I let out a sigh. I’m being ridiculous. “Fine. What time?”
Ethan gives me the details for tonight, and finally we get on with our workout. Thankfully he doesn’t bring up Ashley or axe throwing again.
“I’m gonna fucking kill him,” I mutter under my breath when the text comes in.
“Let me guess, Ethan just canceled?” Ashley comments drily. “Because I just got an apology from Summer, saying there’s some issue at city hall and Ethan has to go into mayor mode.”
I look up and nod. “Yeah. They aren’t coming.” I guess that must come out sounding a lot harsher than I intended, because her face falls slightly, making me wince.
“Is it really so bad if it’s just the two of us?” she asks, so quietly I almost miss it. Damn, I really am being an asshole to her, and she doesn’t deserve it. I’m ashamed of myself. This isn’t how I treat women, hell, this isn’t how I treat anyone.
“Nah, of course not. We’ll have fun, no matter what,” I say gamely. If I can somehow convince myself she’s no different than any of my other female friends, this should be fine. The problem with that plan is, aside from two months in university with Mila, I’ve never once wanted to take any of my female friends and fuck them against a wall. And with Ashley, it’s a toss-up from moment to moment if I want to take her to bed or put her on the first ferry back to the mainland.
But for now, I need to put that aside. My mom would kill me in my sleep if she knew I was ever anything less than a perfect gentleman to a woman. I didn’t come by my charming reputation accidentally, after all. Ashley studies me for a second, then smiles, but it’s brief and she’s back to looking wary and uncomfortable. It’s up to me, I guess, to show her I’m not going to be a total ass tonight.
“Come on, let’s get signed in and start throwing shit.”
I lead her over to the check-in counter, give the bearded guy wearing a plaid shirt our names, and pay for the two of us.
“You didn’t have to pay for me,” Ashley protests, but I just wave her off.
“I’ve got this. You just get ready to be humiliated by my axe throwing expertise.”
That earns me a giggle. “Have you been here a lot?”
I turn to her with a wide grin. “Nope, never.” There we go, easy. Charming.
She full on laughs, and we follow our hipster instructor over to our designated lane. Plywood lines the narrow space with metal fencing on top to keep everyone safe from rogue axes, I guess. At the end, there’s a large bullseye painted on the wall. We both listen intently to the instructions we’re given, and I’m all too aware of how close Ashley is, the smell of her perfume gently wafting up to me. All I would have to do is shift over slightly and I could brush against her, and I want to. But I won’t.
Friends. Just friends. I can do this.
But when it’s just the two of us, the awkward feeling is back. It’s as if outside of work, we don’t know how to act around each other. And I know it’s my fault for being such a dick to her.
“Ladies first.” I bow and step back, indicating Ashley should go. She stands on the line, and her body is stiff with tension and nerves. Her first throw falls way short of the back wall. Her second bounces off the wall.
“I suck at this,” she states.
“Nah, you just need more power. Pretend it’s my face on the bullseye.”
An undignified snort comes out of her before she can stop it and she spins around, eyes dancing. Finally, there’s the brightness I don’t normally get to see, directed at me.
“Don’t tempt me, Finn McNeil,” she teases.
I just shrug and give her a smirk. “Go for it, princess. I don’t mind.”
She whirls back to face the target and lets her third axe fly. It hits the target, just outside of the bullseye. I start to clap, until she turns to fix me with a glare.
“Don’t call me princess.”
Okay…that seems like an over reaction to a nickname, but whatever.
Before we know it, our allotted time is up. And it’s been fun, a lot of fun. Especially once we managed to get over whatever tension existed when we first realized we’d been stood up by the others. I impressed myself with my ability to put Ashley in the friend zone of my brain. Teasing her helped, and having her taunt me right back every time I missed the target only made me more determined to kick her ass. In the end, however, she proved to be an axe throwing pro, getting not one, but two near bullseyes, where I only managed one that hit semi-close to it.
When we’re back in the car, heading down the highway to Dogwood Cove, it’s a different vibe from the awkward drive up here earlier in the evening. Ashley is relaxed, much the way she was when I drove her home drunk from the bar, only this time I know she’s only had one beer with me. Still, the silence between us is easy, and I don’t even mind her ridiculous taste in music as much.
My eyes dart down at where her hand is resting on the center console. Out of nowhere I’m seized with the desire to pick it up, bring it to my lips and kiss it. Which is so unlike me, I actually shake my head in confusion.
“Everything okay?”
