Quarter Mile Hearts(16)
“Where are we going?”
“The diner.” Of course, why did I ask? There aren’t many other places to eat; plus, the food is actually pretty good.
“Where’s Aaron?”
“He’ll meet us there and then we can head up to the quarter mile.”
“Is he racing?”
“No, not tonight.”
Once inside the diner, we order and Beth leans forward. “So, tomorrow we’re wedding planning.” She smiles brightly, and I drop my head to rest on the table.
“Do you really need me for that?” The table obscures my words.
“Yes, you are my maid of honor.” I raise my head to look at her, and thankfully, my reaction hasn’t dampened her enthusiasm. “Plus, there is an engagement party to arrange.”
“What? Why?”
“Aaron’s parents want to throw us one; it’s in a couple of weeks. You’ll still be here, won’t you?”
“Yeah, I think I will.”
“Good, I need you here.”
“For you.” I smile at her with fondness because I’ve missed her. There have been so many times that I have wanted nothing more than to make the drive just to see her and hear her ramble on about Aaron and how great he is.
“How long are you staying for?” She watches me over the rim of her glass as I shrug and take a sip of my soda.
“Until dad is better, I guess.”
“What about work?”
“Yeah… I need to call them and tell them that I’ll be longer than I thought.”
“You should think about staying. It would be good to have you here.” She reaches over and squeezes my hand.
“You’ve got Aaron.”
“I know, but I miss my best friend. It would be good for you too, if you stayed.” She pauses but continues to scrutinize me, her eyes searching for any clue about what I’m thinking. “Are you happy?”
“I guess.” I give her a shrug. The truth is that I’m not happy. I go to work then go home, and that’s it. I don’t have friends. I miss Beth and Aaron, and I miss my dad. But I would never tell them that. It was such a big decision to leave, one that I didn’t tell them about until it was time to go. Being home makes me miss my life here, the life I could have. That’s why visits were always short, but I already know this one won’t be. Now that I’m here, I’m not in a hurry to leave. The novelty might wear off and then I may rush to leave, but for now, I’m happy to be here.
Beth changes the subject and tells me everything that has been happening since the last time I was home for a visit. Which isn’t much. But it’s good to hear anyway.
Chapter Six
There are already cars parked all over the road and in front of the chained up gates of the quarry by the time we arrive. Beth pulls onto the side of the road to park, and we both climb out to go in search of Aaron. His face lights up when he sees Beth sashaying over to where he stands talking to Max. Great. Stupid of me but I forgot that he would be here. She walks into Aaron’s open arms and he leans down to kiss her, a deep kiss that carries on for far too long. The longer I stand there, the more awkward I feel. Rolling my eyes at them, I turn side on and avert my eyes.
Of course, I catch Max’s smirk, and he steps closer to me, nudging me with his elbow. The smell of Armani carries in the warm breeze, and I inhale deeply. Does he really have to smell so good? It’s not fair.
“Hey, boss.” He flashes one of his well-practiced sexy smiles, and I fight to keep a straight face. I’ve done so well at ignoring him at work and not staring at him while I’m there. Now, he’s a sight for sore eyes, having him standing in front of me looking so gorgeous.
“Ha-ha.” He’s taken to calling me boss because he knows full well that it annoys the hell out of me. I’m not his boss nor do I pretend to be; I don’t tell him what to do. He and Aaron are perfectly capable of managing their own workload.
“You racing?” He casts a sideways glance, and his eyes sparkle with mischief.
“Nuh-uh.” I shake my head defiantly; he’s not tricking me again.
“Why not?”
“Really? We’re going to do this? You tricked me into racing once, but I’m not doing it again.”
His answering chuckle only succeeds in infuriating me further and I have to question why I let myself get sucked in by his taunts. You would think that after all this time and with age, I would stop letting him reduce me to such childish behavior. But when it comes to him, I can’t help it. He brings out this whole other side to me. A side that I don’t like but can’t seem to rein in.