by MJ Duncan
Bryn frowned and changed tactics. “Surely there is a better way to go about changing a tire.”
Anna chuckled and shook her head. “Not really. You just take off all the nuts, pull the tire off, stick the new one on, and then tighten the nuts back up again. It’s not brain surgery.”
“Like you know anything about brain surgery,” Bryn muttered under her breath, her annoyance flaring when Anna smirked in response.
“I’ve watched Grey’s Anatomy, it doesn’t look too hard.”
“Yes, because watching a television show where the doctors spend more time sneaking off to the on-call room than they do being actual doctors is a perfect instructional tool.”
“Ah.” Anna winked at Bryn as she fit the wrench onto the next nut and climbed back up onto it. “So you’ve seen it.”
The playful smile curling Anna’s lips was almost enough to get Bryn to admit that she had seen every episode, but there was something in the way Anna’s shockingly blue eyes sparkled with amusement that made her hold back. She felt like she was on perilous display, and she would not allow herself to be judged by a woman as irresponsible and reckless as Anna Fitzpatrick.
Thankfully, she was saved by the arrival of the tow truck the auto club had sent out. “The tow truck has arrived,” she announced.
“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Anna drawled as she nodded and jumped back to the ground. She laughed at the annoyed look Bryn shot her, and brushed her hands off on her legs. “Well, then, I guess I’ll leave the rest of this job to the professionals.”
Propriety demanded Bryn thank Anna for her unsolicited assistance, and she sighed as she nodded once in her direction. “Yes, well. Thank you for your help, Ms. Fitzpatrick.”
“Anna.”
“Yes, of course.” Bryn nodded again, though this time it was more of a dismissal than an acknowledgement. “Good night, Ms. Fitzpatrick.”
Anna stared at Bryn for a moment before finally replying, “Good night, Ms. Nakamura. Drive safely.”
Bryn chewed her lower lip thoughtfully as she watched Anna turn on her heel and walk back to her bike, never once looking back as she slipped on her backpack and threw one leg over the seat as she started riding down the street. It was then that the tow truck driver approached her, reeking of greasy fast food and cigarette smoke, and Bryn grit her teeth to try and hide her disgust as she turned toward him.
“You called about a flat?” the man asked.
“Yes.” Bryn crossed her arms over her chest and nodded curtly as she took a discreet step away from the man. Anna Fitzpatrick, for all her faults, at least smelled better than this guy. And, if she were being honest with herself, she had to admit that she already missed Anna’s sharp wit and easy smile. “How long do you think it will take you to fix it?”
The guy shrugged. “Eh. Fifteen minutes, tops.”
“Excellent.” Bryn gestured toward the window Anna’s bike had been propped against moments before. “Then I shall get out of your way and leave you to it.”
Five
Dawn had yet to truly break when Bryn pulled to a stop at a red light at the edge of town early the next morning. The dark sky outside only made her wish that she were back in her bed instead of just beginning the hour-or-so drive to Portland to see Kendall. She yawned as she reached for the travel mug of coffee she had brought with her, and groaned when she realized that it was already empty.
She had been so tired by the time she finally got home the night before that she had expected to fall instantly asleep, but her thoughts had been too preoccupied with Anna Fitzpatrick for that to happen. She could not stop thinking about the way Anna responded to her, ignoring every barbed hint thrown her way and coming back with one beguiling quip after another that somehow managed to be both infuriating and amusing. Nobody acted like that around her—even Kendall knew to back off when Bryn was in a mood like she had been the night before—but Anna seemed to be completely lacking any such sense of self-preservation. The longer she wrestled with it all, the more frustrated she became, and by the time midnight rolled around she had started playing the If I fall asleep now, I can get X-hours of sleep game with herself.
She ended up getting about three hours.
She yawned again as the light turned green, and blinked to try and force herself awake. It did not help. She needed more coffee if she was going to make it through the day. Thankfully, Jitters was only a few blocks ahead on Main. Though she did not stop at the coffee shop often, she enjoyed its relaxed, urban bohemian vibe, and the coffee was fantastic.
