“What? Why is Eli in our living room?”
Gracie didn’t say anything, giving me a taste of my own medicine. Her lips twisted into a smirk as she focused on the pages of her paperback. I held my breath, listening for Eli’s voice. Only low murmurings made their way to my ears. I couldn’t distinguish any words. My steps were slow and cautious as I made my way down the hall toward the living room. Gran was talking to someone, but I wasn’t sure who. Not until I was close enough to hear him reply.
“Thanks, Mrs. Ryan,” Eli said. I could tell it was him by the rich timbre of his voice. “I don’t have a whole lot for the place yet. Especially not pots and pans, so this should come in handy.”
I crept down the hall, pulled by the sound of his voice. It stirred butterflies awake in the pit of my stomach.
“You’ll get settled in soon. These things take time. Now, remember what I said about that pan,” Gran insisted. “You have to make sure you grease it after each use. If you plan on washing it, that is.”
“You don’t wash yours?”
“Not if I don’t have to. Things taste better when they’re cooked in a seasoned skillet.”
“Then maybe I won’t wash mine either.”
I paused at the end of the hall, still slightly hidden. Eli was on the couch and Gran was in her recliner. Dad was nowhere to be seen, and I found myself wondering if he’d already started his daily binge at the bar.
“Then you have to continue to cook the same thing in it. It can’t be used for anything else. The one I don’t wash I use to cook sausage in.”
Eli made a disgusted face that had me cupping my hands over my mouth to keep my laughter in. It was exactly how I felt about it. I’d always thought never washing the pan was disgusting. It was a wonder no one had gotten sick over the years when eating Gran’s sausage.
“Never? You’ve never washed the pan you cook sausage in?”
“Once a year. That’s it.”
Eli pursed his lips together and smoothed a hand along the top of his head. “Huh, okay.”
“You going to come join the conversation or continue to eavesdrop from the hall?” Gran asked, surprising me.
“I wasn’t eavesdropping,” I said as I stepped forward, trying to appear calmer than what I felt from having been busted.
“What would you call standing in the hallway listening to a conversation you’re not part of, then?” she asked with an arched brow. I didn’t say anything, because what could I? She knew what I’d been doing.
“Afternoon, Mina,” Eli greeted me. The way his lips curled over the letters of my name had my knees going weak.
“Hi,” I said with a small smile before shifting my attention to Gran. “I’m headed out. I’ll be back before dinner, though.”
“You better be. I’m making your favorite, pork chops and black-eyed peas with greens.”
“Sounds good,” I said as I slinked out our front door. “See you later.”
“I should probably get going too,” I heard Eli say before the door had even closed behind me. “Thanks again for the skillet. I’ll be sure I put it to good use.”
“You’re welcome. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”
“Thanks,” Eli said as he bolted out the door. In seconds, he was right on my heels. I could feel the heat of his eyes scorching my backside as I dug my keys out of my purse. “Isn’t it a little hot for jeans?”
“I don’t mind the heat.”
“Never said you did.”
I didn’t look at him. Looking into his eyes was a risk I wasn’t taking. I knew I’d get sucked into their crazy color. Too much time would pass and I’d end up leaving Alec hanging again. I couldn’t do that. The afternoon involved his friends, and I wanted to make a good impression on them. Heck, I wanted to erase the one they’d had of me since birth and replace it with something good.
I found my keys and opened my driver side door. The entire car shook as the latch undid.
“You should swing by my place later tonight,” Eli said.
I froze. My eyes lifted to his. “Why?”
“To see what I’ve done with the place since Friday. It’s a little homier than before.” He shifted the cast iron pan around in his hands as a wide grin sprang onto his face. “And now that I have this nifty skillet, I can whip us up something to eat so the moonshine doesn’t affect you as much the second time around.”
I swallowed hard. Where did he get off inviting me over for dinner and a drink? Was Gracie right? Did he have the hots for me?
