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“I’m sure she would.” Melly stood. “Do you want to ride with me or follow my car?”
“I’ll ride with you if you can bring me back here afterward.”
“I can do that.”
We exited the building and crossed the street to the public parking lot on the opposite side and climbed into her car.
“Tight fit,” she said, shooting me a smile as she buckled. “Sorry.”
“I’m used to it. Once I moved to town, I bought apickup truck.” Slouching lower to keep my head from grinding against the roof of her car, I buckled as well.
“All the monsters in the area drive them.” She started the vehicle and backed out of her spot, taking us out onto Main Street and through the downtown area.
“Many of the vehicle manufacturers have come out with new lines built specifically for monsters.”
“I don’t believe I’ve ever ridden in a truck,” she said.
I flashed her a smile. “I’ll be happy to take you out in mine whenever you’d like.”
“Can we go off-roading and splash through mud?”
My laugh burst out. “You just want to get my truck dirty.”
She winked my way. “I do love getting dirty.”
5
MELLY
Iwas flirting with someone I’d just hired, and I loved it. But . . . He was on the rebound from a bad breakup, and I could tell he’d been hurt. He wouldn’t feel ready to try with someone new.
At my comment, he stilled in his seat, staring out the windshield. “How dirty are we talking about?”
Should I take this farther?
I hadn’t dated in over two years, and my most recent attempt was a Tinder dude who catfished me. My last intimate moment was with the monster toy in my bedside table and even that had been a while. I liked Elrik; I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him after we met. I’d stared at him during Tuvid and Angie’s wedding to the point one of the other bridesmaids told me to speak with him. Which I did. He muttered something and disappeared.
Silly me had pictured Elrik and I standing at the altar instead of our friends, a dream that had bordered oncreepy. I’d thought I’d long since ditched fanciful dreams, that I’d left them in my past, where they belonged.
If I let that hold me back, I’d never know if we stood a chance, right?
My heart nodded, so I went for it.
“As dirty as you’d like it to be,” I said, my voice all breathy. Tightening my grip on the steering wheel, I waited to hear what he’d say. I had to release my grip on the wheel to turn the corner, taking my car down the road I lived on with Grannie.
He didn’t say anything, and while I’d like to call the silence companionable, tension thrived in the air.
“I shouldn’t have said that,” I finally said.
“It’s okay.” He flashed me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“I’m sorry.” Maybe my comment reminded him of his ex. He’d pretty much said he was in love with her. And now she was marrying his brother. “Wouldn’t you just like to kick other people sometimes?”
His laugh snorted out. “Yes, I would.”
I wanted to ask if he still loved her or if he’d started to get over the pain, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear his answer. By the time I’d pulled into the driveway, put the vehicle in park, and shut off the engine, my heart was beginning to accept that nothing would come of this.
All thoughts of flirting with him or pushing to see if he was open to someone new had flown away. “I’ll keep this professional. I promise.”
