15. Angie

Chapter 15

Angie

T he front door flew open, and I snapped my head toward it. I thought it might be Dan, but instead, Blake, Chuck, Pedro, and Remi’s friend, Myles, walked in. I swung around to Remi and raised an eyebrow in question.

True to form, Chuck wiggled his eyebrows at me. He’d been a pest throughout elementary and high school, always on his older brother John’s heels, and he was still a pest. Pedro brushed his mustache and gave me a thumbs-up as he passed. Blake was more stoic than the others, and even though I didn’t know Myles well, he cast me an overdone wink.

Somehow, I’d become this town’s little sister. But did the three mechanic amigos and Myles have to come spy on me on my date? Come on. “Did you have to invite the whole posse?”

“I needed them to make this look like a bros’ night. I couldn’t exactly be in my lane alone, could I?” Remi’s voice cut through the chatter of the guys greeting each other.

“Whatever,” I said, too nervous to come up with anything else.

Tugging my phone from my purse, I flicked the ongoing call with Remi to the corner and texted Lili.

Blake is at the Bearded Axe. Coincidence?

The dotted lines flickered back and forth on my screen as Lili formulated her response.

Someone has to make sure Smoot doesn’t go all Hannibal Lecter on you.

Clicking on the eye-roll emoji, I pressed send. Then texted her again.

He’s not a murderer.

The dots started cycling again. We’d been through this many times before with my other online heartthrobs. Which was probably why I’d stopped telling them whenever I scheduled an in-person date.

Rather be safe than sorry. Have fun!

When Daniel entered the room, my eyes barely skimmed over her text. Although he was shorter than I expected, his fit build made up for it. His button-up, deep-blue shirt tapered into classic khakis, showing off his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Thick-framed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, giving him the persona of the sexy, smart guy.

I shoved my phone into my bra and wiggled back and forth to make sure it remained secure. My shoulders tensed, and my smile faltered as I walked toward him. All my previous worries rushed to the forefront of my mind. What if I didn’t understand him? What if he grew bored of me? What if he turned out to be a huge disappointment?

With each step, I drew closer to him, and I didn’t know whether to go in for a hug or a solid handshake.

Hug. No. Handshake.

The gap closed, and I lifted my arms to move in for a quick embrace.

“Start off with a handshake.” Remi’s voice came too late to save me.

Still, I shifted and stuck out my hand, but then Daniel went for a hug. I stayed firm in my position until he took my hand in his, almost crushing my fingers in his solid grip.

“That was awkward.” Remi’s mechanical voice sounded in my head once again.

Tempted to yank the earbud free, I flipped Remi the bird behind my back. His soft laughter mixed with Daniel’s voice. I blocked out the masculine chuckle and listened to Daniel.

“Wow. You’re even prettier in person.” His smile grew, yet he remained focused on my face.

I breathed in his spiced cider cologne—it was applied a bit too strongly—and led him to our lane.

“Nice. He’s looking at your ass,” Remi said into my ear.

“Shut up.” I glared over at Remi, who stood surrounded by his cronies, all of them shooting me sly glances.

“What?” Daniel came to my side.

“Tell him you were using shut up as an exclamation. Shut up! We have the same axe,” Remi quickly said.

“I—uh— shut up , we have the same axe.”

“Nice.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, it is the official axe for competitions. Mine looks a little more worn than yours though.”

“This one’s brand new.” I had a problem speaking without thinking. “My handle fell off my other one,” I added in a rush.

Daniel only nodded, stepping to the line. “What do you say we start a game? Promise not to let you win.” He winked at me over his shoulder.

I half smiled and twirled my finger in my hair. “Don’t worry. I’ll beat you all by myself tonight.”

“Kinky.” Remi’s voice interrupted my conversation.

I’d forgotten I wasn’t alone. “I mean, I’m gonna win.”

Daniel raised one eyebrow at me and turned to face the target. I flipped around at Remi and held one finger over my mouth. With his constant commentary, I would never settle down and be able to focus on Daniel. I couldn’t take him out of my ear either. He was a necessary evil … for now.

Remi sat on the bench behind me with a scorecard and a pencil in his hand. “I’ll give you a tip. Make the axe go forward.” I watched his mouth move with the words flowing into my brain.

The thwack of Daniel’s axe brought me back to my date, where my focus should be centered. His axe stuck halfway in the one-point ring on the outside of the board.

Daniel rubbed the back of his head. “I guess I’m a bit out of practice.”

I laughed. “I haven’t been able to come here much lately either.”

He gestured for me to step in front of him and take my turn. I couldn’t delay any longer. It was the moment of truth. Would I be able to pull off this catfishing scheme or should I call it a night and head back home—to Mama and Papa—where I’d live out the rest of my days caring for them and the farm?

Following Remi’s instructions, I breathed in deeply through my nose and let the air flow through my lips. Both my hands gripped the axe. I lifted it above my head and brought it down in one decisive movement, letting it go.

