Page 23 of Rebel Secrets
A few seconds later, Erin left their little group and joined the three women gathered near the bookshelves.Mitzi, the owner of the Tea Room, was holding a conversation with Brian’s sister, Lindsey, and a woman I didn’t recognize.She looked younger than me, but I couldn’t get a good look at her.She was turned to the side, brown hair hiding most of her face.
Erin put her arm around the woman, excitedly telling the group something that made the other woman’s head fall back with laughter and a bright blush flood her cheeks, as the other women congratulated her for some reason.
“You checking out Abby?Don’t bother, dude.She’s married.To an asshole.”
Bobby’s voice broke through the intense focus I seemed to have on Erin tonight, which was just weird.
“Not interested, just don’t recognize her.”
“She and her husband moved to town a few months ago so he could manage the Eisenbrown’s dairy farm.He’s a distant cousin or something.The Eisenbrowns’ kids don’t want to work on the farm or are at college or some such shit.Abby and her douchebag dick live on a house out there, but she works here at the bookstore.Rain said they just hired her to work fulltime at the bookstore.”
“Seems like you know a lot about her.”
I slid Bobby a glance but only for a second.My gaze went right back to Erin.I don’t know why.Whatever the reason, I had to stop.But now she was talking to another group of women, who looked to be more my age.I recognized Sunny, one of the Devil’s Angels, and the others were familiar, but I couldn’t come up with their names.
Which didn’t matter.I hadn’t come to find a date.I was here because Rowdy had told me I was coming and practically dragged me out of my house.
“Not a lot.”And then under his breath, he said, “Not like I’d like to.”
Huh.Bobby had a crush on a married woman.That never ended well.
“So, what’re you planning to do this summer, anyway?Just gonna golf and kick back like the pros do?”
Erin saved me from answering by announcing that book club was about to start.
“Get a drink if you want one and take a seat and let’s talk about our book.”
I was going to kill Rowdy.
Two hours later,I stuffed a second cherry almond scone in my mouth and reconsidered murdering my brother.
I’d actually had a good time.I’d even considered adding to the conversation once or twice, though that wasn’t like me.I really hated public speaking, even among friends.And somehow Erin seemed to know that.
She’d been the perfect host.She kept the conversation moving, always having another question ready when the conversation lagged, and somehow managing not to dominate the discussion.I’d learned a few things about the book I hadn’t known, which made me want to go back and read it again.Everyone else here seemed to have loved it just as much as I had.
The big surprise, though, had been Reid.The guy talked like a fucking English lit teacher, about themes and journeys and character arcs.Rowdy didn’t look surprised, but Bobby and I had exchanged raised eyebrows.We’d grill the kid later.Apparently, he had hidden depths.
At the moment, everyone else was gathered in little groups again, talking.And I was hanging in a corner, letting my people battery recharge with some peace and quiet.Until a few seconds later, when the hair on my arms rose.
“Everything okay over here?”
Erin had finally made her way around the room to me.I’d been watching her approach out of the corner of my eye, muscles tightening as she came closer.It wasn’t like I was afraid of her.She posed absolutely no threat to me.The top of her head was barely level with my eyes, and she didn’t look like she spent time doing reps.That’s not to say she was overweight.She had slight curves, which I usually like on women, when I could get past the insane awkwardness I felt around most of them.
Most people thought I was just a grump with a chip on my shoulder.Very few people knew that it’d taken me a hell of a long time to come to terms with the fact that I just didn’t feel comfortable around people I didn’t know.That it took me a fucking long time to make friends who weren’t teammates.
And there was just something about Erin…
I nodded in response to her question, as she approached me with uncertainty in her eyes and her teeth in her bottom lip.I stifled a sigh.I knew this was all my fault, this awkwardness between us, and I needed to do better.At least until the wedding was over, and I figured out what the fuck I was going to do next season.
“Good.”She paused.“Did you have a good time?Did you like the book?You didn’t really say anything during the talk, so I wasn’t sure if you did or not.Or if Rowdy just dragged you along.Although I can’t imagine anyone being able to make you do anything you don’t want to do.”She blinked.“I mean?—”
“Yes, I had a good time.”
I realized at that moment that Erin rambled when she was uncomfortable.I made her uncomfortable.
Join the club.
She blinked a few times, making me notice how her eyes weren’t just green, which is what I’d always assumed because they matched the whole redhead-with-green-eyes theme.They were swirled with pale blue.Unusual.Kind of mesmerizing, actually.
