Page 15 of As They Are
It had happened once when he was tired and didn’t answer Kerry while she talked to him. He’d been mortified.
“I don’t think so.”
He hummed and gestured for me to hand over my coffee. I forced myself to keep my eyes on him. I felt like I’d been knocked off of my game and I didn’t know how to recover.
What were the odds that a woman like that washereof all places?
Nonchalantly glancing over my shoulder, the top of Wren’s head peeked over the aisle.
“She’s pretty,” Dale said under his breath.
“She looks like she’s Jade’s age,” I reminded. I wanted it to be gentle, but it came out harsher than I intended.
“Not for me.” Dale rolled his eyes. “You can stand down, Mr. Bodyguard. I mean foryou.”
“What? Me?”
“You keep looking at her. I’m not blind.”
“Oh, absolutely not. I’m busy with work. I don’t ... I can’t ...” I couldn’t do a relationship, no matter how attractive the person was. Not after I’d screwed things up so badly with Norah and pushed her to my best friend. I couldn’t be the version of myself that everyone liked, not when someone was in my space at all times.
“You know, for a small town, you have a great selection of light bulbs.” Wren’s voice got louder as she walked to the front.
“Gotta compete with Walmart. It’s why I put the ‘Things’ in the name.” Dale turned to me and I was terrified that he would hint at me and Wren beinganythingonce more. Instead, he told me my total.
I paid and was planning on getting back to the clinic as soon as possible.
Instead, I turned to find Wren looking at me.
“Do you know Cain and Mollie?”
“What?” I asked. “Of course I do. Cain a little more than Mollie, but that’s because I’m Eric’s doctor.”
“So, hypothetically, if I were to build something for them, you might know what they want?”
“You want to build something for them?”
She sighed. “It needs to be good, especially since Mollie told me to relax and I’m definitely not doing that. I already ordered a tire plug, and now I’m fixing the lights in the bathroom, so?—”
“Is there a reason you’re not relaxing?” I asked. “It’s good for the mind.”
“Notmymind,” she said. “I like to stay moving, and what better way to do that than to help my best friend?”
“If thereissomething about Mollie I know, it’s that she’s stubborn. Very much so. If she told you to relax, then she won’t be thrilled if you don’t listen.”
Wren rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but?—”
I put my hands in my pockets, determined to stay calm even as I pushed back a little.
“You said you like to move, right?”
“I do.”
“And you’re new in town. Do you wanna see more of it?”
“Of course. I wanna know why Mollie likes it so much.”
Now I had it. “The square is old. It’s been here for generations. Right now, the irises are blooming in multiple colors. Yellow, pink, light purple, and dark purple. You could find each one and learn a little about the people who live here while you do it.”
