Page 22 of Missile Tow
“You asking to go home early?”
“I’m not asking,” she muttered, making sure I knew she made her own schedule. “I’m letting you know.”
A loud noise got our attention before I could make a snarky comment in reply. We hurriedly made our way down the aisleand to the front window. An expensive-looking SUV had slid into the oversized galvanized steel garbage can we kept in front of the store, knocking it into the building.
“Dumb fuck!” Bertie hissed. “Who the hell drives recklessly in this weather?”
I pushed the door open with all my strength as it struggled to open against the weight of the trash can. The vehicle backed up slightly and came to a stop. I couldn’t see through the windshield because the wipers were off and snowfall was quickly accumulating. Bertie joined me outside, and we waited and watched.
“This ought to be good,” Bertie announced.
Nothing from inside the vehicle. Another minute or so ticked by. “Hello?” I asked.
Nothing still. Bertie, with her usual level of patience, stepped forward and pounded on the hood. “Hey, Numbnuts,” she hollered.
The driver’s side door opened, and after a moment, a young guy stepped from the vehicle. Bertie turned to me after she got a good look. I knew what she was thinking before she said it.
“Don’t,” I whispered under my breath. “Don’t you say a goddamned thing, woman.”
“All is forgiven,” she said, moving toward the stranger and holding out her hand as if he were a long-lost friend. “Come with me, youngin’. This weather is far too cold for a pretty boy like you to be out here in the storm.”
“Jesus!” I grumbled, staring at the guy when he grabbed Bertie’s hand like he knew her, too.
Bertie had him hustled into the mercantile before I could say ‘Marry me.’ They left me staring at strewn trash across the sidewalk, an idling BMW inches from the front door, and a longing in my heart I’d forgotten existed.
Bertie leaned out the door. “Turn his engine off. Then clean that mess up, and get your ass in here, Chip. This young man needs your help.” She winked, conveying that she was already busy matchmaking.
I looked past her and to the man who was now inside. His back was to me while he looked around the interior of the mercantile. He had his arms tightly wrapped around himself because he wasn’t wearing a jacket. I instantly wanted to hold him to warm him up. Another feeling I hadn’t felt in twelve months.
“Stop it!” I exclaimed, lowering my voice and motioning my head toward the stranger. “He’s obviously a city slicker and an idiot.”
“Who gives a shit what he is?” she said, looking over her shoulder at our unexpected guest. “He’s damn good looking, obviously in distress, and he needs your help.”
“You help him then.”
Bertie pointed at his rig. “Turn that motor off and get your ass in here,” she stated, daring me to disobey.
I kicked the trash away from the door and made my way to the open door of his SUV. Sliding in, I inhaled a scent I instantly recognized as his. I’d caught a whiff when he stepped by me with Bertie. His smell was intoxicating. A light, fresh scent overwhelmed my olfactory senses. Similar to a shower-fresh scent. Unnatural, yet manly.
A Starbucks cup was in the coffee holder. Cherry ChapStick next to it in the other holder. Oddly, I wanted to open the lip balm and smear my lips with it. An expensive wallet was lying on the passenger seat, a credit card half pulled out. Maybe he needed gas and lost control of the SUV while digging around for the card.
I glanced up at the visor and noticed a small picture of two men. He was one of the men smiling back at me. He wasstunning. The other guy was nice looking as well, but my eyes locked onto his incredible face.
His hair was chestnut brown, with eyes that matched and sparkled like a topaz stone. His eyebrows were thick yet well-groomed, with long lashes that bordered on feminine. I simply couldn’t look away from the image staring back at me.
My heart actually ached at the thought he might leave before I had the chance to profess my instant love. “Calm the fuck down, dude,” I whispered, my breath already fogging the interior because of the door being open.
I shut the SUV off and jumped out. After inhaling brisk air several times, I regained my steely exterior, pushed the silly thoughts of love from my mind, and braced for a waiting Bertie inside. I knew she was going to embarrass me. She’d been interviewing every good-looking dude who’d come into the store for the past six months. This candidate was stunning, so I knew what was coming.
When I walked in, Bertie already had the guy in the back of the store at the coffee machine. I didn’t want to spoil her hospitality by telling her he already had expensive coffee in his expensive rig. I doubted a sophisticated city guy would drink our swill.
“Thank you, ma’am,” I heard him say, accepting her cup of black coffee and taking a healthy-sized drink of it. “Mmmm,” he added, flashing teeth that could endorse any toothpaste brand I’d ever heard of.
“You’re welcome, son,” she replied, deploying a charm she reserved for special occasions. Or special people. Or attractive older gentlemen. A smile reserved for possible husbands for her, or young hot guys like him, who she envisioned would want me.
He turned to face me, and I handed him his keys. “I locked it,” I said, lost in his gaze.
“Thank you,” he responded.
