Page 15 of Flirting With Fire
I set the bakery box on the passenger seat, nudging my hat with the illicit donut beneath it out of the way.
Beloved by all? Nope. Not by me.
Not anymore.
Chapter Five
Meyer
“Ride me, cowboy!”
I’d had weird dreams about riding a cowboy, being ridden by the cowboy, until we were exhausted and wrapped in each other's arms. Only it was always the same cowboy with warm blue eyes and a sneer that made me want to kiss it off him. I was tired before I’d even opened my eyes. Riding cowboys was hard work.
My bed felt strange, softer than the one I was used to, and the sheets didn’t smell of my lavender laundry detergent. I cracked open one eye and looked around the room. I had no idea where I was at first, only knowing I wasn’t in my California king bed, and this wasn’t my spacious loft in Chicago. It took me a minute, and then I spotted the firefighter my mawmaw had knitted for me when I was a kid on a shelf in the corner. The town was full of knitted aliens. I’d wanted a firefighter, so Mawmaw made me one for my birthday. I smiled as I remembered how excited I’d been to receive it. I’d carried it around for weeks until other boys laughed at me, and Mom had suggested gently that I kept it safe at home.
How weird it was being back in my tiny childhood bedroom, knowing I wouldn’t return to Chicago after a couple of days.It was as if I stepped back twenty years. Even Dex Chase was the same. No, not the same. Dex was a million times hotter. He’d been cute then, but now…whoa, I needed to stop thinking about him before it became something I needed to take care of. I couldn’t do that. Not in my mom’s house. I cringed at the thought.
I stretched my toes beyond the bed and scratched my chest. The first thing I’d need to do when I found a place to rent was get all my gear shipped here, especially my own bed. I was a big guy and not built for a single bed. One or two nights, a week maybe, but after that, I needed my California king.
A rumble reminded me I needed to fill my belly. I used the bathroom, dressed, and jogged down the stairs to find food and Mom. She didn’t return my call, so I veered to the garage to inspect my bike before breakfast.
Mom had told me where it was the night before. I found the bike behind an old cabinet and dragged it out into the light of day. Two flat tires, rust, and a lot of cobwebs, but nothing terminal. I could spend Sunday working on getting it roadworthy if I bought the inner tubes today. When I found a note from Mom pinned to the fridge saying she’d gone to the store because I’d eat her out of house and home, I decided to go buy the inner tubes and start work now. I could buy us something nice from the bakery too.
Mom had taken the car, so I walked into town. Someone would sell inner tubes. Although we were off the highway, plenty of tourists passed through Charming to take advantage of the bike trails. I knew from my mom that the town had voted in a new mayor, Liam Sandel, who had a business background and understood how to tap into the tourist market, from cycling and camping to the annual Dancing Chiles Food Fiesta and exploring the town's Mexican heritage. Now, stores selling camping clothes and gear suitable for the Butte, bicycle rentals, and morecoffee shops than I’d seen in one place, along with bakeries and quirky stores. We were alien country, after all.
I was amazed at the change every time I returned home. My mom had mentioned the new mayor had ruffled more than a few feathers in his quest to modernize the town, but there was no doubt the effect was positive.
And it meant I could find inner tubes.
I walked into the bike shop and looked around.
“Can I help you, sir?”
I didn’t bristle at the sir…much. A young woman—no, she was late teens if that—smiled at me. “Hi, thanks, I’m looking for inner tubes.”
“Over here.”
She led me over to a display. It didn’t take me long to pick out what I needed.
“Anything else?” she asked.
I thought for a moment and nodded. “I need new lights. Mine are so old now.”
Ten minutes later, I had inner tubes, lights, a maintenance kit, and a new pump. I smiled wryly when she rang up my purchases. “I only came in for inner tubes.”
“It’s always the way,” she said cheerfully.
I thanked her and left. I was about to head home when I saw a familiar figure heading out of the bakery, holding a blue box and a takeout cup. Maybe I should go over and say thanks for helping me earlier. It was kind of him, even if he had been an ass to me. I still hadn’t forgiven him for revealing my big news to my mom.
You just want to talk to the hot guy.
Thanks, lizard brain. I don’t need you to state the obvious.
I wanted to talk to the hot guy. I couldn’t see his face under the hat and the hair, but his shoulders were slumped, and he radiated exhaustion. I frowned, not liking how tired he looked.Before I could reach him to ask if he needed my help, he got into a truck and drove away, not before spilling coffee over himself. Unseen by Dex, I smirked a little. Been there, done that. I guess we’re both dorks.
Mom would love a cake. Okay,Iwould love a cake. Maybe a buttermilk bar? I jogged over the street to the bakery, ready to push the door open, when something caught my eye in the window. Were they…alien butts? I peered a little closer to look. Green, butt-shaped, a little brown down the middle. Yep, they were alien butts. Charming Butte had certainly embraced the wacky since I left.
I inhaled the aromas of fresh bread, coffee, and cinnamon. I inhaled again because it smelled so good. The woman behind the counter smiled at me.
