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he just finished. “I think mine looks better than yours.”
    “I beg to differ,” I say, a light chuckle under my words.
    “Take it back.” He rolls the towel in his hands, snapping it out like he’s trying to hit me with it.
    “No.” I cross my arms over my chest, an amused smile on my face.
    “I’m giving you one last chance.” He holds the rolled up towel between both hands.
    I bite my lip to keep from squealing , and shake my head.
    He releases his tight grip on the towel and it snaps near my leg, but misses me. I hop away and he leaps forward. A giggle escapes from between my lips.
    “What is going on out here?” Jon’s voice stops us.
    We both freeze. Colt wears a guilty expression. He hides the offending towel behind his back.
    “Sorry,” I say. “It’s my fault. I’m not sure I was the right person to train him on cleaning the tables. I haven’t quite mastered that skill yet.”
    Colt snorts beside me, and I toss him a stern look. He presses his lips together and stares hard at his feet while trying to gain composure. Jon doesn’t look amused, but he just nods as the bell on the door dings.
    “Saved by the bell,” I mutter under my breath to Colt, as I take off toward the register. Just as I reach it, I see Colt watching me wearing a grin on his face. It’s the happiest I’ve seen him since we met.
     
    “ You walking home?” I catch Colt heading out of the parking lot on foot after our shift is over.
    He nods, shoving his hands into his pockets.
    “Wanna ride?” The minute the words leave my mouth, I regret them. I mean, what if he’s some serial rapist or something? This is the first time I’ve offered a stranger a ride. Then again, he’s not exactly a stranger. I mean, I’ve had two conversations with him, and I spent all day at work with him.
    “Sure,” he says.
    “Okay.” I push down the nagging doubts, and head to my car. After unlocking the doors, Colt opens the passenger door and hops inside. I slide in next to him, ignoring how much my hands tremble as I turn on the car. I’ve never been this nervous around a guy before. Maybe because I’ve never been around a guy who looks like Colt.
    “Have you worked at Bud’s for long?” Colt asks as I pull out of the parking lot.
    “Only about a month .” I glance over at him. “Which way?”
    “Oh. Left.”
    I take the turn.
    “Do you like it?”
    I shrug. “It’s cool. I mean, Jon’s a total jerk, but Bud’s nice. And as long as Bud likes you, then you’re golden. Jon thinks he has so much control, but he doesn’t have any.”
    “Good to know,” Colt says.
    I stare forward. “You can wear your piercings, by the way. Bud doesn’t care.”
    “Cool. Yeah, I felt a little naked without them.”
    The words draw an image in my mind that I should not be thinking. I swallow hard. “And you don’t have to fix your hair like a five -year-old boy.”
    Colt guffaws. “Is that what you think? That I look like a five -year-old boy today?”
    “Truthfully? A little.”
    “Point taken.”
    When I glance over at him, he’s smiling again , and my heart skips a beat.
    “Turn right here.” He points forward.
    I take the turn. “You live in the older part of town, huh?”
    “Yeah.”
    “I love it over here. It has a lot more character than the newer areas. When did you move here?”
    “Um….just a couple of weeks ago. This is my house right here.” He indicates a small home with a tidy yard and a few potted plants lining the porch.
    I pull up along the curb. The minute I do, he reaches for the door handle and pushes it open.  “Thanks for the ride.” He doesn’t even look at me, as he closes the door and heads toward the house.
    I stare at him, confused. One minute he seems so nice and the next he completely shuts down. It’s the strangest thing. As I drive away from his house, I wonder if Colt will always be a mystery to me.

 
     
    EIGHT
    COLT
     
    “H ow was your first day of work?” Aunt Callie asks the