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“What’s your name?” she said, practically demanded, curiosity flowing off of her in waves.

“Holden. A friend from school. And you are…?”

“His sister, Amelia.”

“A pleasure.” I held up my bookstore purchase. “I’m returning his book.”

“It looks brand new.”

“I meant, replacing it. River lent me his copy and I spilled…gravy on it.” I inwardly cringed. Gravy? Lord, man. “Anyway, could I just leave this with you?”

“You

could,” Amelia said thoughtfully. “Or you could just drop it by the shop.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Wouldn’t want to interrupt.”

Amelia leaned in the doorway and crossed her arms. “I think it’s a very good idea. In fact, I think River could really use a visit from you, Holden. It’s not far, just off Charleston Street, south end of downtown.”

“Right, but—”

“It was nice meeting you,” Amelia said with a strange smile, and then she shut the door, leaving me stranded on the doorstep.

“So that happened.”

I turned and headed back to the car, debating the wisdom of visiting River at his family’s shop. In public. In broad daylight.

Then I envisioned him stripped down to jeans and a sleeveless undershirt, his oiled muscles smudged with grease while he bent over something dirty and mechanical.

“On the other hand…”

I gave James our new destination and had him park around back. I slipped through an alley to the side of the garage, making sure no customers could see me. A window along the shop’s rear wall showed me a small, cramped office.

My fantasy was partially fulfilled: River wasn’t bent over a car but some paperwork, wearing a dark blue, short-sleeved uniform shirt with his name lettered in red on a white patch. Sweat and grease left a sheen on his arms, and he’d smudged himself on the edge of one sharp cheekbone.

My heart jackhammering in my chest, I tapped on the glass.

As he had at school, River’s face lit up to see me and then morphed into wide-eyed fear. He shut his books and disappeared from the room. A few moments later, he came around the side, wiping his hands on a rag.

“What are you doing here?” he hissed.

“If that’s your standard greeting, your customer service needs work.”

“I’m not fucking around, Holden. Why are you here?”

“Your sister said I could find you here so—”

His eyes bulged. “You talked to my sister?”

“Sure did,” I bit out, his reaction hurting and hardening my heart. “I knocked on your door and said, ‘Hello, Amelia, my name is Holden. I gave your brother a blowjob awhile back and I’m quite certain he thoroughly enjoyed it.’”

River’s shoulders slumped, and he carved his hand through his hair. “You know what I mean…”

“Yeah, I do. But newsflash: I’m a human being who is allowed to exist in the world and talk to people. Here. I got this for you.”

“Flowers for Algernon?”

“It’s about an idiot who smartens up for a bit, but it doesn’t last. He goes back to his old narrow, stupid world.”