It didn’t matter. I was with Alec. Sort of. At least I was working on being with him.
“I don’t think so. Thanks for the offer, though.”
“It’s freestanding,” Eli insisted as he walked away from me backward, his grin never dimming.
“Thanks, but no thanks.” I slipped behind the wheel and cranked the engine, closing the door without glancing at Eli again.
Alec. I was going to meet Alec.
My eyes flicked to the clock on my dash. Too much time had already passed. I should be there by now.
Gravel crunched beneath my tires as I pulled out of my parking space, making my way to the main road. I caught sight of Eli’s back as I drove. His skin glinted in the sunlight, and his muscles flexed and bulged as he swung his arms while he walked. My gaze drifted ahead of him toward old man Winter’s trailer. Something was different. It only took me a second to figure out what.
The cinderblock stairs were gone.
In their place stood a set of beautifully crafted wooden ones. A tentative smile twisted my lips. He’d moved fast on that project. If he’d already changed the stairs, what else had he done to the place? Curiosity simmered through my veins. Not knowing was going to eat at me.
Even so, I wasn’t visiting Eli again. Not tonight. Not ever if I could help it.
6
Alec’s house was about twenty minutes from mine. He lived on the opposite side of town. I’d been to his home once before, so it wasn’t hard to find. He’d gotten a call from his mom on his way to pick me up the first time we decided to hang out. She’d needed milk for a recipe she was making. To this day, I suspected she hadn’t needed the milk, but instead wanted to see whom he was with.
She’d been decent to me when I met her, but it had also been clear she knew where I came from and didn’t like it. The second I’d offered my last name, her entire demeanor had changed. I knew it was because she didn’t want me hanging around her son. Alec hadn’t seemed to catch on, though. If he had, he was good at hiding it and okay with going against her wishes, considering we were still hanging out weeks later.
Nervous butterflies broke out in flight in the pit of my stomach as I rounded the final corner before Alec’s house. His place was coming up on the left. Even if I hadn’t remembered, the vehicles parked in his driveway would have tipped me off. Both Shane and Benji were here, which meant I was late.
I pulled in behind a silver truck and noticed someone sitting inside. It had to be Becca.
I debated if I should cut my engine since I’d probably have to move my car in a second anyway. It dawned on me then that I should have opted to meet Alec at the track. It was beside my place anyway. Would have saved me gas, and no one would have had to wait around on me. I wished I’d thought of that before.
Screw it. I was here now. There was no going back.
I cut the engine on my car and climbed out. My tank top stuck to me in places as I made my way to where Becca sat in the cab of the silver truck. Gracie was right. I was probably going to melt in these jeans.
“Strap that one down tighter,” I heard Alec say. “I don’t want it to slip off when I go around a corner.”
“There, that good?” Benji asked. I recognized his voice clearly. His words always sounded muffled from the dip in his mouth, and he had a slightly more southern accent than the other guy had.
“Yeah, that should do. As soon as Mina gets here, we can leave,” Alec said. He didn’t sound agitated, but I d
oubted he enjoyed waiting around on me.
“I can’t believe you invited her,” the other guy said. Shane. His name had been Shane.
“Why?” Alec asked. The defensive tone to his words warmed me. It wasn’t that I wanted him to butt heads with his friends because of me, but it was nice to know he was down to stick up for me if need be.
“She’s weird, man.”
“She’s not weird,” Benji said, surprising me. “She’s freakin’ hot.”
“Watch yourself,” Alec said. I could hear a smirk in his tone.
“Just sayin’.”
“Whatever. There’s something weird about her. I’m telling you. There’s something weird about everyone in that trailer park,” Shane insisted, causing my heart to thunder in my chest.
“You’ve been listenin’ to the old timers way too much, dude. There’s nothin’ wrong with the people who live in the trailer park,” Benji said.
“Sorry about Shane,” Becca whispered as she leaned her head out the window and eyed me. Her cheeks were pink. I wasn’t sure if it was from the heat, or because of what her boyfriend had said. “He’s the one who can be weird sometimes.”
