she admitted with a nod. “A lot of fun.”
“I knew you’d like it,” he teased, as he took the helmet back, setting in on the seat behind him. His bike was just as much an impressive specimen as Van. Although she knew nothing about motorcycles, it was big and shiny and ridiculously clean, and she knew that had to stand for something. A gust of wind barreled down the street, and her skin prickled with little bumps as her teeth chattered. Van studied her for a moment then cursed under his breath. “I should have given you my jacket.”
“It’s fine,” she said, waving off his concern. “I’ll be upstairs and warm in a minute.” April paused, licking her lips, and then asked, “Do you want to join me?”
It was the alcohol talking—yeah, let’s blame it on that. She swallowed thickly, and when their eyes met, his were practically smoldering. It stole the breath right out of her lungs.
Unfortunately, that was where the smoldering stopped. Van shook his head and looked away. “I’ll see you around, April.”
He then pushed his visor down, started up his bike, and roared off into the night, leaving her alone on the sidewalk.
Confused. Embarrassed. Angry.
And a little bit broken.
CHAPTER SIX
Ugh. If April had had the good sense to remember that she’d promised to help her mom with some snooty garden party at James’s house the following morning, she wouldn’t have gone to the bar. In fact, there were a number of hindsight reasons that sprang to mind when her mom dragged her out of bed that morning to get ready as to why she shouldn’t have gone to the bar—namely Van.
And I’d invited him upstairs! Double ugh. As she’d thrown on a white sundress and combed her hair into a sloppy ponytail, April could only hope that Van knew it had been the alcohol talking when she was overly forward with him. There was the small chance, of course, that he might think it was the truth. Wasn’t there a saying that drunk words were sober thoughts?
Regardless, she could think of a thousand places she’d rather be the next morning, her head pounding and stomach sensitive to food, and none of them involved James and Van’s family home. Besides, her mom had spent last night with some of her closest lady friends—why did they need to see each other again? The business women of Cascade Falls, most well-off and independently wealthy like her mom, liked to put on airs every once and a while with something as snobby as a garden party—just to remind everyone that they were, in fact, the crème de la crème of the town.
And somehow April had been dragged into helping with the set-up.
“Shouldn’t James have servants to do this?” she asked without thinking as she unloaded a few boxes of cupcakes. Why they’d picked up pastries was beyond her. It wasn’t like any of these women were going to have more than a single half-slice of carrot cake, or something equally “healthy.” In fact, she wholly expected her mom’s fridge to be overflowing with cake and cookies and cupcakes by tonight—so, she supposed it was a good thing they’d splurged at the bakery.
“Servant is a crass word,” her mom chastised, as the pair unpacked bags in the kitchen. She’d seen James fleetingly that morning, but her mom insisted he’d probably spend the day in his study. Too many hens clucking around his house, apparently, which April thought was beyond rude of him. “He has a chef and a housekeeper, but I told them they wouldn’t be needed today.”
April pursed her lips, her eyes darting to the doorway of the ultra-posh kitchen at the slightest noise. No sign of Van yet, and she hoped he’d sleep through the whole ordeal. After setting up the tables and chairs outside, April and her mom began placing the pastries on a table for the ladies to sample from, only to be interrupted by a few early guests.
Her mom flitted off to entertain, something she had
“I knew you’d like it,” he teased, as he took the helmet back, setting in on the seat behind him. His bike was just as much an impressive specimen as Van. Although she knew nothing about motorcycles, it was big and shiny and ridiculously clean, and she knew that had to stand for something. A gust of wind barreled down the street, and her skin prickled with little bumps as her teeth chattered. Van studied her for a moment then cursed under his breath. “I should have given you my jacket.”
“It’s fine,” she said, waving off his concern. “I’ll be upstairs and warm in a minute.” April paused, licking her lips, and then asked, “Do you want to join me?”
It was the alcohol talking—yeah, let’s blame it on that. She swallowed thickly, and when their eyes met, his were practically smoldering. It stole the breath right out of her lungs.
Unfortunately, that was where the smoldering stopped. Van shook his head and looked away. “I’ll see you around, April.”
He then pushed his visor down, started up his bike, and roared off into the night, leaving her alone on the sidewalk.
Confused. Embarrassed. Angry.
And a little bit broken.
CHAPTER SIX
Ugh. If April had had the good sense to remember that she’d promised to help her mom with some snooty garden party at James’s house the following morning, she wouldn’t have gone to the bar. In fact, there were a number of hindsight reasons that sprang to mind when her mom dragged her out of bed that morning to get ready as to why she shouldn’t have gone to the bar—namely Van.
And I’d invited him upstairs! Double ugh. As she’d thrown on a white sundress and combed her hair into a sloppy ponytail, April could only hope that Van knew it had been the alcohol talking when she was overly forward with him. There was the small chance, of course, that he might think it was the truth. Wasn’t there a saying that drunk words were sober thoughts?
Regardless, she could think of a thousand places she’d rather be the next morning, her head pounding and stomach sensitive to food, and none of them involved James and Van’s family home. Besides, her mom had spent last night with some of her closest lady friends—why did they need to see each other again? The business women of Cascade Falls, most well-off and independently wealthy like her mom, liked to put on airs every once and a while with something as snobby as a garden party—just to remind everyone that they were, in fact, the crème de la crème of the town.
And somehow April had been dragged into helping with the set-up.
“Shouldn’t James have servants to do this?” she asked without thinking as she unloaded a few boxes of cupcakes. Why they’d picked up pastries was beyond her. It wasn’t like any of these women were going to have more than a single half-slice of carrot cake, or something equally “healthy.” In fact, she wholly expected her mom’s fridge to be overflowing with cake and cookies and cupcakes by tonight—so, she supposed it was a good thing they’d splurged at the bakery.
“Servant is a crass word,” her mom chastised, as the pair unpacked bags in the kitchen. She’d seen James fleetingly that morning, but her mom insisted he’d probably spend the day in his study. Too many hens clucking around his house, apparently, which April thought was beyond rude of him. “He has a chef and a housekeeper, but I told them they wouldn’t be needed today.”
April pursed her lips, her eyes darting to the doorway of the ultra-posh kitchen at the slightest noise. No sign of Van yet, and she hoped he’d sleep through the whole ordeal. After setting up the tables and chairs outside, April and her mom began placing the pastries on a table for the ladies to sample from, only to be interrupted by a few early guests.
Her mom flitted off to entertain, something she had
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