Page 65 of Ice Darling
He arches a brow. “You want me to bring you a straw?”
“No.” I smirk. “Can you get a clean rag from the toolbox? I usually keep them in the front compartment.”
My phone stops ringing.
Renthrow walks back to me with the rag, and I extend my hand to take it from him, but to my surprise, he wipes it across my forehead.
I freeze in shock.
He’s focused on his task, and after cleaning my forehead, he turns my left hand over and gently wipes my skin.
“This reminds me of when Gordie got her hands on a can of paint. She got it all over her face and fingers, and I had to scrub her for days…” Renthrow suddenly realizes what he’s doing and flings my hand down. The dirty rag flutters to the ground. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“I, uh?—”
My phone starts ringing again.
Renthrow takes a deep, centering breath and points to my pocket. “Go ahead. I’ll grab you some hand sanitizer.”
I watch him scurry inside like he’s running from the zombie apocalypse and take out my phone distractedly.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Dee.”
My chest tightens at the familiar voice. With that one nickname, I’m pulled back to the most humiliating day of my life.
“Brennon?” I hiss.
“H-how have you been?”
Heat burns my cheeks, and I snarl, “Why are you calling me?”
“Your mom sent me to Lucky Falls to work with the management of the stadium.” The boy I once loved with all my heart pauses and then says, “Can we meet up?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Renthrow
I’m an idiot.
The fact that I was wiping Cordelia Davenport’s slender hand as if she’s a baby will live rent-free in my mind for the rest of eternity.
It’ll have a special place in the “Hall of Shame” section of my memories, one I revisit when I’m about to sleep and suddenly remember something stupid I said or did decades ago.
Why did I do that?
I blow out a deep breath as I stride to the front door with a hand sanitizer locked in my grip.
Why?
Not having the answer to that question drives me absolutely bonkers.
Since when did I get so comfortable and familiar with the woman? I distinctly remember finding Cordelia troublesome and annoying.
And now…