The smell of freshly roasted beans tickled Bryn’s nose as she entered the shop, promising a rush of caffeine and energy. Her gaze swept over the small square tables and comfortable chairs that filled the large room, and then to the black-framed photographs that stood out against the beige-colored walls. The prints were eclectic: black and white landscapes that looked like they were taken by a professional, color action shots from the local university’s sporting events, and random shots of people or things from around town that were probably taken with somebody’s phone. The soft music drifting from the speakers that were nestled amongst the dark wood beams that crossed the ceiling had a definite jazzy vibe, and she bobbed her head a little with the beat as she looked toward the counter that stretched along the back of the shop. The swinging door set into the brick wall behind the counter pushed open, and her step faltered when she saw who was coming out to help her.
You have got to be kidding me.
The look of surprise that flashed across Anna’s face was enough to get her moving again, and Bryn shook her head as she approached the register. Anna looked rested and wide-awake; something that Bryn found instantly annoying. It was unfair that she should continue to suffer while Anna soldiered on, completely unaffected by the havoc she was wreaking on her life.
Bryn bit her lip as she looked Anna over, noting that the white button-down she wore beneath her pristine black apron looked freshly pressed. Anna’s shirtsleeves were rolled casually to the elbow, showing off her toned forearms and a chunky watch with a fat leather band on her left wrist that was more masculine than anything Bryn would ever consider wearing—it was so big that the large face covered the entire width of Anna’s wrist. The top two buttons on Anna’s shirt hung open, the flared collar drawing attention to the defined lines of Anna’s collarbones, and Bryn sighed as she finally lifted her eyes to meet Anna’s gaze.
“Good morning, Ms. Fitzpatrick.”
“Come on, Nakamura, the sun isn’t even up yet. It’s too early for the Ms. Fitzpatrick stuff. Call me Anna.”
Bryn tipped her head in understanding, but did not amend her greeting. She glanced at the menu hanging on the wall behind Anna’s head, more out of habit than genuine indecision. “I would like a large turtle mocha. To go, please,” she said, rather enjoying the incredulous look Anna gave her before it was replaced with a much more benign expression.
“Coming right up.” Anna arched a brow at Bryn’s bandaged hand. “How’s the hand feeling this morning?”
“Fine, thank you.” Bryn glanced pointedly at her own watch, hoping the subtle hint would be enough to make Anna speed things along. She was not nearly awake enough to make small talk with anyone, let alone the woman who was beginning to become the bane of her existence.
Anna, of course, did not take the hint. “How’d you hurt it?”
Bryn sighed and ran the injured hand through her hair, grateful that it was much less tender than the night before. “If you must know, I sliced it open on a piece of wire while repairing one of the trellises you destroyed when you decided to see if your sports car had off-road capabilities.”
Anna winced. “Sorry?”
“You should be.”
“I am.” Anna pumped three pumps of caramel into the bottom of a white paper to-go cup and set it onto the counter beside the espresso machine. “I am sorry. About all of it. How many stitches did it take to close up your hand?”
“Six.” Bryn watched Anna tamp
down the espresso grounds into the portafilter before fitting it back into the machine. Her movements were quick and precise—this was clearly something Anna had done many times before, and yet… Bryn frowned. “I’ve never seen you in here before.”
Anna shrugged and threw a small smile Bryn’s way. “I’m here every now and again. I’m just helping Di out because of her concussion.”
“Di is your friend who was in your car that day?”
“Yeah. We both actually worked here while we were in college, and she and her husband ended up buying the place a couple years ago.”
It was far more information than Bryn needed, but it also explained why Anna looked so comfortable working the complex-looking espresso machine. “And the pink-haired girl who usually works this early?”
“Phoebe? She’s in back, helping Greg with the pastries since that’s not my thing. You want me to go get her for you?” Anna asked with a playful wink.
“That will not be necessary, Ms. Fitzpatrick.” Bryn shook her head. “I was simply wondering.”
