Free Forever After by Deborah Raney Page B

laughed at the absurdity of it and gunned the engine. She thought about finding a corner of the public library to hang out in, but the library was closed until Monday.
    It was too cold to go to the park and she wasn’t in the mood to see anybody, which ruled out Java Joint or a restaurant.
    She reached to turn the heater up a notch and noticed the gas gauge. She was almost on empty. There was a Rhodes station on Fifth Street. She could fill up there.
    She pulled under the canopy and started the gas pumping, then got back in the car to stay warm while the tank filled. A knock on the hood made her jump.
    She looked up to see Lucas Vermontez laughing at her through the windshield.

Pain shot up his leg, but he shook it off and concentrated on keeping his balance.

 
    10
    L ucas hobbled around to the passenger side door and leaned in to speak to Jenna through her partially open window. “Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to scare you to death.”
    She gave a nervous laugh and rolled the window the rest of the way down. “I didn’t see you coming.”
    He’d been surprised to spot her pumping gas next to where he was filling his truck. “So did you get all moved in?”
    “Just finished.” She turned to look past him at the gas pump racking up the gallons. Neon lights from the gas station canopy illumined traces of tears that had worn a trail down her cheeks. All was not well with Jenna Morgan’s world. He felt like a jerk scaring her the way he had.
    “Everything okay?”
    She looked at him as if to gauge whether he really meant it. Apparently he looked sincere because she sighed and put a hand to her forehead. “Actually, I could use a friend right now.”
    “You want to move that coffee date up a couple days to … say, right now?”
    She rewarded him with a smile. “I’d love that.”
    The gas pump clicked off and Jenna started to climb out of the car. He put a hand on her door. “I got it. I’ll just follow you to Java Joint, okay?”
    He hung up the hose, gave the gas cap a final twist, and popped the lid shut. The acrid odor of gasoline stung his nostrils. On the other side of the island, a car pulled in behind Lucas’s truck and the driver tooted his horn. Lucas held up a hand, motioning for the guy to be patient. Navigating the maze of concrete back to his pickup, he did his best to hide his limp, praying with every step that he didn’t trip and fall on his face in front of her.
    He followed her to the coffee shop, but as they turned into the parking lot, he saw the sign on the door. Closed. Pulling into the parking space beside her, he motioned her over.
    She climbed out of her Volvo and he leaned across the bench seat. He unlocked his passenger door and popped the handle.
    “Climb in.” He patted the seat. “Want to drive through the Dairy Bar for something?”
    “Sure.” She climbed up into the truck and slammed the door behind her.
    He backed out and headed west on Main Street, energized at the way things had turned out. Behind the wheel of his pickup he felt blessedly normal. Here he didn’t limp, didn’t hobble, didn’t get the sympathy nods he’d grown accustomed to. And here the hated cane could stay hidden away on the floor beneath his seat.
    They ordered hot chocolates, and Lucas drove slowly down the main drag of Hanover Falls, trying not to feel like a high schooler on his first date. “So talk to me. Was it harder than you thought to leave your house?”
    She shrugged. “It’s not that so much as—” In the seat beside her, Jenna’s purse started ringing.
    She cringed. “Sorry. Hang on a second.” Balancing her drink, she retrieved her phone and slid it open. “Hey, B. What’s up?”
    She listened for a minute, frowning. “Oh, I’m so sorry. When did it happen?”
    After another minute of listening, she threw Lucas an apology with her eyes. “Um … sure. I don’t mind. I can look in on him. Does it need to be tonight?”
    He couldn’t make out the other end of the brief