I hated that she felt a need to apologize for him. No one should. Not because I felt he should own up to what he was saying, but because he was right. There was something weird about those of us who lived in the trailer park, and out of the four of them, he was the only one smart enough to realize it and listen.
“It’s fine,” I said with a shrug.
A light breeze blew, sending hot air blowing around me. I wished I’d kept my shorts on.
Becca tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear and flashed me a shy smile. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re coming today.”
“Really?” Was she screwing with me or being serious? It was hard to tell.
“Yeah, I mean it’s always fun watching the guys horse around on the track, but it can be boring when they do it every weekend.”
“You just watch? You don’t ride with them?” What was the point in going if you weren’t going to ride?
She shook her head. “No. I just watch.”
“What’s the fun in that?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I rode on the back of Shane’s a couple of times before, but that’s about it.”
“You should drive one today.”
Her doe-like eyes widened. “No way! Shane would never let me drive.”
“Why not? I don’t see what the big deal is.”
“That four-wheeler is his baby. So is this truck,” Becca said.
“What you’re saying is he’s never let you drive his truck either?” The guy sounded like a real ass.
“God, no.”
“Well, from what you just told me about him, it doesn’t seem like he’s much fun.”
“He is. He’s just…”
“Weird?” I offered with a wicked smirk.
Becca laughed. “Yeah, definitely.”
My smirk widened. I had a feeling I’d enjoy hanging out with Becca today. She might be shy, but inside resided a girl who wanted to have fun. I could sense it, and I was going to make sure I found a way to let that girl out today.
“Hey, there you are,” Alec said, drawing my attention to him. He flashed me a large smile.
“Yup, here I am. I didn’t mean to keep you guys waiting.” I flashed the guys a little wave. Benji was the only one who returned it. Shane flat-out ignored me.
“You didn’t keep us waiting. We had a hard time getting the four-wheelers on the trailer,” Alec said. “Now that they’re strapped in and you’re here, you ready to head out?”
“Yeah, sure. Let me back my car out so everyone can get out.” I hitched my thumb over my shoulder and started walking backward.
“Just pull it in the grass,” Alec insisted.
“Are you sure? It’ll only take me a second to get out of everyone’s way.”
“Nah, it’s fine.”
“I don’t want your parents pissed at me for ruining their grass.” They didn’t need another reason to dislike me, especially his mom.
“They won’t be.” Alec laughed. “Seriously, just pull it in the grass and get in my truck.” A wiry hint of a smile curled the corners of his mouth. He seemed to like bossing me around in a flirty tone. I didn’t mind.
After I moved my car to the grass, I headed to Alec’s truck. He was already positioned behind the wheel, engine cranked, and Benji leaned against the passenger door. He was waiting for me to get in so he could sandwich me between the two of them.
“You ever rode one before?” Benji asked as I slipped into the cab and scooted across the leather seat.
It was a good thing I hadn’t worn shorts. Humid temperatures and leather seats were not a good combination for bare legs.
“Nope, this will be my first time,” I said.
“You serious?” Benji asked as he slipped in the cab beside me and closed the door. He reached for a plastic bottle on the floorboard I’d somehow missed when climbing in and placed it to his lips. Brown liquid oozed from his mouth and congregated inside the bottle.
“Yeah.” My upper lip curled. “And that is seriously disgusting.”
“This?” One of Benji’s bushy eyebrows raised as amusement flitted across his face. “Hang around me enough and you’ll get used to it.”
“He’s right,” Alec offered. “You will.”
“You don’t dip, do you?” I’d never noticed Alec having gunk stuck in his teeth or a fat lip from a wad of the crap crammed between his gums and his teeth, but I knew that didn’t mean anything.
“Me?” Alec popped his truck into reverse and crept out of his driveway. “No way. My momma would kill me.”
