Double Trouble (Troublemaker Series #2) - Cassie Mae Page 0,3
double checks my closing work. The others figure I’ve been here so long I know what I’m doing.
I push open the main doors to the parking lot with my butt, then pull the neck of my black Troublemakers shirt until the thing comes clean off. The fresh summer air blows across my sweaty white tank.
“Shoot.”
Just when I didn’t think I’d hear that voice tonight, there it is, lighting up my entire freaking universe.
An auto-smile creeps onto my lips, and I crank my neck over my shoulder to see Maddie, leaning up against the brick building, her board resting against her leg, her signature Star Wars shirt hanging loose on her toned upper body.
“Wondered when I’d see your face.” There’s a tease in my voice, but I’m pretty genuine about it. She’s here. Maybe I can run back in for Yoda real quick. Ask her out. Go out right now, even. Hold her hand during a movie or board around the park until it closes. Kiss her goodnight…
She lets out a hefty sigh and pushes off the building. She drops the board to the ground and glides around me like a vulture circling its prey.
“Pete had a ‘family meeting’ and now I’ve lost my boarding time.”
I raise a brow, my high spirits teetering back down as I catch the redness of her eyes, the streaks of mascara across her temples like she’s been wiping tears away for the last few minutes.
I swallow hard. Yeah… I don’t have the guts to ask what sort of family meeting topic has her in tears. So, I go with a sarcasm instead.
“I could sneak you in back. Candace will never know.”
That gets a laugh out of her, and I feel like a freaking superhero. She puts her foot down, kicking the board into her hand flawlessly. She was born on a board.
“As appealing as that sounds, not sure we could get away with it.”
A half smile tilts my lips, and my fingers tighten on my black tee I’ve got bundled in my fist. She may think that, but we could completely get away with it. Everyone leaves by ten-thirty at the latest, including Candace. They lock it all up, leave the lot, and it’s a ghost zone until we open at ten the next morning.
But there’s the garbage door out back that me and one other person have the key to. There’s no camera, and it leads right up to the half-pipes and boarding park. Brink could practice for an hour easily, and I’ll sneak her out the way we came in and then lock up. Cake.
Hmm… maybe I could convince her to do it. I could get her Yoda. Ask her out. Hold her hand. Board with her. Kiss her goodnight.
“Oh… I could get away with it,” I blurt. But she laughs like I’m joking and shakes her head.
“I’ll just come in during normal hours tomorrow.” She puts her board up on her shoulder. “See you later, Tanner.”
“Yeah,” I mumble. She probably doesn’t even hear me. I watch her head to her car, her shoulders slumped, her gait slower. It’s not the best night for romantic gestures, I take it.
But next time, for sure. Next time, when she’s in a better mood, I’m gonna do it.
One of the best days of my life was the day Candace offered me a job at her parents’ ranch. I love all animals, but horses are up there at the top, and at the top of my horse list, Mona Lisa is number one.
I watch the chestnut mare trot around the round pen with Luke, letting the late afternoon air wash over my face. If I need some cheering up, boarding is my go-to, but watching this sweet horse is a close second.
Luke, the head ranch hand, nudges me in the arm resting on the wooden fence, and I glance in his direction. He makes sure I’ve given my full attention to his hands as he signs slowly, You seem sad today.
The corner of my mouth twitches, and I shake my head. Luke’s good at reading lips, but I always make sure I enunciate as much as possible for the words I don’t know how to sign. After a year and a half of working alongside him, I’ve picked up a bit, but I’m not fluent by any means.
“Not sad. Frustrated, maybe.”
He adjusts his thick-framed glasses, a concern wrinkle peeking just over the top of the frames. Why?
Gosh, loaded question… with a loaded answer. I get how he