Wrong Side of the Tracks by Ashley Zakrzewski
ChapterFifteen
Bubba wondered what Celia was thinking while he unloaded the truck. First the things he shoved in around it, then he propped the ramp up to the tail gate and backed his bike out of the bed of the truck.
Once Bubba had the bike unloaded, he parked it in the other half of the carport beside the truck, then finished unloading what was left of the life he’d lived for the last two years. As he took the last of his bags and things from the truck, Bubba marveled at the changes in his life in the couple of weeks. From undercover in Texas, then headed back to Tucson only to end up making a flying trip to rescue Celia then back to Tucson. What would the next ten days bring?
With the truck unloaded, he took his things inside, unpacked what needed to be unpacked, started a load of laundry, and put away what he wouldn’t need right away. By the time he’d finished, it was late afternoon and he hadn’t seen Celia in a while.
He wandered through the house, not finding her anywhere. After a few minutes, he determined she had to be in the guest bedroom, but he hadn’t heard any movement as he moved through the house. He knocked softly on the door and waited. After almost a minute there had been no response so he knocked again, this time a little harder and called her name.
“Celia, are you in there?”
Again, no response. He tried the knob. It turned without resistance. He silently eased the door open enough to see Celia curled up in the middle of the bed. He smiled and started to ease the door closed again.
Celia stirred.
Bubba froze.
How would she react if she woke and found him there? Before he had time to back away or think about it too much, her eyes opened, and she smiled.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” he said back as he stepped into the room. “I wasn’t trying to wake you, just checking on you. I hadn’t seen you in quite a while.”
She pushed herself to seating. “What time is it?”
“Almost five.”
“Oh, wow.” Celia swung her legs off the edge of the bed and stood. “I didn’t intend to fall asleep, much less sleep so long.”
“I wouldn’t blame you for being tired. You’ve had a lot happen over the last few days.”
She waved one hand as if dismissing his words.
“I was thinking about ordering something for dinner. Anything sound good?”
She watched him a moment before speaking. “You want to know what sounds good to me? Getting out. We’ve had little more than fast food for days. I’d love to go somewhere, sit down, and enjoy a meal.”
“Sure.” A slow smile spread across his face. “You up for a little adventure with your meal?”
Celia narrowed her eyes. “That depends on what you consider adventure and how much it might hurt.”
“Sweetheart,” Bubba took a step closer and lifted one hand to cup her cheek, “I wouldn’t suggest anything that would hurt you. The last thing I want to see is you unhappy.”
A look crossed her face he didn’t know how to interpret, then cleared.
“I still don’t know what you mean by adventure.”
Bubba couldn’t help but grin. “Ever ridden a motorcycle?” He had a good suspicion she hadn’t. She never had back in high school, swore they were too dangerous, and she’d never get on one.
A look he recognized as apprehension appeared on her face as she bit her lip. “No. but um.”
“Want to ride with me?”
Celia’s face flushed pink. She stared up at him with wide eyes but said nothing for a long moment. Then looked away.
“I—that wasn’t what I was expecting you to say.”
Bubba gave her a half smile. “I know. The invitation still stands. I’d love to go for a ride, but I don’t want to leave you here alone, not until something is settled with your dad and that fuckwad who beat the shit out of you.”
“Troy,” she reminded him almost absently.
“You keep telling me his name as if it matters. After what he did to you, he doesn’t deserve me knowing his name, unless it’s because I need it for his headstone.”
She looked at him again, eyes wide.
“Yes, I’ll ride your motorcycle with you. Like I said, I’ve never been on one before so you’ll have to tell me what to do.”
“No problem, sweetheart.” He skimmed her outfit. “You’ll want to change though. Jeans would be good and those boots we got today. The ones with the heels. The hair is good, but if you want to pull it back, put it in a low pony or the helmet will hurt.” He didn’t tell her he’d chosen those specifically, so she’d have something to ride in. “Something to think about while you change. What do you want to eat?”
He turned and left, pulling the door shut behind him as he headed for the laundry room. He needed to dig out his spare helmet for her. Bubba found himself grinning. Celia was coming out of her shell, and he loved it.