Page 40 of Away We Go

Hopefully you can make some time for me when we’re there

Cherry

I make no promises >

RACE SIX

Miami

Miami International Autodrome

9–11 May

CHAPTER 9

Cherry

Goose pimples bloom all over my arms and I rub at them, trying to get warm. It’s the thing I find most ridiculous about staying in a fancy hotel like this one. They always set the air-conditioning to just above freezing, when the reason people travel to places like Miami is that they like to be warm.

With a shiver—I’m surprised I don’t see mist coming out of my mouth as I exhale—I exit the lift into the dimly lit lobby, walking straight into a chest. A strong chest. A chest I’d know anywhere.

“Nicky.”

I linger against him for one more microsecond and then step back. It has been just less than two weeks since I last saw him in person in Saudi Arabia and my retinas have forgotten just how handsome he is. Like right now, he’s wearing simple black shorts and a blue Under Armourt-shirt, and he looks divine.

“Cherry.”

He takes my arm in a gentle grip, moving me out of the way of the stream of people entering and exiting the lifts. I’d been so focussed on him; I hadn’t noticedthem at all.

“How are you?”

I tilt my head to get a better look at him. “I’m good. And you?”

“I’m good.”

And he looks it.

“Seems like I’ve lucked into getting some time with you.”

A flush takes hold of my face. Since our day together in Kyoto, there’s been a vibe shift between us. Sometimes I think it’s all in my head, but then I read and dissect and agonise over our text message exchanges and it feels like he may be a little jealous of the time I’m spending with Patrick. It also feels like we may be…flirting.

“Where’re you heading?” he asks, changing the subject. I must have been staring off into space for too long, pondering this new dynamic in our relationship, and he’d grown tired of waiting for a response.

Damn. I’ve missed a chance to be flirty in person.Do better next time, Cherry.

“I’m off to a Hurricane Sienna relief centre.”

He tilts his head, and I continue.

“You know Florida, Miami in particular, got hit by a pretty bad hurricane just before Christmas?”

He nods.

“Well, there are still lots of families who don’t have the basics; who had to start from scratch in the aftermath. I want to help them.”

His brow smooths as his gaze softens. “You do things like this at home, don’t you? Volunteering? I remember Matt mentioning you help at the animal shelter.”

My heart lifts at this reminder. Gosh, I love that place.

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