Page 42 of Ashes of the Past
Her eyes flash, and for a moment, I think she’s going to argue. But then she steps back, crossing her arms again.
“Who can’t accept…”
“You can’t handle the fact that I cleaned the kitchen today, so you want to one-up me by paying for my coffee?” I ask in a low voice as I bend down to her ear.
“No, I…” she stammers as her face turns bright red.
It’s actually kind of cute when she blushes like this.
“Noted,” I say, taking a sip of my coffee. “Thanks for the offer, though.”
She shakes her head and groans quietly. “You’re insufferable.”
“One might say I match energy. Glad to keep you entertained,” I say with a grin.
She sighs in exasperation as she turns on her heel. “I’ll text you later, Rach!” she calls over her shoulder as she disappears out her door.
I smirk to myself.
Damn, she’s sexy when she’s flustered.
Get it together. This is the last thing I should be thinking about right now. I want nothing to do with that woman.
“You really know how to make an entrance,” a dark-headed woman giggles as she walks up to me from behind the counter. She puts her hand out toward me. “I’m Rachel; this is my place. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anyone get under Brynn’s skin like that.”
“It’s a gift,” I say jokingly. “I’m Jack Renfrew.”
“I see that.” She smiles. “And everyone knows who you are already.”
“Ah, the gift of Hicks Creek.”
“Something like that,” she says before she walks off to greet a customer.
Back in the truck, I set my coffee in the cup holder and start the engine. The errands are done, the supplies are loaded, and I’ve got a long afternoon of work ahead of me. But as I drive back to the ranch, my mind keeps drifting to Brynn.
She’s like a storm, unpredictable and impossible to ignore. And as much as I hate to admit it, I’m not sure I want to.
My phone starts ringing, and I see that my ex-wife, Savannah, is trying to FaceTime me.
“Not today, Satan,” I say out loud as I ignore the call.
I haven’t talked to her in a year, not without a lawyer present anyway. It’s weird that she’d randomly try to FaceTime me, but as soon as that thought creeps in, I push it away.
I do not have time to be thinking about my ex-wife, or any woman for that matter.
Don’t forget Mom’s birthday is today!
Joanne sends in a text message.
Damn it, I had forgotten.
Looks like the universe isn’t going to let me stay away from Brynn after all.
Chapter Seventeen
Brynn
When I get back to the shop, Tabby is at the counter, chatting with a customer while she rings them up. She gives me a quick wave as I slip into the back room to check on the stock.
