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His short blonde hair looks even lighter in the setting sun. I remember the days when he wore it long and unruly. Our days at the beach gave him that sun-bleached surfer vibe. The California sun did great things for his skin. Still is, apparently.
“Hey dude,” I say, returning the nod as I replace the gas cap and lean against the side of the car, angling my body away from his and crossing my arms firmly over my chest.
According to some specialist on a crime show I watched once, that’s body language code for no thank you, I don’t want any. I’m hoping Sander takes the hint.
“Just gassing up,” I say, keeping it short and sweet.
“I see that.” His lighthearted laugh makes me uncomfortable, and I hate that it’s like this between us now. But how do you tell your long-time friend you don’t have those kinds of feelings for them, and you probably never will?
“You heading to work?” he asks.
“No, not tonight,” I shrug lightly, waiting for his need-to-know attitude to kick in.
“Where are you off to?”
Right on schedule, Officer Nosey Ass.
If I keep giving him the cold shoulder, I know he’ll only become more suspicious. So, I throw the man a bone.
“What’s with the interrogation, San?” I laugh playfully, angling my body slightly closer to his.
Using my old nickname for him, along with my girlish laughter, seems to do the trick. His light blue eyes sparkle, and he smiles so widely that the small dimple on his left cheek makes an appearance.
He raises his hands in front of him as if to surrender.
“Sorry, some habits are hard to break.”
I roll my eyes and smile, shrugging it off. “No worries, I guess.”
I hate lying to him like this, leading him on. It makes my stomach sour. But it does the trick, and he backs off.
“I’m just running into town to do some errands, since I have the night off,” I say.
“Ah, I see.” His smile never falters, but his eyes soften the longer he looks at me, and it makes me feel weird. “Well, maybe the next time you have the night off, you’ll let me know and we can go grab a bite and catch up?”
What the hell, man? I try to tell myself he means nothing by it, but I know he does.
I force a smile and push off the side of the car, swinging the keys in my hand.
“Yeah, definitely. I’ll let you know.” I smile, waiting for him to step aside so I can make my way back around the car to leave, but he doesn’t move. Instead, he steps in closer and pulls me into him, wrapping his muscular arms around my shoulders and hugging me tightly. My head fits snuggly beneath his chin.
It shocks me for the briefest moment. This is not the boy I spent every waking moment with throughout my teenage years. This is a full-grown man.
My arms circle around his waist automatically, and I allow myself only a few seconds to close my eyes and breathe in his familiar scent of sandalwood and sunscreen. Only now it’s mixed with something deeper, more masculine in its rich tones. It reminds me of simpler times, which only makes me sad.
I step back and smile up at him. “I’ll see you later, San.”
“See you later, K. Drive safe.” His eyes hold so much intent that I start to feel uncomfortable and feel the need to look away.
“I always do,” I say, waving once at him before sliding back into the car and pulling away. I catch him watching me as I pull out onto the road and head toward the highway.
Chapter 3
Sancte Alto hasn’t changed a bit since I left. I’m not sure what I was expecting, though. I only moved a couple of years ago to be closer to the track. Not to mention Dad thought it would be smarter for me to get as far away from my usual scene as possible. That way, he could keep an eye on me at all times.
I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t guessed exactly where I’m going. I wouldn’t put it past him to have me followed and ensure I don’t do anything to jeopardize my career or the name of Kane’s Racing.
I roll my eyes at the thought.