Anna twisted the knob on the side of the machine to turn on the steam for the milk as the espresso began to drip. “Yeah, well, now you know. And, again, it’s Anna. Whipped cream on your coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
Bryn dug in her purse for her wallet as Anna poured two shots of espresso and the steamed milk into her cup, and had a ten in her hand by the time Anna finished topping the drink with a generous amount of whipped cream.
“Put that away,” Anna said, nodding at the cash in Bryn’s hand as she picked up a squeeze-bottle and drizzled caramel on top of the whipped cream. “This one’s on me.”
Bryn’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Ms. Fitzpatrick…”
Anna shook her head as she dusted the whipped cream and caramel with finely chopped pecans. “I think buying you a cup of coffee is the least I can do considering the mess I’ve made of your life recently,” she said as she fit a plastic lid onto the cup and slipped a recycled cardboard sleeve around its middle. “Here ya go.”
“Yes, I guess it is, isn’t it.” Bryn took the cup, and smiled at the way Anna rolled her eyes. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” Anna smiled and reached back for her own coffee. “So where are you off to so early in the day?”
“Portland. I have a meeting with my lawyer.”
“Fun,” Anna drawled sarcastically.
“She is, yes.” Bryn took a sip of her coffee. “This is excellent. Thank you, Ms. Fitzpatrick.”
“You’re welcome. And, it’s Anna.”
“Of course.” Bryn smirked as she added, “Good day, Ms. Fitzpatrick.” Anna’s huff of disbelief made her laugh, and she offered her a more genuine smile as she lifted her cup in thanks before she turned on her heel and walked out the door.
Six
“Guess who I keep running into?” Bryn asked as she sauntered into Kendall’s office. The huge corner office that overlooked the Willamette River was tastefully decorated in rich mahogany woods and deep crimson fabrics, and Bryn knew that it was something Kendall took great pride in. Kendall had endured years of being looked down upon by the other associates, all of whom seemed convinced that she had only been hired because it was her father’s firm, but it had not taken her long to prove them all wrong by winning more cases in her first three years than the rest of the associates combined.
Kendall held up a finger as she finished scanning the brief she was reviewing. She jotted a few notes at the bottom of the page before she set it aside, and then smiled as she leaned back in her chair to look at Bryn. “Is this a rhetorical question, or am I really supposed to guess?”
Bryn gave Kendall a mock-glare as she dropped into one of the visitor’s chairs opposite her desk. “Anna Fitzpatrick.”
“You don’t say…” Kendall smirked. “Please tell me that you did not actually run into her with your car or something.”
“No, I did not run her over.” Bryn rolled her eyes. “Give me a little credit. Although, the thought is rather tempting.”
Kendall chuckled. “Yeah, well. Good job showing some restraint, then. What happened to your hand?”
“I sliced it open on a length of trellis wire while I was helping Gerald with some of the repairs yesterday afternoon.”
“Ouch. You okay?”
“Yeah.” Bryn nodded. “It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but it took six stitches to close up. My car getting a flat on the way home from the hospital was actually a lot more frustrating.”
“And I’m guessing this is where your run-in with Anna Fitzpatrick happened?”
“The first time.” Bryn waved her injured hand in the air and crossed her legs. “She came along while I was waiting for the auto-club to arrive.”
“And, just so we’re on the same page, nobody got beaten with a tire iron, right? Because I really don’t have time in my schedule right now to deal with you facing assault charges.”
Bryn dropped her hand and gave Kendall an exasperated look. “No, I did not assault her with a tire iron. She actually started to change the tire for me before the tow truck finally arrived. It was…”
“Hmm?” Kendall prompted after a moment, when it seemed that Bryn was not going to finish her thought.
“Strange,” Bryn admitted softly, her gaze turning introspective as she looked out the window over Kendall’s shoulder. “She insisted on trying to help despite the fact that I assured her repeatedly that I had the matter taken care of—never mind the fact that she was too overdressed to be doing something like changing a car tire. Honestly, Kendall, who in their right mind changes a car tire in a pair of dress slacks?”
