Page 12

“You know him?”

He gives me a strange look. “Of course. We know everyone in Screaming Woods. How come you live with him? Are you two together?”

“Yeah, are you?” Alice asks, moving to stand beside Gordy.

“We’re definitely not together,” I say, and for some crazy reason, an image of Otis’s lips on mine flashes before my eyes. I swallow. This is not the time or place to have fantasies about kissing the man.

Alice and Gordy give me an expectant look, waiting for me to tell them why I’m living with Otis.

“I bought the house, but Otis never owned it. He just moved in a few years ago because it was empty. We’re temporarily sharing the house until he finds somewhere else to live.”

Alice smiles. “Would it be such a bad thing to live there together, though? Otis is kind once you get to know him, and he’s definitely hot.”

Gordy looks exasperated. “Alice!”

“What? It’s true. That doesn’t mean I want him. You’re all I’ll ever need, Gordy.” She presses a kiss to his lips.

When they don’t stop, I clear my throat. “Well, thanks again for letting me paint you, Gordy. I’ll be back to browse your selection of books soon, but I wanted to check out some other shops before the Fall Celebration.”

They finally break apart, and Alice gives me a sheepish smile. “Have fun and see you soon, Romy.”

“Thanks.”

I wave them both goodbye and head outside. I smile. That went better than expected. One willing subject down. Maybe I can get a few more people to say yes before the day’s over.

I turn around and head to the shop next door.

Chapter Six

Otis

I tighten the bolt on the carburetor and put my wrench down on the workbench. I’ve been messing around with it for almost an hour, even though it doesn’t need any work.

I can usually spend an entire afternoon out in the shed without noticing how much time has passed, but not today. All I can think about is Romy and how she’s been gone for a couple of hours.

I pick up the wrench again and adjust the bolt I just tightened. Fuck. I can’t keep tightening bolts that don’t need tightening. I throw the wrench down and wonder what Romy’s doing right now. She’s probably talking to everyone she meets. Romy’s the kind of bubbly girl who loves getting to know people. Hell, she’s more interested in Screaming Woods than I’ve been in years, and she’s only been here five minutes.

I shouldn’t care. Romy can spend her Saturday afternoon however she wants, and I can spend mine exactly how I always do… alone in my shed, tinkering on engines.

I look through the small window toward the cottage. It’s quiet without her opening and closing cabinets in the kitchen or walking around upstairs. There’s no music coming from her bedroom while she paints, and she’s not angrily pulling out weeds from the backyard.

It’s crazy how quickly I’ve gotten used to all of it. I’ve lived here alone for years without a problem. Then Romy leaves for a couple of hours, and I fucking miss her.

What the hell is wrong with me? Maybe getting hit by her car did more damage than I thought. But I’m not sure if I’m suffering from a traumatic brain injury or from… I don’t know, feelings.

Ugh, just thinking about the word feels weird. I haven’t had good feelings for anyone in a long time. All I’ve felt these past few years is anger and resentment.

I pick up the wrench again and force myself to concentrate. There’s absolutely no reason for me to go into town. I never go to these things. The Fall Celebration is the same every year. People eat too much, drink too much cider, and pretend cold weather is something worth getting excited about. As I told Romy earlier, I’d rather stay home.

Except… I don’t want to stay home anymore. I want to see her.

I stare down at the carburetor, wondering how the hell a woman I met recently has me abandoning a perfectly good Saturday afternoon in my shed.

I don’t have an answer, but I don’t care enough to keep fighting what I’m feeling, so I toss the wrench onto the workbench and grab the rag hanging from the side. After wiping the grease from my hands, I head inside to change.

Romy wanted me to join her at the Fall Celebration, and I’m going to give her exactly what she wants.

I put on a clean shirt and grab my leather jacket before heading back outside and getting on my bike.