3
From the little she knew of him, Beth had expected Alex to say something mischievous or, at the very least, offer her a scandalous grin. Instead, he only looked stunned.
She’d been waiting on the library’s steps and, at his approach, she cleared her throat and managed a smile. She’d forgotten how gorgeous he was. No, that was a lie. She hadn’t forgotten. Not even a little. But seeing him again was a shock to her system.
“Hey,” he said, watching her come down.
She smiled. “Hey.”
“That’s some dress.”
She grew hot all over and wasn’t sure if it was from pleasure or embarrassment. She should have worn the blue dress. “Thanks.”
Still looking at her as if seeing her for the first time, he said, “I didn’t realize this was a formal thing.”
She glanced at his jeans and button down, trying not to linger on any particular area. “You think I’m overdressed?”
“No,” he said, his grin wolfish. “Hell no.”
Her attention trailed off as she realized he was leading her to a motorcycle. Images of wind blowing her skirt around her ears as they flew down the highway assaulted her. “Is this yours?”
His expression became sheepish. “Yeah. I figured it would make me look like a badass.”
The sight of him standing next to the gleaming black Harley made her heart stutter. With his disheveled hair and broad shoulders, he did, in fact, look like a badass, and it made her thoughts soar in unwanted directions. Not that she was about to let him know that. “What kind of coffee shop owner rides a Harley?”
He winked and offered her a helmet. “A badass one.”
Chuckling, she weighed the pros and cons of walking. In the end, the idea of hoofing it in heels was more daunting than climbing on the hog. She took the helmet. “Oh,” she said as she strapped it on. “I almost forgot.”
He waited as she opened her clutch.
“Here,” she said, handing him a crisp hundred. “Your fee.”
He accepted the payment, his eyes alight with mischief. “Why do I suddenly feel dirty?”
She laughed. “There is probably a lengthy and disturbing answer to that question.”
He considered it and arched his eyebrows as if to acknowledge the possibility. “I won’t deny it.”
Shaking her head, she closed her clutch. “What did I get myself into?”
Winking at her, he pulled on his own helmet and threw his leg over the bike. “Come on, babe. Let’s hit the road.”
“Don’t call me babe,” she said, getting on.
As it turned out, getting on the back of a bike in a dress and heels while holding a clutch was not all that easy and more than a little awkward. Not to mention straddling the seat while pressing her chest against his back forced her to consider the naughtiest of scenarios against her will. By the time she was settled, she wasn’t sure whether to run for the hills or ask him for a prenup.
“Put your arms around me,” he said, and she could hear the amusement in his voice.
She obeyed and then immediately wished she hadn’t. He felt good. Hard. Warm. So very male.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she told him and was mortified by how breathless she sounded.
Chuckling, he kickstarted the bike, and the roar of the engine drowned out her worries.
Even with the helmet, her hair was a windblown mess when they reached the school. Not that she cared. It had only been a short trip across town, but the rush of wind and bone-shaking vibration of the Harley had been exhilarating. She was still laughing when he parked and turned off the engine.
They climbed off and removed their helmets. He grinned at her. “I never pegged you for a thrill seeker.”
“I’m not,” she admitted, doing her best to finger-tame her hair. “In fact, I’m anti-thrill.”
The most thrilling thing she had ever done was go skiing in Aspen for Julia’s thirtieth birthday, and even then, Beth had mostly stuck to the bunny trail. She preferred her adventures to play out between the pages of her beloved books. At least, until now.
“First time on a bike?” He guessed, raking his fingers through his own hair. His roguishly tousled hair. It was almost romance-novel-cover worthy. And she would know. She was pretty much an authority on them.
“Yeah,” she admitted.
“Guess I popped your cherry then.”
Her eyes widened, and she was struck speechless. Not that she should have worried. Her mouth had a mind of its own and never stayed silent for long. Particularly if there was something inappropriately embarrassing to say. “My cherry was popped years ago, thank you.”
As soon as the words were out, she regretted them. Especially when his eyes flared with amusement.
“Is that so?” he asked, leaning against his bike as though settling in for a fireside story. “Do tell.”
Face burning, she finished tugging her dress into place. She was not about to swap sex stories with him. “What I meant to say was my cherry or lack thereof is none of your business.”
His eyebrow rose, his expression becoming somehow more devilish.
Realizing her correction sounded almost as stupid as her original declaration, she resisted the urge to stomp her foot. “Can we go?”