“Anna Fitzpatrick?”
Bryn scowled at the amused smile quirking Kendall’s lips. “Indeed. Did you know she only stopped trying to change it when the tow truck driver arrived?”
“I did not, but I do now.” Kendall steepled her fingers in front of her chin as she rocked back in her chair. “And?”
“And…what?” Bryn frowned.
Kendall shrugged. “I dunno. You’re the one telling the story.”
“It wasn’t an entirely unpleasant experience, if that’s what you’re getting at,” Bryn admitted. “She has a surprisingly quick mind, and it was actually quite fun to banter with her. But…”
“What?”
Bryn sighed and shook her head. “Nothing.” She knew better than to tell Kendall that she had lain awake for hours, unable to stop thinking about the whole thing. Kendall would have a field day with that information. “Anyway, I stopped at Jitters—the little coffee shop in town that we went to a couple months ago…”
“I remember.”
“Yes, well, she was there too. I swear she must be following me, because I can’t seem to escape her.”
Kendall leaned to the side to look around Bryn and made a show of peering through her open door. “Is she out there now?” she whispered conspiratorially.
“You’re ridiculous.”
Kendall laughed. “And you love me for it.”
“I don’t know why.” Bryn smirked, the playful smile fading a moment later as she added in a thoughtful tone, “She actually bought me my coffee this morning.”
“That was nice of her.”
Bryn nodded. “It was.” Her gaze returned to the window past Kendall’s shoulder, and she sighed. “Anyway, enough with all that—you needed me to sign something?”
“I do.” Kendall pulled a file from the stack on the corner of the console table behind her desk. “ But you do know that I could have just faxed it to you, right?”
“I know.” Bryn leaned forward and picked up the pen Kendall had been using when she arrived. “I just thought the drive would be nice. I’ve been holed up at Spectrum all week dealing with repairs from the accident, and I needed a break. And, well, I was thinking we could maybe grab some breakfast or something before I drive back to Wellington?”
“Aww, you miss me,” Kendall cooed, winking at Bryn as she flipped open the
file and slid the paper she needed signed toward her.
“I hardly think that’s the case,” Bryn deadpanned with a small smile as she scribbled her name on the signature line marked with a little Post-It flag.
Kendall laughed and scanned the paperwork one last time to make sure it was complete, and then nodded as she flipped it closed. “I can do a quick breakfast, but I need to be in court by nine.”
“What about that little deli near the courthouse?”
“Works for me, Ms. Nakamura.” Kendall tapped the file on her desk as she got to her feet. “Let me just drop this off with Maureen to file, and then we can head out. You buying?”
Bryn rolled her eyes. “That depends. Did you just bill me for this five-minute meeting?”
“That depends,” Kendall retorted with a smirk as she gathered her briefcase. “Would you protest the charges?”
“Probably not,” Bryn admitted as she followed Kendall out of the office.
“I will not be putting this into my billable hours.” Kendall handed the file to her secretary and waved a hand at the elevator. “And I will still buy you breakfast, because I love you.”
Bryn smiled. “I don’t know why.”
“It’s your sunny disposition,” Kendall teased, bumping Bryn with her elbow.
Bryn chortled and shook her head. “Somehow, I doubt that’s it.”
“Fine, it’s your wine. I’m friends with you because you hook me up with wine.”
“That makes much more sense,” Bryn murmured. She followed Kendall into the elevator and sighed as the doors slid shut, grateful for the presence of the other two people in the car that put their conversation on pause for a moment. She had thought that venting to Kendall about her run-ins with Anna Fitzpatrick would make her feel better—but it only succeeded in making her feel more conflicted. She had spent the last week cursing Anna’s very existence more often than not, and yet she could not stop thinking about her either.
The sidewalk along the riverfront was beginning to come to life as they exited the building, rental vendors wheeling out their various bikes and whatnot for the tourists who would be descending on the area in a few hours. Free from prying ears, Kendall picked up their conversation where it left off. “So, what are you doing for the Fourth? Do you want to come up to the cabin with me?”
