My eyes want to roll out of my head. “What?”
“Look, Ma. No hands,” he says and then he stares at me with a huge smile. I laugh and before I realize what he’s doing, he leans forward and tries to kiss me. I flinch away, feeling the look of disgust spreading out over my face and then immediately I know my mistake. He smiles even wider, then shakes his head. “No one is gonna buy this. Or they are gonna think you’re really disappointed in the realthing.”
“No. No, you’re right. You just caught me off guard.” I shake my head and let out a deep breath. “I need a cover story. You’re my new boyfriend. I’m totally into you. Okay. Try itagain.”
“Just pretend I’m some hot dude you’ve been wanting to make out with for months.” He lightly places his finger under my chin and leans closer again. This time I hold perfectly still, watching his mouth as he inches closer and closer to me. I don’t mean to close my eyes, but they slide shut. Then he kissesme.
His lips are kind of dry, warm and soft, thick enough to compete with my own full lips. I don’t know exactly what he was going for, but neither of us pull back or come up for a moment to assess. I take in the way he smells, that clean manly scent mixed with a half day's hard work, and he doesn't smell bad. He smells so good, like fresh earth and sunshine and uncompromised ethics. Men aren't like this in the city, even the ones who work with their hands. I notice the way his mustache feels against my face. It’s notterrible.
He keeps his mouth pressed to mine and I don’t pull away. His tongue slips against the part in my lips and even then I don’t pull away. I know I should. He’s proven his point. He should be able to kiss me. I’m laying low, and it is a good move to pose as his girlfriend. We should be hot for each other. These supposed months apart should have driven us crazy with anticipation and a certain kind of lust. We should have a hard time keeping our hands off each other. We should be kissing, but I knowI, the real me, should not being kissing a man I barely know. Ishouldn’t—
I remember the promise I made myself the moment Brooklyn landed her first real job. The words I repeated to myself over and over fight their way to the surface and my chest starts to hurt so badly I pull away. I clear my throat and push that feeling down. I adjust my t-shirt at the shoulders and hide a grimace when my ribs remind me that I’m still kinda fucked up. Then I look over atSilas.
“That wasn’t so bad, wasit?”
“It was the best kiss I’ve ever experienced,” I tell him, my tonedry.
“Good. I usually try to lead with a tongue thrusting motion, a woodpecker slash jack hammer combination, but I wanted to take it easy on you to start. We’ll save the real sexy stuff forlater.”
I turn away to keep him from seeing my smile and climb out of the truck. I don’t get far before he’s already jumped out and run over to my side. Honeycrisp is right behind him, scrambling out of the backseat onto the straw covered parking lot. I grip the side of the pick-up and immediately rip my hand away. It’s five hundred degrees. “Fuck.”
“Careful.” He holds on to my elbow as I rock on my ankle wrong and clutch my newly burnt-to-shit hand to my chest. “You okay?” heasks.
“Yeah.” I look at my palm. It’s red, but it’ll be fine. “I’m okay. It’s justhot.”
“Yeah. Summer will do that. Air is blasting inside. Come on.” This time I go with it when his hand slides down my arm and he laces his fingers with mine. My chest feels too small for my lungs again and I ignore it. Honeycrisp takes up on my other side as we round the truck and follows us towards the door. Suddenly though, she takes off, running behind thebuilding.
“Where’s she going?” I ask as Honeycrisp’s tail disappears around thecorner.
“No dogs allowed inside. Well, unless they’re service dogs, but she knows she's not allowed. She’ll go over to the cannery where I'm sure someone will give her some shit she's not supposed to be eating, then she’ll go over to the barns. She's best friends with a few of the ladygoats.”
“Oh, she hasplans.”
“Yup. After you,” he says as he opens the front door to the cafe forme.
“Thank you.” The place is packed. It's getting close to the end of summer so it makes sense. Gotta keep the kids busy. Still, not what I was expecting. A perky, young White girl with light blue streaks in her black hair pops out of nowhere and almost scares the shit out of me. I'm still onedge.
“Hi! Welcome to McIn— oh, Hi Mr. McInroy,” shesays.
“Hey Shelby. Is my tableopen?”
“Sure is. For two?” she asks, smiling atme.
“Yup. This is my girlfriend,Ebie.”
“Hello, Shelby?” I say, holding out myhand.
“Oh.” She smiles back at me, bobbling the menus in her grip so she can shake my hand. “Nice to meetyou.”
“Who told you?” Silas asks her. Shelby blushes and looks at the back of the open cafe, toward the kitchen area. Whoever ratted us out must be hiding backthere.
“Um, Maya came in maybe ten minutes ago. She may have announced it and told us all to play it cool when you and Ebie gothere.”
“Well here we are. I'll take those.” Silas takes the menus fromher.
“’Kay. Enjoy. And let me know if you need anything,” she says mostly tome.
“Thanks.”
