“You want to stay?”
“Um, well yeah, not really looking to tuck my tail between my legs and drive all the way back home?”
“You’re welcome to stay, of course.”
“Tell you what. If I cramp your grumpy style, just let me know, and I’ll move down the hill, ok?”
“The hill?” I say, ignoring the clench in my gut at the thought.
“Mountain,” she says, shrugging her small shoulder. The movement threatens to untie the flimsy towel. “It’s a mountain, beach girl, remember? I’ll get all the lingo, eventually.”
“Ok. You do that.” I can’t help but snicker at her.
Raven locks fall out as she bends over to dry her hair, and I turn back and grab my keys to distract myself from watching her.
For a woman, Joey is what folks would call low maintenance, but that’s always bothered her. In my eyes, being a simple woman doesn’t make her any less beautiful. From her silky hair to her dark eyes and full lips, she’s always revved me up. Even as a kid with the first photo she ever sent me, I think my exact words were “wow” and “holy shit” ‘cause she was prettier than I thought she would be. As a kid, I had never met a girl who liked the things that interested me. That might be why my relationships over the years never went further than a date or two. The fact I already had a major crush on my pen pal meant girls literally had big boots to fill. Hard not to compare every woman to your best friend when she’s as gorgeous as Joey. I’ve always loved her passion for engines and the joy she gets from restoring something broken to something her fellow man finds value in. Joey is a people pleaser, whether or not she realizes it. She’s always done what’s expected of her…until now.