His eyes laughed as he offered her his elbow. “Shall we?”
Between the elation of the ride and her sudden frazzled state, she wasn’t at all prepared for this, but she took his elbow and nodded. “Let’s go.”
As they started up the walk, Beth gazed around with a small smile. Little had changed since she’d graduated ten years ago. The sprawling brick building still loomed over the school’s lawn, its windows decorated with various construction-paper cutouts and American flags. The parking lot was full of SUVs and minivans, and the double doors at the top of the stairs were held open by life-sized wooden Vikings on either side. A banner stretched above them that said Welcome Home Class of 2008, and maroon and white balloons completed the display. The sound of music wafted from inside. Other alumni were also arriving. Couples and, to her dismay, more than a few singles. The sight of the solo attendees made her feel even more ridiculous for renting her own date. What had she been thinking?
You could just call it a real date, her subconscious pointed out.
“Too late for that,” she murmured as they made their way up the steps.
“What?” Alex asked, glancing down at her.
They walked beneath the banner and into the lion’s den. “I said I hope there’s spiked punch.”
He laughed. “If you get drunk, I might take advantage of you.”
“You’re a dog,” she told him, but she couldn’t hold back a smile.
“Guilty,” he admitted shamelessly, parting a curtain of maroon and white streamers that had been hung in the lobby.
Inside, everything looked almost the same as she remembered. Same scuffed floors, same gray brick walls, same giant frames containing portraits of teachers past and present. Some things were different, of course. They’d modernized the light fixtures, and a mural depicting Vikings in battle graced the wall above the secretary’s office.
“School mascot?” Alex asked, eying the mural.
“Yes,” she said. “Fight the team across the field. Show them the Vikes are here. Send the Earth reverberating with a mighty cheer. Rah, rah, rah.”
“Catchy,” he laughed.
She smiled at her fellow classmates as they wandered by with plastic cups, laughing and talking amongst one another. Beth and Alex joined the newest arrivals at the check-in table.
A short, plump woman Beth immediately recognized as Shannon Pinkstock manned the table, her cheeks rosy and eyes merry as she greeted people. When it was Beth and Alex’s turn, Shannon’s smile widened. “Beth Davis?”
Beth smiled back. She’d had algebra with Shannon, and they’d smuggled in candy like bootleggers with moonshine. Skittles had been Beth’s weakness, and Shannon’s had been Starbursts. “Hi, Shannon.”
“Holy smokes, you’re prettier now than you were back then.” She shook her head as if it was unheard of. “Look at you.”
Beth had never been one to accept compliments easily, so she just smiled and nodded at Shannon’s pink dress. “I love your dress. Pink was always your color.”
Shannon’s eyes twinkled, and she waved off the compliment. “And you were always too nice.”
Beth laughed. “Big turnout?”
“Yep.” Shannon eyed the gymnasium. “I hope you self-medicated before you came.”
Chuckling, Beth asked, “That bad?”
Shannon shook her head and used a Sharpie to scribble Beth’s name on a sticky tag. “Some things never change.”
Beth accepted the name tag, gazing around the school she’d spent four years in over a decade ago. Unlike in her own life, time here had moved at a snail’s pace. “So true.”
“Are you the husband?” Shannon asked Alex, her voice brimming with admiration.
“That’s me,” Alex said before Beth could refute it, flashing Shannon a grin while sliding his arm around Beth’s waist. “The old ball and chain.” He held his free hand out to Shannon. “Alex Buchanan.”
Stunned, Beth could only stare at him. What was he doing?
Visibly enamored, Shannon shook his hand, her cheeks pinking. She gave Beth a girl-you-did-good look as she wrote out his name tag.
Realizing that correcting him would only raise questions she didn’t feel like answering, Beth just smiled and put her arm around Alex, squeezing him too tightly.
Looking way too pleased with himself, Alex proudly stuck the name tag to his chest.
It was so absurd, Beth suddenly found it difficult to hold in her laughter. She gave Shannon a cross between a grimace and a smile. “Catch up later?”
“For sure,” Shannon said and waved before turning to the next in line.
“The old ball and chain, huh?” Beth asked Alex as they entered the gymnasium.
He winked at her. “Does this mean you have to make me sandwiches now?”
She laughed. “If you’re talking about knuckle sandwiches, then yes.”
“Did you just use the words knuckle and sandwich together in the same sentence?”
She tried to maintain a serious face. “I have no regrets.”
He laughed, and they walked into the belly of the reunion.