“Ah. That makes sense,” I say dryly. “Now that you got rid of the dent, will you buy a new one if you need a tire change, too?”
“Probably,” he says, not even picking up on my sarcasm. “And how’s your car?”
I shrug. “Same old. Same old.”
“Why didn’t you take the money? You could have easily had it repaired.” His gaze pierces me with such intensity, I almost flinch.
“What?”
“I wrote you a check,” he says slowly. “Why did you throw it back at me?”
I flick my tongue over my lips, lost for words. His gaze is glued to my mouth, and for a moment, his eyes glaze over, as though he’s a million miles away, overtaken by the thoughts in his head.
What can I say?
That I would have felt cheap taking money from him? Which obviously makes no sense whatsoever.
“It was too much,” I mutter. “You weren’t realistic. Besides, I didn’t know you.”
He nods and looks away. The air is heavy with something I can’t define. I don’t know what to do with myself, so I just take another sip of my coffee.
“Are you always so—”
“Sensible? Rational?” I suggest the two words Mandy has been throwing at me for years.
He shakes his head. “No. I was thinking more along the lines of sincere and brutally honest.”
The way he sums up those personality traits makes them sound distinctly negative.
Maybe I should have shut my mouth about the tire changing part.
“So, where’s Mandy again?” I ask, eager to change the subject before we insult each other some more.
“She’s headed into town.”
“I can’t believe she would just leave without telling me. Did she say why?”
He shakes his head. “No, only that it’s urgent and that she needs something from the shops.”
I glance out of the window. It’s still windy, but the clouds are gone. When Mandy says something’s urgent, it usually isn’t. A sliver of hope colors my voice. If Mandy decided to walk, then the streets are clear and we’ll be gone by midday. She’ll be back soon, and I’ll no longer have to be alone with him.
“She should have told me,” I say, even though I know I sound like a little girl who’s afraid of being alone with her first crush.
“You were sleeping,” Kellan says, grinning.
I regard him intently. “How do you know? Did you peek into my room?” Realizing my blunder, I add quickly, “Obviously not my room but your guestroom.”
“Maybe I did.” He winks.
I narrow my eyes as I try to read his expression. His face is relaxed; his lips are twitching. “I don’t believe you’d do that,” I say after a pause.
“You’re right.” His smile slowly disappears. “Except…” He trails off and leans back, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Except when?” I prompt.
“Except when I’m welcome, Ava. With you, it’s only a matter of time.”
My breath catches in my throat. Our eyes connect, and something happens between us. It’s like a current, and I know in that one moment that if I let go, there’s no coming back. The waters in there, between us, are deep and dark and stormy, much like the sky in Montana. They leave no room for hesitation. No uncertainty. I know in that instant that he’s waiting for me to invite him to my room.
I wish I’d just do it.
The thought is both intimate and frightening.
“How far away is the next town?” My voice trembles as I force my gaze down.
“Why?” he asks. “Are you getting bored of me already?”
“No, I was just wondering.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. The next big town with shopping facilities is almost two hours away. I told her she wouldn’t make it far, but she wouldn’t listen. Said something about shopping and hiking being her thing and all.” His eyes flicker with amusement, a sign that he saw right through Mandy’s lie.
I’m not surprised. Who in their right mind mentions shopping and hiking in the same line?
“How did she leave?” I ask because I don’t believe for a second that Mandy’s gone hiking.
“She borrowed my truck.” Kellan cocks his head, misinterpreting my gloomy expression. “What? You think I have your friend tied up in my basement?”
“Well, do you?” I raise my brows.
“I’m into tying up, but not your friend…she isn’t exactly my type.” His words are deep and dark, full of unspoken promises. His gaze brushes my lips and lingers there. “I prefer the curvy kind I can tie to my bedpost.”
“Did you just suggest I might be curvy and bedpost material? That’s so—”
Sexy?
Wrong on so many levels?
I shake my head and laugh…until I remember he has a girlfriend.
Before I can stop myself, I blurt out, “Yeah, you like the blond kind, too, don’t you?”
It was meant as a joke, but the words that come out carry the slightest hint of bitterness and jealously.
That’s so not what I was going for.
Kellan regards me, amused. “Not so much the blond but the quirky kind. The kind that hits my car.”