Free Brody: The Bang Shift by Mandy Harbin

waiting for something, but trying to act casual about it. Xan was too good at reading people not to notice.
    “Mmm-hmm. And that was about it.”
    “Ugh. You’re no good at this, hon. Fine. Anna Sue overheard him apologize for locking lips with you the other day.” Xan gasped in horror. She didn’t want the town thinking she was seeing him, or any man for that matter. “Oh, now none of that. Although, I should’ve gotten the gossip directly from the source. You could have told me yourself.” She gave Xan a disappointed frown. “But you can make up for it by telling me when you are going to suck face with him again.” She giggled.
    Xan needed a subject change, like right now. She shouldn’t be talking about this with anyone. Her life was supposed to be as private and uncomplicated as possible. The last thing she needed was the town gossiping about her, regardless if the talk was true. That whole there’s no such thing as bad press didn’t apply to her situation. She needed no attention. At. All.
    Roxie put her glass down and leaned toward Xan. “I get the feeling you don’t have many friends,” she said softly. “If you want to talk about this, you have my word I’ll keep it between just us. I know I like getting the goods on everybody, but I do right by my friends.”
    Her head was spinning. She had a strong urge to jump up and run to her bedroom, get away before this conversation got out of control. But she had another urge, one stronger than the need to flee.
    One that insisted she embrace this friendship and enjoy it while she could. She wasn’t getting any younger, and there were only so many things she could talk to her son about. If she kept the important details of her life a secret, why couldn’t she talk to Roxie about her feelings, her confusion about Brody?
    “I’m not sure what to do about him,” she finally mumbled.
    Roxie sat back and took a deep breath. “What happened?”
    Xan recounted the kiss in the office, the order to stay away, and the encounter today while she downed the rest of her of wine.
    “Whew, girl. It sounds like y’all have some serious chemistry goin’ on, and neither of you knows what the hell to do about it.”
    “That’s putting it mildly, though I can’t be sure about his side. It’s just been a long time since I’ve been attracted to a man. I’m not sure how to go about dealing with it.”
    “You need to march right over to his house and tell him to quit jerkin’ you around. Damn, girl, he’s a man, not an alien. They all squeal like piggies when you grab ’em by the balls.”
    “I don’t even know where he lives,” she said, defeated.
    “Honey, you’re new here, so I’ll forgive you for that, but in small towns everybody knows everything about everyone. Addresses are the first thing, right before marital status.”
    Either it was the wine or the surge of estrogen swarming in the atmosphere with the girl power talk that was making Xan see the rightness of Roxie’s argument. Really, why didn’t she just tell him off? She didn’t need to mope around here and avoid masturbating because of that SOB. Just thinking about it made her eyes narrow, her blood heat, muscles tense.
    “You’re right.” How stupid had she been?
    “Oh, I know I am, honey. And judging by the look on your face, I’d hate to be one arrogant mechanic right now.”
    Xan jumped up, pacing the kitchen. “That jackass told me to stay away from him. Me away from him . Who the fuck does he think he is?”
    “Go on, girl!” Roxie raised her glass in salute, laughing.
    “Okay, so I started that kiss.” She leveled a stare at her friend. “Started. He jumped into it and took control of it like a man dehydrated, gulping water after being stuck in some godforsaken desert.”
    “Right on, sista!” She slapped her hand on the table, riling up Xan even more.
    This was exhilarating. Liberating. Freeing. “What gives him the right to dethrone Matthew McConaughey?”
    “Huh?”