Page 2 of Ice Darling
But Mom is in front of me now, and I have no idea what to say to her. My heart is pounding loud enough to be heard over the roar of an exposed muffler. All the feelings I’d tucked deep inside when I ran away to Lucky Falls are about to come gushing out.
“Let’s go home,” Renthrow says gently to his daughter.
Home?As in away from my one-woman plot to throw Mom off my scent by having a fake boyfriend in town?
My fight-or-flight instincts kick in.
My dignity flies out.
I send Renthrow a quick, desperate look, complete with wrinkled eyebrows, sucked-in lips, and eyes begging for assistance.
He pauses and gives me a once-over.
I hold my breath, waiting. Counting the seconds.
Coldly, he turns away and walks out.
My heart sinks to the bottom of my toes, falls into the void of my stomach, and is swept away by a raging wave of annoyance.
“Bye, cool lady!” Gordie waves over her father’s mountain-like shoulders.
The annoyance putters out a bit.
I give her a weak wave in return.
Mom’s eyes dart to Renthrow’s retreating back, Gordie’s bobbing head, and then to me. “Am I reading this right?” She smirks. “Was that your boy?—”
“You’reCordelia’s mom? How nice to meet you!” Rebel, my boss and one half of the two-women force that runs The Pink Garage, steps in.
Bless her.
I make a mental note to buy Rebel a special pink toolbox that’ll have her raving for weeks. She’s alifesaver.
Who needs a man anyway? Girl power for the win.
Sufficiently distracted, Mom shakes my boss’s hand. “You must be Rebel Hart. Please, call me Sasha.”
Rebel throws on a Miss Small Town USA, mega-watt smile. “Sasha, welcome to Lucky Falls. Delia didn’t tell us you were coming.”
Mom blinks, giving Rebel’s high cheekbones, willowy limbs, and bright blue eyes a professional skim. Born to an illustrious banker and a former international pageant runner-up, Mom’s been in pageantry circles her entire life. She knows glitz and glamor the way Lucky Falls knows hockey.
I bet she’s already tucking away a few business cards to hand over to Rebel if she’s ever interested in becoming a competitor for international beauty pageants.
Turning slightly around, Mom coos, “Andyoumust be the other brilliant mechanic… April, right?” Mom extends a hand to the pretty woman beside Chance McLanely.
“It’s nice to meet you,” April says, taking Mom’s hand and giving me a questioning look all in the same breath.
Mom gestures to my bosses. “I’ve heard so much about you two?—”
I snort. The information Mom has certainly didn’t come from me.
Mom arches a brow in my direction but continues chatting breezily. “It’swonderfulto meet everyone. Now that Max and I have signed the contract and made things official, how about I treat you all to dinner to celebrate your win tonight?”
“Great idea,” Max says in excitement. “ButI’llpay.”
“I knew I liked you,” Mom says, grinning at him.
“Who’s game?” Max calls to his players.
