Page 77 of Feverburn

He took my hand and walked me to a barn behind his cabin. I figured it was where he stored his boat in the winter. His garage was clear of clutter so that I could park in it. He even gave me a garage opener and the code. It was 6969, more proof I was dating a straight guy.

As I walked into the barn, my brain tried deciphering what was in front of me. I didn’t know what to make of it. First off, it was chaotic, not like the tidy garage. Second, there was a lot of wood. And when I say a lot, I mean a fuck ton. The remnants of sawdust and paint clung to the air, and different machines and tables littered the space. High ceilings with beams had canoes and skis stored.

One wall caught my attention, so I walked closer. Racks upon racks of baseball bats were stacked, displaying each one. They were all different woods and stains. About half were glossy, some etched with people’s names and sports numbers.

My fingers trailed across one as I read it before looking up at Carson. “You make these?”

He rolled his lips into a fine line, nodding.“Yeah, I do. But it’s kind of through word of mouth. I don’t have an Etsy store or some shit like that.”

I couldn’t help but fix my gaze back on the bats. They were all so different but high quality.

“These areincredible! The details!”I squinted, looking at the precision. I stepped down further, pointing to smaller bats on a rack.“And you make them for little kids?”

“Yeah, I used to coach Little League.”A genuine smile split his face, bright against his dark stubble.

“Wait, you like kids?”

“Love‘em. They’re honest little shits. I find it refreshing. What’s that saying,”he snapped his fingers, trying to jog his memory.“Oh! Only three things tell the truth: drunk people, yoga pants, and toddlers.”

I sniffed out a little laugh, imagining him chasing after a little green-eyed boy dragging a bat around. I couldn’t dip into that daydream, so I distracted myself.“Wait, why’d you quit coaching?”

“I stopped after the whole Whitney thing happened.”He chewed the inside of his cheek and looked down.“Things got complicated. I could hear whispers in the crowd. I couldn’t sit and listen to them talk shit about me right in front of the little dudes I was supposed to be an example for. I didn’t want to confuse them.”

It was as if someone kicked my chest.“But you’re a good man. You’re a great example. I mean, you went pro. This town would beluckyto have someone like you coaching.”

“The gossip mill is the only thing that runs here, sweetheart.”

I scoffed. “But they don’t know shit about you!”

“Yeah, well, you know what they say about people who don’t know shit…they talk shit. The curse was something to gab about while watching their kids.”His eyes flashed back up to mine before darting around the shop.

I rested my hands on his chest.“I can’t imagine howpainfulit would be to have something youlovetaken away from you like that.”

His eyes locked back in on mine.“Yes, you can,”he countered.“You can imagine exactly what that’s like. You can’t tattoo, and I can’t play ball. Life fucked us both over.”

I opened my mouth to argue but couldn’t.

He went on, picking up my hands from his chest tokissthem.“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make this a downer moment. I just wanted to share this with you. No one knows that I do this. This is why I’m always hanging out at Harley’s woodshop, not the other way around.”

“Anothersecret?”I asked while one of his hands trailed across my collarbone before rubbing my shoulder, not answering me.“What other secrets do you have that I don’t know about?”I asked it flirtatiously, but the second it escaped my lips, I realized I was genuinely asking. Myworrydeepened as I watched his face twitch before he brought me in for akiss.

“You know all about my life now.”He brushed his thumb up my cheek from where he held my face. I smiled at him, feeling his sincerity but still unsure. I looked around, and something else clicked in my mind.

“The dresser!”I gasped, darting across the shop. I walked up to a table with drawer pulls and other hardware. “You made the damn dresser, didn’t you?”

His brow furrowed in confusion.“The rose one I put in your loft after the fire? Well, yeah.”He snorted like it was apparent.

I continued to gawk at him. “I thought your sister put it there. She’s always finding treasures.”

He chuckled amusedly, caressing my lower back before resting his hand on my ass.“The dresser was all me,love. I figured it was obvious, what with the carved roses. Figured I was being subtle there.”

I elbowed him.“Stop being a sarcastic ass. This is so damn cute! I can’t believe you made me that after I burnt your store down.”

“Almost,mymagissa. Almost burnt it down,” he corrected.

“Right.”I eyed him, speechless. I couldn’t believe he did that, especially when we were feuding. Even then, he was looking out for me.

“Oh, and I need you to take two days off work,”he said with a boyish grin.

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