Page 38 of Fresh Canvas
Something had changed.
Now that I thought of it, the bite in her words seemed softer today. As though the bite was playful and not to rip my head off. A memory of shameful words exchanged at thirty-thousand feet shadowed the moment. I flinched, remembering the phrase she had chosen to skewer me with. But I had also acted like such a jerk that morning. I would have wanted to rip my head off too.
So what changed?
Amantha’s pointed look conveyed how weird I was being.
Talk, man.
“Old ladies love me,” I blurted. “I put away their grocery carts in parking lots and everything.” I ran a hand through my sweat-dampened curls, not knowing what type of response that even was.
“I’m sorry, what?” She coughed a doubtful laugh.
“Old ladies... Carts... Parking lots...” I enunciated each word, annoyed, though it had nothing to do with her, andeverythingto do with her.
A flush of embarrassment sent a hard ripple through her eyes. “I heard you the first time, Russo. I’m not stupid.”
“Could have fooled me.”
A small step back rooted me on the island where I belonged. Whereshedid not.
Her creamy complexion blushed deeper. “Wellyoucan’t foolme.Don’t pretend you’re a nice guy; you’re embarrassing yourself.” Her slender shoulder knocked my upper arm as she grabbed her abandoned shoes and cardigan from the floor. The dirty look she shot back caught me watching her.
“I’ll have you know I’m a very nice guy,” I called. “Just not to you.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Her hand fluttered through the air as she strode off, not bothering to look back again.
“Oh trust me. I’ll keep telling myself,” I grated under my breath.
Like how I’m not attracted to you. Like how annoying you are.
Rick’s wrinkled hand clapped me on the shoulder before squeezing painfully. “Well done.” His gruff voice dripped with sarcasm. “She’ll be running screaming into the sunset with you in no time.”
I shrugged out of Rick’s grasp before turning to face my old friend.
“Sounds dreamy,” I said sardonically.
“Cut it out, Val. You like her. So quit pulling her pigtails.”
“Pulling her pigtails?”
“Yes. The whole asinine act. Quit it.”
Rick’s piercing blue gaze knocked me down a peg. How this elderly man could be so intimidating was beyond me. If it weren’t for the grandfather-like relationship I had with him, I would have shut down this conversation immediately. But after these last few years, Rick’s sage advice had helped me through more than a few hard times.
“You know I’m not dating,” I said.
Rick scrubbed a hand down his face, the hard line of his wrinkled brow softening. “And heaven knows a stubborn ox likeyou can’t be pushed. That Amantha, though.” Rick clicked his tongue. “A bombshell with brains. I haven’t seen someone snap at you like that since—well, you’ve really pissed her off, you know?”
“And that’s a problem why?”
“There’ssomethingthere, Val. I can feel it in my rattly bones.”
My chest tightened. I absentmindedly rubbed the ache as I retorted, “You’re wrong. We hate each other.”
“Hate? Hate is good. Hate we can work with.”
I snorted. “Work with? You make it sound like there’s a grand scheme going on.”
