Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she settled back in her chair and wiped stray tears from her eyes. “Yes. I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened.” Yes, you do, you big dolt. You choked on your drool! Get a grip!
She was grateful for the distraction when Maya, Kendall, Boone, and Richard arrived laden with bottles of water and cotton candy for the kids. Mutely, she nodded when Grace softly asked if everything was all right. She sipped from her water bottle and figured she would wait five minutes then make her pathetic loser excuses and walk the few blocks back to her house. She wasn’t even surprised by today’s outcome. Par for the course for her social life.
Seth turned to her and short time later. “The lowrider made it impossible for me to hear you earlier. What were you trying to say?” He didn’t act as though she’d just royally humiliated herself or try to hide the concern that was still in his eyes. He merely chose not to remind her by overlooking it. He really wanted to know what she had said.
Jayne took a deep breath.
You might as well chat with him. It’s not possible to humiliate yourself further. Wait, don’t say that…
Feeling a little more at ease, she replied, “I asked if it hurt.” She pointed at his wrist. “But that’s a stupid question, isn’t it?” She hoped it didn’t make him uncomfortable to point out his tattoos.
Giving her his full attention, he shook his head. “No. Some hurt worse than others, depending on how many nerve endings there are and how close the tattoo is to a bone or joint. None of it was unbearable.” As he spoke, he showed her the image on the underside of his wrist and then turned his arm so she could see the rest. There was so much to see she couldn’t take it all in at once.
Not sure if she hid her inward cringe at his description very well, Jayne asked, “Was the pain worth it? It must’ve been a struggle to sit still through that.”
Seth contemplated her words stoically for a few seconds, but when he looked back into her eyes, she thought she saw the hint of a smile. “Some things in life are worth the struggle.”
Jayne nodded and sat back as his words echoed in her thoughts. She had personal experience with struggles. When the parade drew to a close she stood and folded her chair as the others made preparations to leave.
Grace turned to Jayne and said, “Instead of walking back for your car, do you want to just ride out to the ranch with one of us? We’ll give you a ride back into town whenever you’re ready to go home.”
Jayne hated to be an inconvenience to anyone like that and started to shake her head. “It won’t take but a few minutes. I’m only three blocks away.”
Gaining her immediate attention with a gentle hand on her bare upper arm, Seth said, “Would you like to ride with me, Jayne?”
Just about anywhere you want to take me, handsome.
She looked at where he gestured behind the flatbed trailer to a sparkling, well-maintained motorcycle parked in a row with two others. She recognized the Harley-Davidson emblem on a chrome part and bit her lip.
Grace asked, “Ever ridden on a Harley before, Jayne?”
Jayne stifled a gasp at that question because Grace already knew the answer. Since making the move back to Divine in February after the breakup with her rather staid former fiancé, Jayne had spent a lot of time getting caught up with her cousins. She’d heard about a lot of their escapades, and they knew all about her lack thereof.
“No, I haven’t.”
Grace didn’t even bother trying to hide her Cheshire cat grin. “Seth is a very responsible rider. I’ll bet you’d enjoy it. He even has an extra helmet, don’t you, Seth?”
Seth appeared to suppress a chuckle and glanced at Grace before nodding at Jayne. “Yes, it just so happens that I have an extra helmet in one of my saddlebags. A little bird told me one might come in handy if someone needed a ride out to the ranch.”
Grace giggled, sounding unrepentant. “See, Jayne? It was meant to be. Save yourself the walk on such a hot day. Seth will keep you safe.”
Jayne weighed her options. The thought of riding on the back of Seth’s Harley both scared and exhilarated her. Just the night before she’d told herself that she needed to start living some of the adventures she wrote about on paper. The thought of refusing him and walking home made her sad, and as she looked up into his clear blue eyes, she saw a trace of some emotion. He was so serious, she almost missed it. Hope? Well, if nothing else, the ride would be great research.
Grabbing at the opportunity, she replied, “Sure. I’ll ride with you. But I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle before.”