Page 119 of Midnight Auto Parts

“You had no other choice.” He touched my cheek. “She made sure of that.”

Carter fussed over Josie, who miraculously wokeafterCarter took my place, cradling Josie’s head on her lap. The redcap, already smeared in cheddar puff residue, frantically snacked until Aretha arrived on the scene. Aretha declared the patient dehydrated and anemic and prescribed plenty of fluids, supplements, and bed rest. All of which Carter wrote in ink on the back of her hand in bold print.

The highlight of the day—no, theweek—had to be Carter’s insistence on carrying Josie out of the forest.

Delicate, Josie was not. She was tall and gangly and muscled from her labors. But Carter persisted.

Kierce tolerated my snickering behind their backs as Josie swooned in her savior’s arms for ten minutes.

Then he lifted me over his shoulder, gripping my thighs against his chest, and plowed ahead of them.

“Quit stealing my thunder,” Josie called out to Kierce. “Let me savor my princess moment.”

“You heard her.” I pounded on his back. “Put me down.”

“You have your princess moment,” Carter puffed. “Frankie’s having a potato sack moment.”

“Hey, Kierce.” Josie kicked her feet with delight. “Is that true? Is Frankie your sack?”

“I haven’t been with a man since dinosaurs roamed the earth,” Carter said, sighing, “but even I know that’s not?—”

“Dinosaurs?” Josie squealed loud enough to make my ears ring. “You sawdinosaurs?”

“That was sarcasm.” Carter rolled her eyes. “I’m notthatold.”

Aretha was gone by the time we reached our vehicles, and Carter had left her truck idling with the lightbar flashing to deter anyone driving by from thinkingoh, free truck. That was where she took Josie. I was trying to watch how she planned on getting Josie in the truck when it was so very tall and Carter was so very not, but Kierce turned, cutting off my view.

“Hey.” I wiggled against him. “It was just getting interesting.”

As I slid down the front of his sweat-slick torso, I decided things were much more interesting here.

“What the hell?” Carter yelped. “You’ve got more arms than an octopus.”

“Maybe you were right.” I leaned against the wagon while the blood rushed out of my head. “There are some things we aren’t meant to see.”

“I’ll drive.” He opened the passenger side door and helped me in. “Just…fasten your seat belt.”

With those words of confidence ringing in my ears, I strapped in and wished I was the praying kind.

Two hoursafter leaving the burial ground, Kierce guided the wagon into The Body Shop parking lot.

Josie and Carter were sitting on the tailgate of her truck, eating a pizza and drinking beer.

The process of parking took about five minutes.

Roll, roll, brake.Roll, roll, brake. Roll, roll, brake.

Never had riding in the wagon made me queasy—I wasn’t prone to carsickness—but I was about to toss my cookies. Even the smell of pizza when I stepped out had my stomach churning. I had to keep upwind of it to avoid making a mess.

Kierce emerged with sweat slicking back his hair and misting every inch of exposed skin. I didn’t miss the tremor in his fingers when he shut his door or when he dropped the wagon’s keys into my hand.

“I have lemon-lime soda.” Josie held up the green bottle. “Y’all look like you could both use a swig.”

Nothing worked as well as ginger ale at easing upset stomachs, but I was desperate.

“I’ll take you up on that offer.” I held my breath, snagged the bottle, then retreated to a safe distance. I cracked it open, took a long drink I hoped didn’t come back up, then passed it to Kierce. “Try this.”

“I’ve never tasted soda.” He turned the plastic bottle this way and that. “It’s lemon-lime flavored?”

---