Page 169 of Bound By Shame
“Need. AC.” Cade pants, blowing past me to the passenger side of my truck. A wave of heat gusts out when he rips the door open. He stumbles back. “UGH! It’s a fucking oven!”
Andrea sucks on the dregs of her slushie. “Told you.”
He gives her the middle finger.
She snickers, veering toward her bike. I catch her arm.
“Ride with us.”
“I’m not leaving Lillith out here all night.”
“We’ll swing by here for her on the way back.”
Dark brows crash together. She tilts her head. “What are you up to?”
“You’ll have to come with me to find out.”
Her smile. I’ll bottle it up, too.
“Smooth talker,” she mutters, circling to the passenger side, the two of them arguing over who gets the front seat this time. (Andrea ends up on his lap.) Thankfully, we’re right down the road from our destination. I climb behind the wheel and rub the center of my chest.
I’ve never had big dreams. That’s not to say that I don’t have them. They’re just… simpler. Quieter.
A job I like.
A home I own.
A family.
I’m not fulfilled by titles or status. I don’t need a hotshot career or to travel the world. I crave the stability of roots. The peace of providing. The comfort of routine. Give me slow mornings and rainy nights in. More than anything, I ache to share it all with the people that matter.
Andrea leans forward as we pass rows of orange trees.
I drum my fingers on the dash to hide my jitters.
“Forget something at work?” Cade asks.
“Something like that.”
The setting sun’s rays pierce through leaves and fruit, scattering light across our path. A minute later, we’re parking in front of the grove’s humble office.
“Come on.”
“Can’t we just wait in the car? It’s too hot,” Cade whines.
Andrea slaps his thigh. “Out, out.”
He groans, waiting for her to slide off before clamoring out, bitching the whole way. Even my smile is shaky as I lead them inside.
“Oh, thank fuck,” Cade sighs as he pauses under the oscillating fan hung in the corner, while Andrea’s curious gaze travels around the simple interior. Wood paneled walls, linen curtains framing the window overlooking rows of orange trees, a modest desk and a few filing cabinets that haven’t been opened in decades.
“Hello there.”
They whip around as Carl shuffles out of the back kitchenette, dusting his palms on his dirt-stained jeans.
I clear my throat. “Carl, this is my boyfriend, Cade, and my girlfriend Andrea.”
Andrea shakes Carl’s hand first, flashing a conspiratorial grin. “You’ll have to give me the secrets to bossing this stubborn blockhead around. He’s always pushing back.”
