Free Lonesome Beds and Bumpy Roads (Beds #3) by Cassie Mae, Becca Ann, Tessa Marie Page B

nowhere I feel the need to tell her, “I love you.”
    Her dimple craters into her cheek. “I love you, too.” Then she puts her phone away, gets on her tiptoes to kiss my nose, and hops into the IROC. I read her reply text on the way to the driver’s seat.
    Lex: It’s a date!
    ***
    The last of the garage’s lights shut off, but I’m still sitting in the glow of the computer screen at the front desk, watching as Josh shows me how to type up an invoice. There are about a million trillion codes, and I’ve got to memorize them all.
    “If Pop’s offered them a discount,” Josh continues as if it’s not closing time, “then you put in one of our discount codes.”
    Make that a million trillion and fifty codes I gotta memorize.
    “Got it,” I say, and Josh slides over a giant binder.
    “They’re all in here. Might want to familiarize yourself with the categories first. It comes easy after a while, trust me.”
    I nod and push back a yawn. My back’s killing me from sitting on this piece o’ crap stool all night.
    “Okay, you can clock out.” Josh shuts down the computer, and I sing praises to the Almighty. Time to call Lex and see if she’s off work yet. We both got school tomorrow, but I’m hoping to sneak some alone time in before one of us ends up in the other’s bed.
    I put in my clock out time on the training sheet, grab the binder, and head out. Josh nods and says, “See you tomorrow, Greenie.”
    After sending a text to Lex, I head to the grocery store near her house. Monster drinks are calling my name, and I’m gonna need the energy to memorize all this shit. Lex still hasn’t texted back when I get there, so I press dial and wait for her to pick up. I get her voicemail.
    “Guess you’re still at work,” I say to the machine. “Call me when you get off. Love you.”
    Something kicks my gut when I hang up, and I’m not sure where it comes from. I saw her earlier. And we’re going out Sunday. But it seems like things are starting to shift, and I’m wondering when she’s at college and I’m at the garage if the only times we’ll get to see each other is while we’re sleeping. At least we get that, but still, for nearly a decade I’ve spent almost every day with that girl. Being apart isn’t something I’m used to yet. And I don’t want to get used to it.
    A text vibrates in my hand as I turn down the refrigerated drink aisle and my empty stomach swoops upward for a split second, till I see Nate’s name on the screen.
    Nate: No shitting me… do you know if something’s going on with Kaylee?
    Apparently Kaylee and I need to work on our alibis.
    Me: Don’t worry about it, dude.
    Nate: I’m not kidding. Is she dumping my ass?
    Me: I said don’t worry.
    Nate: And I said don’t shit on me.
    I look up to grab a few Monsters and just as I’m about to text him back a lady down by the hard lemonade shifts, and I double-take to make sure I’m seeing things right.
    Me: Just ask Kaylee. I gotta run.
    I settle my phone into my hoodie pocket, brows pulling in as I watch Lex’s mom stare at the case of lemonade, arms crossed and rubbing up and down to warm herself as if she’s been standing in this aisle for a while.
    “Ms. Boggs?”
    She doesn’t look up, but I can tell she knows I’m here. Her nose is red like she has a cold, but other than that she doesn’t look sick. I edge closer, enough so that if she reaches for anything I can dive in front of her.
    “Hi Ryan,” she says so quietly I barely catch it. That and her lips are pursed, barely moving as she speaks to me.
    “Hey.” I wait for her to turn, but she just continues to stare, rubbing her arms and pulling at a piece of her blonde hair. “So… uh… what’re you doing?” I let out an awkward laugh which she surprisingly echoes.
    “You know what I think?” She finally turns to look at me. I shake my head and shrug, and she takes a deep breath and nods to the hard lemonade. “I think bad decisions happen slowly. They