copper.
I was hoping for some time alone, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn down Ryan’s offer of company when I know he’ll be leaving town soon. We only have so many trail rides left before he’s halfway across the country.
“Come on. I need a wingman,” Ryan says. "I heard a certain curvy redhead is going to be there.”
He waggles his eyebrows at the mention of my girlfriend—or ex-girlfriend as of roughly three hours ago. Ryan doesn’t know we broke up, and I don’t feel like talking about it.Shealmost came between us once. It’s not something I want to rehash.
I let out an exasperated groan. “You know I’m not into that scene, man. Since when have you ever had any trouble finding someone to warm your bed? Run through all the buckle bunnies already?”
“Fine. Maybe I just want to hang out with my best friend one last time before I head out West.”
“Don’t be so fuckin’ dramatic. You’re moving away, not joining a monastery. Besides, you know Wilder lives in Denver. I can visit you when I’m there.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
"Yeah, yeah. Race you to the waterfall?"
“You’re on.”
I click my tongue, and Maverick takes off like a shot, leading the way around the worn-down path on the outer edge of the pasture, kicking up dirt. Every muscle in my body is pulled taut as I lean into each subtle shift, letting nature and instinct take the lead. I trust Maverick with my life—he’s never led me astray.