Thank goodness. I didn’t think I could handle seeing him spit nasty brown crap in a bottle all day, too.
“Woo wee, this is gonna be fun,” Benji chimed as he rolled down his window and smacked his hand on the side of the truck.
“Damn right,” Alec said, flashing me a tiny grin as he shifted into drive.
Adrenaline rushed through me. I had a feeling today was going to be fun, regardless of Shane and his obvious dislike of me. I could ignore him. Heck, I ignored people all the time. He would be no different.
I stood at the back of Alec’s truck, watching as he helped the guys get their four-wheelers off the trailer. The lean muscles in his arms flexed as he pulled and jerked the big pieces of machinery. Beads of sweat built across his brow, and his cotton T-shirt seemed to stick to him in places. Part of me wished he’d go ahead and shed the shirt. It would help with the heat and give me a view of the abs I’d felt the other night when he’d kissed me goodbye.
“Let me take a quick ride around the track to make sure it’s free of branches from the last storm before everyone rides out,” Alec insisted. He climbed on his four-wheeler and revved its engine to life. Did he always act so by the book with everything? He’d never seemed like a safety-first kind of guy until now. “It’ll take me a second. When I get back, I’ll give you a ride,” Alec shouted over the rumble of his engine to me.
I nodded and flashed him a smile, watching as he started around the track.
“I’m sure he wants to give you a ride all right.” Benji nudged my shoulder.
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The guy was turning out to be quite the character.
“Mina, do you want a bottle of water?” Becca asked from where she sat on Shane’s tailgate.
“Yeah, sure. Thanks,” I said as I made my way toward her. My mouth was super dry.
Becca pulled a cooler to her and flipped the top up. She reached in and dug around, searching for a bottle. When she found one, she wiped away a few pieces of ice stuck to its sides and handed it to me.
“We can sit over there in the shade if you want. That’s normally where I sit,” she said as she pointed behind me and then jumped down from Shane’s tailgate.
“For a little while, but I’m not planning on sitting there all afternoon and neither are you.
” I flashed her a pointed look while I twisted open my water.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shane asked. I didn’t care for the hostility in his words.
“Becca isn’t sitting out this time. I’m going to get her on the back of one of those things today,” I said as I nudged her shoulder with mine. “Then I’m going to get her to drive one.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Shane scoffed.
Wow, I’d thought he’d be happy she wanted to participate. “Why do you say that?”
“Um, because Becca has only ridden one a couple of times. There’s no way in hell I’m letting her drive mine.”
“Who said it has to be yours?” I asked. There were two other four-wheelers here, and I doubted either of their owners would oppose to sharing. Unlike him.
“Oh, man. She got you.” Benji chuckled from where he sat on his four-wheeler, waiting for Alec to come back with an all clear.
Shane pressed his lips together in a way that emphasized his jaw. His eyes narrowed on me, but I didn’t look away. He didn’t intimidate me. Once he figured that out, he hopped on his four-wheeler and started the engine. His gaze flicked to Becca, and I was pleased to see she held his stare dead on instead of looking away like I’d expected. Maybe she had more backbone than I gave her credit for.
“Come on, let’s get in the shade. We’ve only been out here a few minutes and I’m already burning up,” Becca said. She started walking, opening her water as she went.
“I’m sorry, but Shane is an ass. I don’t know why you’re even with him,” I muttered once we were away from the guys.
We eased into the shady area, and I swore there was a ten-degree difference. No wonder she was content to sit here all day while the guys rode around on their toys.
“He’s not always like that,” Becca insisted. “I think he got his man feelings hurt just now or something.”
I started to say maybe it was my presence bringing out the worst in him, but bit my tongue instead. While I liked Becca, I still didn’t know her well, and I wasn’t about to continue to beat a dead horse. She knew I thought her boyfriend had asshole-ish tendencies. That was enough for now.
Mirror Lake Wolves 01 - Moon Kissed Page 6
