8. River

RIVER

I was buzzing with joy when I left the ice cream parlor, but as I walked back toward the bridge—my coveralls still unzipped to my waist and the sun on my shoulders—I had the strange sensation I was being watched.

I turned to see Bud pouring water into a bucket of flowers outside his shop, staring at me slack-jawed and completely oblivious to the water overflowing onto the pavement. I gave him a friendly wave, then glanced next door to the patisserie where Pascal was about to serve old Mr. Sloane at one of the outdoor tables. He caught sight of me and gawked, his mouth falling open, before unceremoniously dumping a plate of macarons into his customer's lap.

That's when I heard a strange squeaking noise coming from the window of the flower shop.

Was that Maggie ogling me as she licked the glass from the inside?

I decided to zip my coveralls up again, returning my thoughts to Clarry and letting the grin spread across my face once more.

I felt like the uncertainty and distance and funk that had been messing with my reconnection to Clarry was finally crumbling away. Hell, he'd agreed to a night out together. Finally, we were going to get some quality time, just him and me, just like the old days, the two of us hanging out and having fun.

Of course, I'd managed to drip ice cream all down my front and make a total turkey of myself in front of him. And then he'd ended up seeing me naked in his shower. But he said it didn't make him feel uncomfortable, and if he wasn't embarrassed about seeing me naked, then there was no need for me to feel embarrassed about the ice cream mess on my chest.

I felt like we'd hit the reset button.

Like everything was good between us again.

Like nothing could stop us being even closer friends than ever before.

There was no wiping the grin off my face.

Well, maybe there was one thing.

As I arrived back at Mike's, Roxanne was standing in the workshop waiting for me, chewing gum.

She popped a cherry bubble. "Well, well, well, here he is at long last. My new favorite mechanic."

From under the hood of a nearby car Mike mumbled, "Did you ever have an old favorite?"

"Oh, shush there, Mike. I was talking to River."

Mike looked at me, rolled his eyes and returned to the job at hand, clearly not wanting a bar of Roxanne's shenanigans. I didn't blame him. He got me off the hook the night before, offering to drive her home and sparing me from having to do it. He'd already taken one for the team. It was my turn to handle things.

With a click-click-click of her heels on the cement floor, she made her way over to me. "So, did you find anything under my hood that needs tinkering?"

"Actually, Roxanne, Mike and I both went over your engine, checked everything, there's not a single problem with your car. She's in perfect shape. "

"Just like her mommy." Roxanne stopped in front of me, a little too close for comfort, and licked her glossy red lips. "That darn rattle must have just been my imagination. Never mind. It gave me a good excuse to come down and see you again, and perhaps ask what you're up to tonight. You got any plans, you big lug?"

"Matter of fact I do. I'm heading to Aunt Bea's."

"Now that sounds like fun. A little whiskey, maybe a game of pool." She traced a long, glittery fingernail over my chest. "So, what time will I meet you there?"

"Actually, I'm going with my best friend Clarry."

She laughed so loud it echoed off the tin roof. "You mean Piggy Pinkerton? Are you serious?"

"Don't call him that." I pushed her hand off my chest. "Ever."

"Oooh, touchy. Whatever. Take your chubby little boyfriend to the bar, see if I care. Maybe you'll see me there, maybe you won't."

"Please make it a ‘won't'. I don't want you to come."

"You can't stop me from coming." Roxanne grinned mischievously. "It's a public bar."

"Do as you please. But if you see me there, do me a favor and don't talk to me. And stay away from Clarry, too."

"Awfully bold of you to think you can tell me what to do. If I wasn't mistaken, I'd say you were trying to discipline me. How very sexy of you."

Suddenly Mike pushed his way between us, nudging Roxanne away from me and slamming her car keys into her palm. "He wasn't trying to do anything other than tell you to leave. Your car's out back. Next time you hear a clatter in the engine, take it to a mechanic in Eau Claire to have it checked. Maybe you'll have better luck finding someone to tinker under your hood there."

Roxanne's nostrils flared as she glared at Mike, then me, then back at Mike again. "Fine. Next time maybe I will take my business elsewhere. God knows I hate coming here anyways… smells like grease and metal parts."

"It's a mechanic shop," Mike reminded her. "It's supposed to smell like that."

With a humph Roxanne simply spun on her heels and stormed off to fetch her car.

A moment of silence passed between Mike and me before he simply said, "Just like I told you… a teething shark, that one. Be careful. She bites."