Page 10 of Diesel
He cared.Maybe too much.Maybe not enough, but it was there and so was she.
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The sun dipped lowerin the sky, casting long shadows across Main Street.Diesel hadn’t moved from his post outside the flower shop, though his mind had been far from the sidewalk.
He could still feel the ghost of Sophie’s fingers brushing against his.Still see that curious glint in her eyes when she’d teased him about being gentle with the planter.And it shouldn’t have mattered.Not one damn bit.He was here to keep her safe, not get soft over her smile.
He leaned back in the old folding chair he’d dragged out earlier, boots planted wide on the pavement, arms crossed.But his jaw was tight, and his pulse hadn’t calmed since that brief touch.It was the same feeling he used to get before a fight.
He should’ve kept things curt, professional.However, when she’d looked at him like that, like she saw something good in him he hadn’t even realized was still there, he’d lost his grip for a second.One second too long.
Diesel scrubbed a hand over his face.He couldn’t afford a distraction.He remembered all too clearly what happened when he got close to someone who needed protecting.
He’d failed his sister because he’d been too damn caught up in chasing vengeance to realize she needed him.That mistake had cost her everything.Sophie wasn’t going to end up the same way.
He heard the bell above the shop door jingle again.He didn’t have to look up to know it was her.He’d already memorized the rhythm of her steps.She came outside holding two tall glasses of something pale and fizzy.Lemonade, from the looks of it.
Diesel narrowed his eyes.“You trying to give me a sugar crash?”
Sophie huffed a laugh.“Don’t flatter yourself.I made a pitcher.Figured I could share.”
She handed him a glass and took a seat on the little bench beside the broken planter he’d fixed.This time, she didn’t try to fill the silence with chatter.She just sat there, sipping her drink, eyes following the slow traffic rolling down the street.It should’ve made it easier for him.But it didn’t.
He glanced over.Her hair was loose now, a few wisps curling around her neck in the heat.Her mouth was pink from the lemonade.Her lashes were too long, her shoulders too small for the world she lived in.He took a long drink and set his glass down beside his boot.
“You should be careful,” he said suddenly.
She looked at him.“About what?”
“This.”He gestured vaguely toward the shop.“The window.The vandalism.Someone’s trying to send a message.That means they’re not done yet.”
Sophie’s brows furrowed, but her voice stayed steady.“You think they’ll come back?”
“I think you’ve been marked.And I think whoever’s behind it doesn’t care if they scare you or worse,” he said.
She went quiet, but not in the way people did when they were afraid.She went quiet like she was thinking it through.
“I’m not leaving,” she said after a moment.“This shop is all I’ve got.”
Diesel looked at her then.Really looked.Most people would’ve packed up and run by now.Hell, some would’ve folded the moment a rock shattered their window.But not Sophie.She was scared, he could see it in her eyes, but she was also stubborn.Brave.Stupidly brave, and it made something tight and raw move in his chest.
“I’m not saying you should run,” he said finally.“Just don’t go making it easier for them, yeah?”
She gave a faint nod.“Thanks for fixing the planter.”
He grunted.“Didn’t do it for you.”
But he had.And they both knew it.They sat there for a while longer, the air thick with unsaid things.Then Sophie stood, brushing her palms on her jeans.
“I’ll let you get back to ...brooding,” she said with a tiny smile.
Diesel didn’t smile back.But he watched her until the door closed behind her.Watched like a man already in too deep.
Later, after sunset, Diesel was checking the perimeter again, flashlight in hand, when he heard Tom’s voice from behind.
“You got a minute?”Tom asked.
Diesel straightened, turning.“Yeah.”
