Page 53

Eve guffawed into the air, but I nudged her in the side, and she turned her laughter into a convincing fake cough. Maybe she’d be competition for me when it was time to cast the nativity play this year.

“Nice,” I said, wishing I was anywhere else.

Mrs. Woodcock touched my arm. “Speaking of nice, it was wonderful to see you and Brody together at the Dirty Hookers meeting the other night. How is his stitching going? Such a polite young man. Never in my life thought he’d want to learn crochet. I hope he comes again.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. If things had gone my way, he’d have come that night, but Brody had played the gentleman, and then I’d kiboshed the whole notion of us ever having sex. “I’m not sure. He’ll be heading back to Denver soon.”

Mrs. Woodcock’s slightly narrowed eyes ran over my face. “Yes. Yes, that’s true. It’s a shame, though. He lends a certain something to any gathering, eh, ladies?” The smile reappeared on her face. “Well, I best be off. You’re most welcome to join us, Rowena. I believe a few single gentlemen are coming on the tour today.” She winked at me and turned on her silver Nikes.

It took precisely three seconds for Eve to grab my arm, her mouth hanging open. “What the actual hell? Brody went to your crochet club?” The squeal of her voice could rival any Lesser-fluffed Kink Tit that Mrs. Woodcock and her friends might spot.

“Only as a bet. I told him if I had to try out for the derby team, he had to learn to crochet.”

“Are you serious? Flock would never go to a nerdy knitting group for just anyone.”

My chest fizzed. I had to be careful. Eve knew me so well. It would only take one awkward blush for her to guess there was a little more to his sudden interest in crafting than I’d let on.

“We’re old friends, Eve. Brody was probably worried I’d pull a muscle or break a leg on the bike ride home. As he always says, he gets what he wants, and he wants me to get on that roller derby team.”

Eve tilted her head like a curious puppy, eying me steadily. “Pulled muscle, huh? Well, I’d keep myself limber if I were you. Just in case he has any other motive. Anyhoo, I have to get to work. I’ll see you later.” Eve gave me a wiggle of her fingers and sprinted across the road toward the Easy Swallow.

I carried on along the sidewalk, not entirely sure of my destination. Maybe I’d pop into the park for some R&R, but as I skirted the town square, I spotted something blue out of thecorner of my eye. I squinted into the brightness across the street, and my stomach lurched. The flash of topaz I’d seen was Brody. He wore the T-shirt he’d had on the other night. The one that matched his eyes.

He sat at one of the metal tables outside Wings and Pizza. The skin at the back of my neck prickled. He wasn’t alone. He was with a woman. She had her back to me, but thick red curls cascaded around her shoulders, and she waved one hand gracefully in the air as she spoke.

Brody had on the casual, sexy smile I’d become re-accustomed to, but the curve of his lips didn’t quite meet the edges of his mouth. I stepped backward, disappearing behind one of Tuft Swallow’s old-fashioned streetlights. I couldn’t let Brody see me. He’d think I was stalking him. Keeping tabs on his coffee activities.

I dared to pop my head out for a second, and as I did, the red-haired woman leaned in and touched his arm. My gut twisted like a pretzel. Was my perennial crush enjoying a tender tête-à-tête with a flame-haired temptress? Just two days after reducing me to a quivering mess on my bed? Slinking back behind the lamppost, I fought to bring my breath under control. They were only having coffee, right? I could cope with that.

I peeked out again, and my gut sunk right to the sidewalk. The woman had her hand on Brody’s shoulder, her fingers sliding over his muscles, and he wasn’t fighting her off.

A chill washed over my entire body. Brody was out with another woman just forty-eight hours after hearing me cry out his name

Maybe the Nosey Pecker article wasn’t about me at all. It shouldn’t surprise me. The word “abstinence” wasn’t in his vocabulary. But whowasthe woman with her manicured fingers on my almost hook-up? She wasn’t local. Her mane of hair was far too memorable. Perhaps Brody had a harem of women whofollowed him around the country. If only I could get a better view.

A sudden arrival of jostling people in turquoise windbreakers stole my attention. Mrs. Woodcock was leading The Tit Peeper bird-watching group to the park directly opposite the cafe. The melee of bodies would be a perfect hiding spot to observe Brody and his date.

I stepped in line with the bird watchers and donned the turquoise windbreaker and set of binoculars that were offered to me. A volunteer thrust a sheet of paper listing possible bird sightings into my hand. I read it, my mouth gaping. The Glorious Orb-Fiddler? The Full-Breasted Bobby-Dazzler? The Dusty Swamp Tit? Seriously. Who named these birds?

“Goodness, Ro, I thought you weren’t interested in joining the Peepers,” Mrs. Woodcock’s voice grated over me.

Technically, I wasn’t. More like I was interested in peeping on the man sitting over the road. The one chatting cozily with his own turtle dove. “A woman can change her mind.”

Mrs. Woodcock beamed. “Wonderful! Let me see if I can find a suitable young man for you to peep alongside.” She disappeared into the cluster of turquoise bodies, and I picked up the binoculars I’d slung around my neck, training them directly on Brody.

I adjusted the focus, and my view snapped into clarity. Just as Brody touched the pale, smooth hand of the woman with the red hair. The tan of his skin contrasted with the pink of her long nails. I sucked in a breath and moved the binoculars to find his face. His forehead came into view, followed by his gorgeous blue eyes. They crinkled at the corners, just like when he smiled atme.

Somebody jostled me from behind, but I kept my sights straight on Brody. He and his lady-friend stood up. She turned around, and my field of vision filled with her face. All sunshineand peaches and cream. Nausea rolled in my belly. This mystery lady was far more Brody’s type than I could hope to be.

I pulled my binoculars away from my eyes, cursing my plain face and my thicker waist. Compared to mine, this woman’s figure resembled a Barbie doll.

The group of birdwatchers had moved nearer to the park now. Only a few stragglers shielded me, so I stepped behind a large bush on the edge of the grass. Avoiding some particularly vicious twigs, I peeped out from behind the foliage, re-training my goggles on Brody.

He and the woman were just chatting, but when an errant branch scuffed my cheek, I side-stepped further into the street. In a freak of nature or something out of an Indiana Jones movie, the sun aligned perfectly with the lenses of my binoculars. The combination created a bright disc of light that hit Brody straight in his eyes.

His head snapped up, and in a heartbeat, he located the bush next to me. A searing burn rose in my gullet, and I darted back under cover of its leaves.

Amongst the twigs, my heart thundered in my chest. I must’ve dazzled him right in the eyes. Some top spy I’d make! I only hoped he hadn’t seen me. Recognized me. Surely, I looked like at least twenty other people in the street. One body in a large huddle of turquoise and orange.