Page 41 of Choosing Forever
“And if it’s impossible to earn her forgiveness?”
She drapes her arm behind me and squeezes tight. “Then you need to move on completely.”
My pulse thrashes as I immediately reject the idea. “So, forgiveness it is, then.”
“I’d say that’s the best bet for the both of you,” she agrees, her tone light and almost teasing.
“You don’t think if I go up to her right now, she’ll punch me in the face?”
She lets loose a small laugh. “I knew you already managed to piss her off. What did you do?”
“Might have butted into her business. There’s a guy sniffing around.”
“Sniffing around? Is he a dog?”
I run two fingers over my mustache, fidgeting. “You know what I meant. Fuck, I should have kept my mouth shut. It was too much, too soon.”
“Maybe she just doesn’t like your mustache.”
Stilling, I glare at my sister. “Are you trying to make me self-conscious?”
“Is that possible?”
“Last I checked, yup.”
“Damn, you learn something new every day,” she sings, eyes twinkling.
“I’m going now before I wind up shedding tears.”
With a slight smile, she nudges her chin to where Delaney’s moved on to chucking chunks of wood into a pile. “Good luck.”
“Yeah, I’ll need it.”
Every step I take toward the woman fearlessly whipping pieces of charred wood still full of nails has me feeling a bit queasier. It would be incredibly easy for her to spin around and use my face as a target instead.
Maybe that would help break the ice. We could get even a bit that way.
Fuck.No, that would be the opposite of helpful.
“Do you want a pair of gloves?”
I wince at how awkward I sound. And when Elle snaps up from her crouched position, she picks up on it too. Before she can say anything back, I speak again despite knowing better.
“For your hands. Gloves. Because of the nails. Slivers.”
Holy shit.
“Do you have gloves, or are you asking just to ask?”
Am I sweating? “I can find you some.”
“I can find my own gloves,” she says, turning me down instantly.
“Alright. I’ll help you another way, then.”
Brows flying up, Delaney uses the toe of her boot to kick another piece of wood aside. “There are plenty of other areas to clear. Plus, I thought the fire station was already supposed to have done all of this?”
“We’ve been working on it.”
