Page 73 of Truck Me
“Be careful with her, Garret,” Liam says in his typical fatherly tone. I hate it when he does that with me. I’m only three years younger than him, and at age thirty-two, I don’t need a father figure.
“You don’t really know her. None of us do anymore.” He continues when I don’t say anything. “Besides, she just got out of a long-term relationship. She was practically engaged to the guy.”
“I don’t need your words of warning.” I grumble around a bite of food. “There’s nothing going on.”
Ash snickers and slaps at his leg as if I said the funniest thing he’s ever heard. “Let me rephrase my earlier remark. I saw Char leaving your house early this morning. The jig is up, big brother.”
“You’re spying on me?” I growl. It’s not a question. My family knows my privacy is important to me. If they’re violating that, we’re going to have a problem.
“Easy, Garret.” Liam cuts in. “No one is spying on you. Ash left early for the track to test Sophia’s new car. That’s all.”
I cut a glare at my older brother. His answer is plausible, but I still don’t like it. What I do in my house is my business and no one else’s.
Instead of responding, I focus on my plate and finish eating. My good mood is squashed, but I can at least still eat a good meal before I bolt.
“Garret,” Liam says my name with so much authority I can’t help but look up at him. The kindness and worry in his eyes cause me to pause. “Just be careful. Okay?”
I hold his stare for a long beat before I give him a curt nod. That’s all the acknowledgment any of them are getting.
Assuming Ash is being honest, and he really saw Charlotte leave my house this morning, then they already know too much. My family won’t spread the gossip, but if they know, that means others will soon too.
If this spreads before I tell Charlotte my deepest secret, I’m screwed. Because secrets always have a way of coming out. And this is one that could push a wedge so far between us, there’d be no coming back.
* * *
After dinner, I can’t relax. My nerves are on high alert and the tension in my body will not subside. With nothing to do in my tiny house to distract my thoughts, I head to my garage. Working on my bike restoration for a few hours is the only thing I can think of that might help.
The garage is still warm from earlier. It may be below freezing outside, but my garage is well insulated. Once my wood-burning stove kicks in, it holds the heat.
I relight it anyway, just to be safe. No use being uncomfortable if I can avoid it.
The snowfall from last week never completely melted, and they’re calling for another big storm by the weekend. I make a mental note to pick up a few more books before then. If we get as much snow as they say, I’ll be holed up in my house for a few days with nothing to do.
I toss my coat over the chair in the corner, causing Bullet’s head to snap up from where she’s sleeping on her bed. If I were to assign an emotion to my dog, I’d say she’s pissed or irritated that I disturbed her.
I chuckle and rub behind her ears. “Sorry, girl. Go back to sleep.”
She lets out a loud yawn before she spins around a few times and plops back down. Her eyes immediately close and her breathing falls to a soft whimper.
I grab a beer from the fridge and turn to my bike restoration project. I stare at it for a few minutes and can’t decide where to start. Instead, I turn to the Harley I’ve had for a few years now. It’s a cruising bike, and one that I enjoy riding often when the weather is nice.
There’s something about being alone on a bike, riding through the hills on a warm summer day, that clears my head. I could use a ride like that right about now.
My head is so full of noise that I can’t concentrate. Maybe if I sit on her for a bit, it’ll help.
I toss a leg over the seat and straddle my bike. I take a long pull from my beer before I set it at my feet. With my hands on the handlebars, I close my eyes and think.
My mind immediately jumps to dinner with my family. The conversation has me all tied up in knots. I didn’t expect them to know anything about Charlotte and me. Their questions and words of warning threw me off. Now I can’t get it out of my head.
I know what I’m getting into where she’s concerned. That’s not the problem.
The problem is she doesn’t know what she’s getting into with me.
Liam’s words play on repeat in my mind. Not the warning about her ex-boyfriend, but the one where he said I don’t really know her.
Is he right?
Maybe I don’t know all her likes and dislikes or how she spent the past ten years of her life, but I feel like I know her character. Isn’t that all that really matters?