It hit the target.

Just not the one I’d been aiming for.

It landed square in the center—in the target in front of Daniel, not me.

“Oops.” I dropped my forehead into my hand.

“Don’t admit when you do something wrong. Own it.” Laughter tinged Remi’s voice. I had to resist the urge to turn around and yell at him for poking fun at me.

“I mean … I meant to do that.”

I glanced at Remi, but his back was to me. He still sat on the stool at the table while his friends threw axes. Blake slid his eyes in my direction, narrowing them like an older brother would. I ignored his look, facing Daniel once again.

“Wow. You like the two-handed throw, huh?”

“Yeah.” I followed him to the targets and yanked out my axe.

We threw a few more times, and I missed only once. Daniel managed to stay on the board, but his throws were everywhere.

“Dude. My arms are flamed.” Daniel tugged his hatchet out of the wood and tucked it into his belt.

“The muscles in his forearms are tired because of climbing.” Remi translated.

“You okay if we take a break? I’ll get you a drink.” Daniel tipped his head toward the drink fridge.

“Sure.” I tucked my own weapon in its hook. “I’ll take a Diet Coke.”

“You got it.” Daniel shot me with two finger guns and jogged to the counter.

I sagged into a stool.

“You’re doing great.” Remi laughed.

I swung around in the stool to see him facing me, and the other guys, save for Myles, rushed toward me.

“If he so much as tries anything, you let me know and I’ll—” Blake started.

Chuck cut in. “I like this guy, but you should give me a go.”

“She’d date a baboon before she tried dating you, Chuck.” Pedro whacked Chuck in the back of the head.

“Incoming.” Remi’s voice cut through the chaos.

“Get back to your lane. I can handle this myself.” I shooed them away.

“That’s why Remi is over there with an earphone feeding you information.” Blake jerked his thumb toward Remi as he walked away from me.

Every other night, I could handle being treated like the town’s little sister. The one you hug and pat on the head but don’t make out with. I didn’t believe for a second Chuck actually meant what he offered. I supposed that was why I’d tried to date Troy. I wanted everyone to see me differently.

I wouldn’t be the little sister anymore. No, tonight I’d be sexy, desirable, and a potential for a long-term relationship.

“Will you keep your friends under control?” I mumbled to Remi.

“They’re more your friends than mine.”

“Why did you bring them?” I asked louder this time.

“Because you said you wanted a diet.”

I spun so my legs slid forward under the table. Daniel held the bottle to me, a question in his eyes. “Yeah. I did.” I took the drink without further explanation, and Daniel sat beside me.

He opened his bottle of water and took a drink. I probably should have ordered water. Sports people didn’t drink soda. Then again, I couldn’t give up Diet Coke for a guy I loved, let alone a pretend hobby.

“Sorry.” He set his bottle on the table and played with the condensation on the side. “I dogged a climb yesterday. It was a bit of a grovel. I had to garden with one hand while I held a chickenhead with the other. I yo-yo’d it for a while, but my melon bucket saved me from the worst hit.”

I blinked … and hoped Remi caught all that.

Sure enough, the translation came in. “ He tried to climb a run multiple times, it was rough with dirt and plants. He had to clean it up while he held onto a rock protrusion. He fell a lot, but his helmet saved him from hitting his head.”

Not that it helped much. What in the hell was I supposed to say to that? “Where did you go climbing?”

“Moab. I got back yesterday.”

Sheesh. This man had more adventure in his pinky finger than I had in all of me. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”

“You haven’t been?” He held an incredulous note in his voice.

Remi chirped in my ear. “Say in April.”

“—In April.”

“It’s too hot in June.”

“It’s hot in June,” I repeated.

“I’ve jumped hundreds of times in Moab. I know the DZO and Rigger personally at the Canyonlands DZ. Have you BASE’d or skydived there?”

“DZ. Drop Zone—it’s where you go to skydive. Rigger checks your rig. Frickin’ SkyGod.”

“Frickin’ SkyGod,” I parroted, only catching the last thing out of Remi’s mouth.

“No—don’t.”

I jumped at Remi’s urgent command and spilled my Diet Coke all over Daniel.

“Whoa.” Daniel jumped up, causing his stool to tip and slam into the concrete.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. Here.” I grabbed the closest thing, my black, fringe purse, and rubbed at the brown stain growing on his blue shirt. “I can fix it. The stain stick that Mama makes gets anything out. Take off your shirt, leave it with me, and it’ll be good as new tomorrow.”

“Angie. You might want to stop rubbing the man and asking him to take his shirt off.”

Daniel took my hands in his, and I finally stilled. “Are you calling me a SkyGod?”

“No. I mean …”

He licked his lips. “Next thing you’ll say is I’m a 100-jump wonder.”

