“…Chase.” Hearing Russ say my name perks me up.
“What about me?”
“I was asking Nix if he knows anything about the mystery woman that you’re dating.”
I catch Nix’s eye in the rear-view mirror, his eyes wide and questioning.
“Leave Nix alone. He doesn’t know anything.”
“I don’t buy that for a minute. Nix is constantly filling me in on all the town gossip. Even if he doesn’t know for sure, he’s heard rumors.”
“If Chase is dating a woman, I know nothing about it.” Russ may not catch it, but I can tell Nix is choosing his words carefully. It’s the same way he talks to customers who aren’t on their best behavior.
“Fine. Be that way. I’ll figure it out for myself.”
That’s what I’m worried about. It’s not the two of us that I’m anxious over, either. It’s the town. They might not have said anything, but everyone knows about the two of us. How could they not? We’ve been to Reindeer Roadhouse several times, always sitting on the same side of the booth. That’s before we factor in the customers who’ve caught us mid-make-out session. Someone’s bound to open their mouth and say something that gets us in trouble.
If Russ is going to find out, it should come from one or both of us. Not from a random person at a coffee shop. That puts the two of us on a ticking clock. Except I have no idea if it’s counting down days, hours, or minutes.
NIX
“Here’s your room. Sorry, it’s a bit outdated. This part of the house is at the bottom of my list for redecorating.” Now that I’m standing in here, it might be moving to the top of the list. The brown wallpaper is covered in what were once white, yellow, and green flowers. Now all of it’s a bit faded and grimy. Every inch of it is probably glued down tight. Somehow, everything else is falling apart, but the wallpaper is holding on for dear life. Probably load-bearing, too.
“You know I don’t care about that.” Russ flops down on the bed. It’s covered in a quilt detailing the state flower of each of theforty-eightstates.
Yes, forty-eight. That’s how old it is. Thankfully, it’s been cared for well and still looks and smells fine. The only thing I managed for his arrival was to make up this room with new sheets and replace all the toiletries in the bathroom. Some of them had been left over from when my great-aunt May was still alive.Eww.
“So tell me how things are really going with Chase.”
“With Chase?” My whole body seizes up, like I’ve been punched in the gut.
“Yeah. How’s he doing? I get bits and pieces during our phone calls, but it feels like there’s something he’s not telling me.”
Oh, boy. If he’s picked up that Chase is hiding something, it won’t be long before he realizes I’m hiding something, too. And from there, it won’t take him long to figure out the rest. In addition to being a child-wrangler extraordinaire, he’s also a top-notch detective. This does not bode well for me. He’s perceptive and curious, two traits I typically adore.
“It’s been a bit of an adjustment, but I think he’s holding up okay. The customers like him, even if he’s a bit clueless when it comes to book recommendations.”
“It’s hard to picture him behind the counter.”
I do my best to stop it, but I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face at the image. He always leans over the counter while he scrolls social media on his phone. I should probably get after him for it, just like I would any other employee, but he’s so cute. I can tell when he lands on something he likes by the way his face lights up. My favorite is when my phone buzzes a moment later, letting me know that Chase has sent me amessage. The little videos he shares with me make my day. It lets me know he’s thinking of me.
“Really?”
I shake the thoughts from my head. “What?”
“I thought you’d gotten over your crush on Chase.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I turn away quickly so he won’t see the way my cheeks heat at his words.
“Nix, it’s fine. I’ve known you liked him since we were teenagers. I just thought you’d grown out of it.”
“Yeah, me, too,” I mumble. Now, it’s gone from a mere infatuation to something so much bigger. There aren’t words for the way he makes me feel. The l-word jumps into my mind, but I force it away quickly. It’s far too early to say something like that.
“I’m not upset. I just hate that you’re hung up on someone you can’t have. What if you’re missing out on a special someone because you’re focused on Chase?”
“I’m not missing out on anyone. I promise.” Even if this thing with Chase doesn’t go anywhere, I won’t regret the time I spent with him.
After Aunt May’s death, one of the things I promised myself was that I would live with no regrets. Okay, fewer regrets. She always said it was the opportunities that we didn’t take that ended up hurting the most later. Wondering how they might have turned out if we’d had the courage to jump in with both feet.
