Page 43 of Sanctuary

Gabe sighed. “One of the worst things about our friendship is the way you always have to have the last word.”

“One of the worst things?” Lightning asked, clasping her hand over her chest. “There can’t be more than one.”

Gabe shook her head and continued to navigate to Lori’s place. The low-level hum in her stomach became more pronounced the closer they got, and she realized she was eager to get there. In fact, she could hardly wait. She’d become aware of the feeling the second time she’d visited Max and had attributed it to getting to see him. But it had been there again while she’d waited to meet Lori for lunch on Saturday and again the next day when she was visiting Max. Whatever it was, it was a good thing. The cut grass smelled sweeter, the sun shone brighter, and?—

Gabe stopped before she made herself nauseous with sickly sweet sentiments and concentrated on counting the number of green cars instead. That game was one of her few good childhood memories. The remainder of the journey zipped by fast enough, and she turned at the final signpost to the Sanctuary. She headed up the long driveway and pointed to the workshop on her left. “That’s where the Brewster is, but the main buildings are still a half-mile away.”

“I feel like a little kid at Christmas,” Lightning said. “I can’t wait to pull the tarp back and see exactly what we’re dealing with.”

“Me too,” she said, glad that Lightning already shared her enthusiasm for the project. Gabe had hoped she would since they’d talked about restoring cars on so many long patrols back in Syria. She’d wondered if that would just turn out to be idle chatter when she eventually left the Army, but Lightning had been her first call and the first one to get on board with actually making it happen.

As they approached the rambling house that dominated the landscape, the door opened, and Lori stepped out.

Lightning took one look at her and punched Gabe’s arm. “Since you’ve decided you’re not going there, what’s your policy on letting your best friend date your new best friend?” She pulled the scrunchie from her ebony hair and shook out her braids.

“Don’t even think about it.”

“Too late,” Lightning said and popped a button on her shirt to reveal her cleavage.

“Put those away, or I’m not even stopping the truck. I’ll pull straight out and dump you up the road so you can go visit Janet Jackson’s house.”

Lightning arched her eyebrow. “You assume I’d want to go there because I’m Black?”

Gabe nodded as she pulled up. “Of course. Or it could be that I assumed you’d want to go there because you’re always singing her songs, and because you said you’d be going to Vegas as soon as she launched her new residency.”

Lightning laughed. “All right then,” she said and hopped out of the truck.

“Hey, wait.” Gabe’s seatbelt locked in her hurry to yank it off. “God damn it.” She looked up to see Lightning was already meeting Lori. “Shit.” When the thing wouldn’t budge after multiple attempts, Gabe considered slicing it off with the emergency escape tool.

“What’s keeping you?” Lightning shouted and wiggled her eyebrows.

Gabe gave the belt one last try, and it released as if it hadn’t just been a total bastard. She caught her foot in her hurry to get out of the cab and stumbled out, smacking her head on the door’s window.

“Oh, goodness,” Lori said and was by her side within seconds. “Are you okay?”

Gabe touched her head and detected a tiny bump, but there was no blood on her fingers. “I’m fine. No sense, no feeling,” she said and grinned.

Lori touched her cool fingers to Gabe’s forehead and sucked in a breath. “There’s a lump there already. Let’s go inside and get an ice pack on it. Are you sure you’re okay?” She hooked her arm into Gabe’s and led her into the house. “You don’t feel dizzy or lightheaded?”

“No, ma’am.” Gabe registered Lightning shaking her head and laughing.

“Extreme measures,” Lightning muttered as Gabe walked past her.

Gabe glanced at her and winked then flicked her gaze to Lightning’s unbuttoned shirt. “Gotta use what God gave you,” she whispered.

“Did you say something, Gabe?” Lori asked.

“Uh, no. I don’t think so. Did I?” Gabe gave Lori a goofy smile. “Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought.”

“You sneeze harder than that,” Lightning said.

“Best to be safe,” Lori said to Lightning. “It’s lovely to meet you, by the way. I didn’t get the chance to say that before Gabe fell out of her truck.”

“And I’m very pleased to meet you too, Lori. I’ve heard such a lot about you.”

Gabe recognized the difference in Lightning’s voice and rolled her eyes.

“Oh…really?”

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