Everything coming out of his mouth may as well be the same language Mae spoke. I’d been trying to learn horse my whole life. True, I may not understand the exact intonations of her soft neighs, but I connected with her thoughts. Anytime I went on a ride, I couldn’t carry my troubles along with me. As soon as I climbed in the saddle, I left every stressor behind. Nothing existed except me, Mae, and the ground flying beneath her feet.

Someday, I hoped to have this type of connection with another human. Preferably with the man, I chose to marry. So, although I didn’t understand him now, I had no doubt I would be able to in the future.

While Daniel held my hands, I peeked over at Remi, waiting for his translation.

“Those are insults. Like he has a big ego, but a small d—”

“What do you think of this place?” I cut Remi off and pulled any question I could think of out of thin air. Immature nincompoop.

Why’d I leave my notecard of talking points on my dresser? They’d be helpful right about now.

“I’m not the best at throwing axes. I’m good. I beat most people, but I could improve.”

“No, I meant how do you … like this area, I guess?”

“It’s not bad. Although, I’ve done the bridge, and it wasn’t that epic …”

Ignoring Remi’s disgruntled noise, I continued to listen to Daniel as he picked up his stool and talked about all the places he’d BASE jumped. I interjected one word here and there in the conversation, which carried on for another thirty minutes.

“… my favorite is jumping from skyscrapers into the city lights below. Maybe we can do a tandem jump sometime.”

His heated gaze zapped me like Superman’s laser vision, microwaving my heart and leaving a pile of warm mush where muscle once existed. Sure, heights still made my toes curl, but being with a stable guy like Dan would be worth confronting my biggest fear.

“That means leaping of a building together.”

“I know.” The words flew out my mouth before I could stop them.

“You know what?”

“I know I like you.”

Daniel leaned in close to my ear—the ear with the AirPod in it—and I jerked away. He quirked his eyebrows. “Listen, it’s getting late. I better get going.”

“That’s code for I don’t want a second date. Offer to walk him to his car.”

“I’ll walk you to your car.” I stood and tugged my skirt into place.

“Good. Now make eye contact with him and bite your lower lip.”

Daniel took a couple of steps in my direction. Tilting my head ever so slightly, I locked eyes with his and tucked my lip under my top teeth. Sure enough, his gaze trailed to my mouth.

He swallowed and fiddled with his glasses. “That’d be nice.”

“Well done. Now, find any excuse to touch him on your way to his car.”

I placed my hand on Daniel’s shoulder as he headed for the door; he paused mid-stride. Delectable shivers coursed through my veins. I’d always let the guy take the lead. This newfound power emboldened me to run my fingertips along Dan’s arm and take his hand in mine. With an encouraging tug from me, he began walking once again.

He pushed the door open for me, and we moved into the chill spring evening. Leftover mist from the light rain from earlier in the day dusted my hair and face, coating my exposed skin. Dan led me to his car parallel parked across the street.

Of course, he chose to rent a pearl-gray Tesla.

“Now tuck your hair behind your ear and step into his bubble. If he’s interested, he’ll do the rest.”

How was Remi watching me right now? I didn’t look back at the building to figure it out. The beat of my heart urged me forward. Desperate for a romantic connection, I pressed him back against his car.

Though our height difference wasn’t as drastic as Remi towering over me, I still had to tilt my chin up to see his eyes. His pupils dilated in the darkness. As instructed, I tucked my hair behind my ear, waiting for him to do the rest.

The halo of the streetlamp illuminated half our bodies in the deserted street. Acting a bit tentative, his damp palms swept my hair away from my face, his thumbs tracing my cheekbones. His head dipped closer to mine; the warmth of his breath touched my lips.

Then it hit me. I was getting kissed. I held my breath. Time had been my enemy for too long. My lips had almost turned into dry husks during their extensive drought. Water was about to pour down from the sky.

His lips, wetter than I’d like, moved over mine. My body instinctually took over, and I opened my mouth and went with the flow. His hands dropped to my lower back, pulling my entire body closer to his, while mine tangled in his hair, knocking his glasses crooked.

My breaths shortened until I was gasping for air. I couldn’t tell if this was because I didn’t allow myself to come up for air or if the pressure from Daniel’s arms stifled my ability to bring in more oxygen. He pulled back slightly and kissed my forehead.

“I had a nice night.” He climbed into his car and winked at me. The Tesla chimed, and its screens woke up, accompanied by a soft hum. “Thanks for the awesome date. I’ll be back.” He did a poor imitation of Arnold Schwarzenegger and closed the door.

I stepped back from his car, and with one final wave, he rolled forward and turned around the corner.

Placing my hands on my scalding cheeks, I spoke through my grin, “Remi. It worked.” But the masculine voice in my head I’d grown accustomed to didn’t answer back. “Remi?”

I tugged my phone free from my bra and wiped the glistening sweat from its screen … it was blank.

Remi had hung up.