Page 70 of The Inn Dilemma

But Holt is different. We have history and a friendship that was rekindled with minimal effort. Most importantly, we both have Jesus. If I’ve learned anything in my short time as a Christian, having Jesus walk beside me is way better than trying to walk the path on my own.

I narrowly avoid tripping on a bump in the sidewalk right in front of Mountain Auto Repair where Reese isprobably working. I take it as a sign to visit my friend first.

Going in through the main door, I see the back of Lewis’s salt-and-pepper head before he turns. The bottom of his belly pokes out from beneath a too-tight T-shirt.

“Hi Lewis, where can I find Reese?”

He takes a bite of his sandwich and answers around his chewing. “She’s working on the Mustang.”

“Thanks!” I say before slipping into the garage.

Reese’s jean-clad legs stick out from beneath a Mustang. Her feet move to the beat of the song she has playing over the speakers, which mixes oddly well with the sounds of her work. The shop is cleaner than it was the last time I was here. All the tools are hanging on the wall instead of scattered over the tables. I assume she took the time to do this last night to distract herself from her horrendous date.

“Who’s there?” she calls out.

“Me, Nova.”

The sound of metal against metal halts before the squeak of wheels can be heard as she glides out from beneath the car.

She sits up and wipes her hands on a nearby towel, then stares at me skeptically. “You look terrible.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“You look weighed down.”

“You mean I look weighed down because I kissed my brother’s best friend and his face filled with immediate regret?”

She rolls her eyes. “I told you already, that was not instant regret.”

“Well, regardless.”

Her brow raises. “So, what are you going to do about it? You pinky promised you’d talk to him. Today.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I say, “Well maybe I need a little more time.”

She stands from her car creeper. “Why?”

“I don’t want to do even more irreparable damage to my friendship with him.” Tightening my hold on myself, I add, “I can’t lose him.”

She rests her hand on my shoulder and forces me to meet her eyes. “You’re not going to lose him. What you guys have runs deeper than that.”

I turn my face away and release a tense breath. “I hope you’re right.”

“You need to talk to him. He cares about you. Like I told you last night, that kiss was planned, and if you talk to him like an adult, there could be many more kisses in your future.”

I turn back to face her and she wiggles her eyebrows.

My belly swoops at the thought. Has Holt wanted to kiss me? Or is this Reese just daydreaming for me?

“Even if that’s true.” I shrug, attempting to feign nonchalance. “Holt deserves someone better than me, and eventually, he’ll realize that too.”

Reese rolls her eyes so intensely I’m afraid they won’t make their way back around. “Come on, Nova.”

“What?”

“Whether you think you’re good enough for Holt or not, he doesn’t care enough to stop the inevitable.”

“And what, pray tell, do you believe is the inevitable?”

---