Page 7 of Sweet on You
“Nate Townsend?” I asked, and James nodded. Of course. This was my landlord’s husband. Why wouldn’t we addthathumiliation on top of everything? “He’s a great landlord.”
James winked. “And an even better husband.”
“You need to get to Elsa’s,” Ronnie said giving James a quick hug. “You’re going to be late.” She took the helmet from his hands and put it back on his head. “Thank you for your offer to get me to the mechanic, but as long as Lex is able to help, we’re probably fine. You don’t mind, do you?” She turned, directing the last question to me.
“Of course not. If I said Ididmind, you should have James here kick my ass.”
Her smile widened and it was nice to see it wasn’t forced. “I don’t need James to kick your ass. I can do that all on my own.”
“Well, it looks like you’ve got this covered,” James said. “See you tomorrow for dinner.” With a wave and a kick to the bike, he revved it up and took off down the street.
I grabbed the tire and helped Ronnie move the equipment back into the gym as Callie came running to meet us.
“What the hell happened?”
“I’m an ass,” I answered. “That’s what happened.”
Ronnie’s hand connected with my bicep and the feel of her soft skin against mine sent goosebumps racing down my arm despite the warmth of the beautiful day. “Everyone’s fine. We just need to get my car down to Trina’s.”
Callie’s gaze shifted curiously between Ronnie and me. “I’ll explain later,” Ronnie said, waving her sister away as she grabbed her keys and a dustpan and broom.
I took them from her. “Let me sweep up the glass. It’s, quite literally, the least I can do.”
Ronnie smiled and the sight of it made my insides go gooey. “Fair enough, Lex. You sweep up the glass. I’ll meet ya out there.”
* * *
Twelve hundred dollars.Twelve hundred dollars to replace a windshield. And Trina had a reputation for being a fair mechanic. I had no doubt that she was being honest with us. She told us she could complete the work by the end of day tomorrow. In the meantime, Ronnie was left without a car and I felt terrible. We sat in my Fiat as I started the engine.
“Should I take you home or back to the gym?”
“The gym is fine… Callie’s waiting for me there. And really, it’s only half a mile. I could just walk.”
“No, no. I feel bad enough. I’m not making you walk back to the gym from here.”
“How does this little car survive in the snow up here?” Ronnie asked.
“She manages,” I answered, patting my hand across the Fiat’s dashboard. “Over in Europe, we don’t have the fascination with giant SUVs like you do here in the states.”
“Listen,” Ronnie put her hand up, all playful sass and attitude. “In New England? Four-wheel drive is a necessity. I don’t care if it’s a Fiat or an F450, but you better get all those wheels turning once that first snow of the season hits.”
She wasn’t wrong. I loved my little car and I was lucky that work was literally a stairwell away, since I lived up above my bakery. But if I had to get around more? I would have invested in all-wheel drive.
I licked my lips nervously, gripping the steering wheel and stealing a glance to my right at Ronnie. She seemed relaxed, reclined in the passenger seat. The seatbelt cut across her lean chest and emphasized her beautiful, curvy breasts—which admittedly were hard to miss in the low-cut tank top she wore. I quickly diverted my eyes back to the road and pulled out of the parking lot, heat warming my cheeks. I’d wanted to take Ronnie out for so long. One year and 331 days to be exact, but who was counting? Since the day we met when I delivered a blueberry pie to the Tripp’s home on Father’s Day.
Normally, I wasn’t shy about asking out a girl I liked. But since I moved to Maple Grove, my priorities were different. My life could literally change any minute and I needed to be ready for that. I needed to be free to move at the drop of a hat and be available when the time came. That typically didn’t go well with a girlfriend.
Last month, I’d been caught so off guard when she asked me out. I had ruined it between us. I desperately wanted to say yes, but it simply wouldn’t have been fair to her. God-willing, I wasn’t going to be available soon. Not if Lana did her job well. And it seemed like we were closing in on that answer soon.
But more than anything, I wanted to get to know Ronnie. “Maybe I could make it up to you,” I said, my voice cracking like a teenager. My brain screamed inside my skull—Don’t do it! It’s a bad idea!But my heart egged me on, hammering against my ribs as the words left my mouth. “We could grab a drink before I drop you off?”
What was I doing?It’s not a date,I told myself.It’s an apology.
“I have dinner plans,” Ronnie said, her voice clipped in a way it hadn’t been since I’d first arrived at the gym.
“Right, I remember,” I said, referencing earlier when she mentioned dinner with Yvonne. “But maybe I could buy you a drink before that? I assume you have at least thirty minutes until you’re meeting her? We can be quick—”
“I can’t. I need to go home first to, uh, walk my dog.”
