Page 27 of Beat around the Bush
That was definitely it.
Swinging open the door, I stepped in, the heat immediately licking at my frozen fingers. My hand around his hot coffee had stayed relatively warm, but my other hand was practically an ice cube.
“Oakley? What are you doing here?” Leo asked from the shelf where he was stocking dog food cans.
“Is Lennon here?” I didn’t want to stay long. I had a busy day ahead of me that included curling under the covers, throwing on a movie, and napping.
“Right here,” Lennon’s deep voice announced, coming out of one of the aisles.
I closed the distance, shoving the coffee and bag at his chest. “Here.”
He didn’t move to grab them. Instead, he just stared down at me with a blank face.
“Can you take these so I can get your cash out?”
He crossed his arms, still not taking the damn coffee. He’d be lucky if this didn’t end up all over his work shirt. Then he’d be forced to take it off, and I’d have no choice but to drool over what I had the biggest feeling laid beneath the fabric.
Maybe I should dump the coffee.
“That’s yours. I left it for you,” he said grumpily.
Thinking it best to get this damn cup out of my hand, I set it on the end cap next to me, then shoved my hand into my pocket, fishing out the money. “I don’t want your charity.”
“It’s not charity. I’m doing you a favor.”
My jaw dropped before I could stop it. A favor? Is that what he thought he was doing, just giving me money out of the kindness of his heart? My dad did that, and he controlled me with it. I wouldn’t take any handouts anymore. I’d work in a goddamn coal mine and never see the light of day if I had to.
I set the cash next to his coffee on the metal shelf, but kept my fingers gripped on the bag. “I’m keeping the half of this donut.”
“Half? You get hungry on the way over?” The corners of his lips inched up the slightest bit as he fought a smile, while the corners of my mouth turned down.
“No. Sage gave it to me because Avery wanted half and-” I shut my mouth, closing my eyes and inhaling a deep breath. “You know what?” My eyes opened, landing on his chest. “It doesn’t matter. Have a good rest of your day. I’ll be here tomorrow.”
I turned on my heel and headed for the door, not slowing my pace or bothering to look back.
I was ready for my day of relaxation, and being in Lennon’s presence made me feel anything but tranquil.
12
Oakley
My fingers fumbled with the hem of my burgundy Tumbleweed Feed long sleeve, adjusting it back over my stomach after pulling my sweatshirt off in the break room. My day off consisted of napping, overthinking, and shivering. I’d been able to sleep when I got home after my coffee and cash drop off, but once the outside air seeped into the old house I was renting, the temperatures were too cold to sleep through.
Forced to lay there in my own thoughts while curling up in a ball under the blankets on the couch, I’d debated driving back to Denver. It was the last thing I wanted to do, but if I didn’t go before the first snow, I’d have no choice but to stay here at least until spring.
It was too dangerous to drive those icy roads all the way from Idaho to Colorado with bald tires. Plus, with my terrible drivingrecord, there was no way I’d make it there in one piece. After much thought, I came to the conclusion that staying was my best bet. I was all too quick to remind myself that I’d left home for a reason, and being miserable in my tiny, cold bungalow made me somewhat forget about those reasons.
There was no way I’d go back to my father acting the way he was just for a heated house. I’d take negative temperatures over hearing him complain for hours on end about my mom.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be there for him and hear his side of things, but I was at the point that, with him trying to get me to cut my mom off completely, I couldn’t handle it anymore. They loved each other, had a family together, and while cheating was extremely unacceptable, I wouldn’t put my family through the ringer for someone else’s mistakes.
What happened between my dad and mom should be between them. They shouldn’t be involving me in the crossfire because they thought I’d be the end all to their argument with which parents’ side I would take. I loved them both equally.
Pinning my name tag above my right breast, I headed out to the floor.
“Oakley.” Lennon’s voice filled the hallway as I was almost past his office.
Stopping in my tracks, I poked my head in his office, not passing the door jam. “Yes?”
