She was mine all summer long.
Until I fucked it up.
Flash forward almost eight years later, and we’re sitting in a cab of a tow truck that is too damn small for the amount of tension boiling between us.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Emery’s arms crossed in front of her, legs angled toward the window, andher entire body so close to the passenger side door that a stranger might think I have some sort of disease. But nope. The only ailment I have is being a dumbass.
The only good thing about this intentional ice out is that I get to study her for the first time all night. The cab of the truck is dark with the light glow of the radio, but it’s enough to fully drink her in.
The last time I saw her, she had long brunette hair and big bright green eyes that reminded me of a field of clover. But now, her hair is shorter and dyed a mixture of black and blonde. It’s a stark difference from the shy girl I got to know all those summers ago. This girl has an edge, and I like the way it makes my pulse skip across my skin.
Even her clothes have more of an edge. Gone is the girl who wore large T-shirts to hide underneath. Emery has fuller curves that fill out every inch of the black tank top and shorts painted on her body.
I’m itching to peel back the layers and see the woman underneath, but that woman is a lot harder to charm now. And she hates my guts. Or at least pretends to.
“Do you stare at all the customers you rescue off the side of the road?”
My eyes snap back to the road, and I sit up straighter in the driver’s seat.Fuck, I think I might even be blushing a little. I need to reel it in. I am better than this.
“Nope,” I say, popping the “p”. “Only the ones that play hard to get.”
A muffled scoff slips out of her lips. “Please don’t use your bullshit lines on me.”
“God, I love it when you sayplease,” I groan, feeling a laugh bubble up in my chest.
Emery stomps one of her feet and turns her body even farther away from me if that’s possible. “Let’s go back to not talking.”
“You used to have a better sense of humor,” I say, knowingly baiting her.
A satisfying glow warms my entire body as she grunts to herself again. This is too easy and yet I can’t get enough.
“I guess my tolerance for clueless idiots isn’t what it used to be,” she mumbles, keeping her body neatly confined to her side of the invisible boundary. God, she really hates me. But that’s what I wanted. Wasn’t it? That’s what made it so easy to let go the first time.
I chuckle to myself at the vague memory of the first time she threw that insult at me and decide to strategically change the subject. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going, or am I just going to guess? You know, clueless idiots aren’t very good with directions.”
I hear the tiniest laugh followed by an awkward cough, trying to cover up the fact that she’s not as stubborn as she thinks.
“Do you remember where my grandma’s antique shop was? The one on Main Street?”
I nod my head and flip on my turn signal before turning down the road that will lead us to the heart of Honey Grove. We did the same drive so many times that summer that it feels like a reflex.
“I’m sorry about your grandma. I heard she passed a couple of months ago. She was always really nice to me, even when I didn’t deserve it.”
Emery finally turns her head toward me and rubs her lips together, trying to hide the smile forming. “Thank you,” she says, pausing to gather her thoughts. “At the time, I wished she hated you as much as I did after everything, but she always had a soft spot for you. Especially after you dropped that ratty black kitten off at her shop.”
“Ah,” I say, feeling the memories swirl back to the front of my brain. “Is Klepto still around?”
She smiles for real this time, unfurling herself from thepassenger side door. “Yes. He still terrorizes the shop to this day. He’s probably going crazy right now, wondering where I’m at. I missed dinner.”
The question that’s been hovering in my mind starts to feel heavy. And with each detail I squeeze out of her, I’m slowly starting to answer it myself.
“How long are you in town?” I ask, finally gathering up the courage. Relief floods through me once I get the words out, but then I’m filled with regret when I see the smile on her face drop. “I mean—I, uhh—I need to know because of the truck. I can get it fixed up for you as soon as possible if you’re in a hurry to get home.”
I’m assaulted with the agony of being too curious and not being able to keep my big fat mouth shut. I should’ve kept asking questions about the cat. That seems to be the only thing curling her lips into my favorite shape. Her smile still did something to the knots twisted up inside my heart.
Emery lets out a deep sigh, and I feel unrest buzzing through my bones when I pull up to the last red light before her destination. I need to know if she is here for good. It won’t change things between us, but maybe—no, maybe nothing. I was irredeemable in her eyes, and it needs to stay that way.
“I’m not sure,” she answers, her eyes glued to the black combat boots on her feet, “but at least until the end of summer.”
