Page 8 of Forever After All

“Are you okay?”

He groaned and rested his head back on the dirt. “Yep.”

Jess leaned over him, unsure what to do to help when she couldn’t see any obvious injury. “Good. If you could compose yourself long enough to stay on your feet, I’ll be waiting in the truck.”

Chapter3

Linc

Linc took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling of the garage. Jess was going on a date, and she wanted his help.

He’d rather be trapped in a small room full of snakes than talk about Jess dating another man.

In the guy’s defense, he had guts. Linc had seen Jess intimidate many men. Not just scrawny wimps. She’d stood her ground with some of the biggest men in Blackwater.

Linc liked that about her. She didn’t cut any slack.

So, whoever this guy was, he’d made it past Jess’s first line of defense–her abruptness.

Linc had thought about asking her out himself a few times. Then, he reminded himself of all the reasons why he shouldn’t.

They were co-workers–ones who worked together very closely.

Jess hadn’t shown the slightest bit of romantic interest in him.

And the biggest reason? He was a criminal. With a felony under his belt and a decent list of misdemeanors, he wasn’t any woman’s first pick.

But Jess didn’t know that. At least, he didn’t think she knew.

Mr. Chambers knew, only because his boss had been the only person in Wyoming to give him a chance with that felony on his record.

It was bad enough explaining that employment gap during job interviews, but it was a huge red flag on a date.

Hence the reason he hadn’t dated since his release. It was a pretty good reason not to act on his feelings for Jess.

Jess was the definition of literal. She took everything at face value because that’s what she gave. If you told her the rules, she followed them to the letter. If you asked her to do something, she did it. Right then.

Linc had a ten-year crime spree under his belt. There weren’t many rules out there he hadn’t broken.

He sat up with a groan. It had been a while since he’d hit the ground like that, but nothing felt broken. He got to his feet and propped his hands on his hips. Now or never. It was time to face Jess.

He tossed his grease rag onto the toolbox and grabbed his hat from the hook.

Just as she’d promised, Jess waited in the passenger seat of his truck. She’d occupied that spot hundreds of times, and having her beside him always felt right.

Couldn’t they just skip this part? Fast forward through the dating and kissing conversation and get back to their easy, casual existence?

Linc climbed into the driver’s seat and started the truck. He glanced over at Jess and instantly regretted it.

If her shiny blonde hair and sleek green dress weren’t enough to kick him in the gut, her faded red lipstick did him in.

She’d asked about kissing, and now he couldn’t stop thinking about kissing. Specifically, kissing Jess.

“So, what should I do? Mrs. Scott introduced me to her nephew, and he wants to take me out on Monday.”

Jess rubbed a thumb over her knuckle. Hmm. He’d never seen her fidget with her fingers before. Usually, her hands were busy. She always knew what she needed to be doing.

The unwelcome thought that she might actually be interested in this guy really struck a chord. “What’s his name?”

---