Page 38 of Shifting Gears

“It’s okay. We grew apart. We’re still family, even if we don’t see each other.” Dani is looking out over the water again, and Eleanor gazes out with her. The moon is bright against the dark sky, shining a long rippling white reflection across the water. Eleanor gets the impression that she tells herself this pretty often.

“I don’t have siblings,” Eleanor says, sensing that Dani could use a subject change. “I don’t have much family left besides my father’s carousel of ex-wives.”

Dani turns to her, the seriousness of just a few moments ago easing. Her shoulders relax. “A carousel, huh? That many?”

“Six in total. They came and went pretty quickly.”

“Real-life evil stepmothers?”

Eleanor snorts, thinking of Renée. She’d be both horrified and delighted to find out just how little work Eleanor has been doing on this trip—horrified by her work ethic but delighted by the chance to expose Eleanor’s laziness to the board. “You have no idea. They could have their own reality show.”

Dani’s attention is drawn by the first loudpop. She points up at the shower of red sparks above them. “Look! It’s starting!”

Dani hurries to take off her boots as the show begins and suggests that Eleanor do the same, and soon enough they’re dipping their bare toes in the cool water as the sky lights up with multicoloured rockets. It illuminates Dani’s excited and smiling face, and with their hands almost touching where they’re braced on the dock, the fireworks in the sky are mirroring the ones in Eleanor’s chest.

As suddenly as the explosions begin above them, Eleanor is struck by a vivid vision of leaning over, running her fingers through Dani’s hair, and moving in for a kiss.

It’s not surprising, as fantasies go. Eleanor has had thoughts about kissing Dani before, but this fantasy is by far the most intense. The most realistic. Eleanor can practically feel Dani’s lips, can smell her shampoo, can imagine how it would feel to swing a leg over her thighs and press herself down into Dani’s lap.

Eleanor looks away quickly, hoping the darkness will hide how her body is reacting, and watches the fireworks. Attraction or not, pursuing those thoughts with Dani is a layer of complication that she doesn’t need.

Still, all in all, it’s the single-best night Eleanor has had in recent memory. It’s practically perfect until they’re leaving the party, Dani having sobered enough after her single beer to drive Eleanor home.

“Cooper!”

The male voice behind them is loud enough that Eleanor jumps a little, spinning around to find they’re being followed by the same man that Dani beat so handily at arm wrestling a few weeks back. He has two other unfamiliar men flanking him. There’s a vein bulging in his neck.

Dani turns around much more calmly, sticking her thumbs into her belt loops.

“Matthew,” Dani drawls, inclining her head in his direction. She seems entirely too relaxed, in Eleanor’s opinion, considering Matthew is looking ready to snap.

“I believe we’ve got some unfinished business,” Matthew growls.

“Come on, Matty,” Dani says, shaking her head. “Don’t ruin the party with this bull.”

But Matthew cracks his knuckles, handing his trucker cap to one of his friends. He stumbles a little as he does, and Eleanor wonders if this bout of rage hasn’t been brought on by a bit too much strawberry moonshine.

Dani sighs, unbuttoning her shirt cuffs and starting to roll up her sleeves in a businesslike fashion. “Sorry, Nora. This’ll just take a minute.”

Eleanor hardly has time to get out of the way before Matthew swings. He strikes out just as Dani is finishing her first sleeve, roaring angrily, but Dani sidesteps him. He overbalances, missing his punch and wobbling for a few seconds before he rights himself.

Dani rolls her neck from side to side. “That wasn’t a fair start. Now who’s the cheater?”

“Fuck you!” Matthew grunts, putting his fists up and starting to circle. Dani does the same, and for a few seconds, they hover in a stalemate before Matthew strikes again, winding up for a hit that never lands. Dani dodges it, ducking under his arm and throwing her elbow hard into the middle of his back as she passes.

He grunts in obvious pain as her elbow connects, his back bending forward as he stumbles, and his knees hit the gravel while Dani finishes rolling her second sleeve. Once it’s duly fastened, she turns and offers him a hand.

“I don’t want to fight you, Matty,” Dani says quietly.

Matthew seems to consider it. He’s breathing heavily, holding his back, and for a moment, Eleanor thinks he might take Dani’s hand—but instead he explodes off the ground and strikes again, and this time one of his fists connects to Dani’s cheekbone with a sickeningcrack.

Dani rears back, grunting. When she moves her curtain of blonde hair out of the way, there’s a stark red mark against her cheek—it’s split, and blood is starting to bead along the crack.

Eleanor’s stomach drops. Dani touches the spot with a gentle hand, frowning at the crimson that comes away on her fingertips.

“Are you packing?” Dani asks. There’s a quiet anger in her voice.

Eleanor has no earthly clue what that could mean in relation to a fight, but Matthew answers the question right away—he opens his hand to reveal a cigarette lighter clenched in his fist, which he tosses into the dirt. He has a large class ring on his middle finger that must have caused the cut.

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