18
Adley
I shudder as I watch him walk away, and then I turn and shove my way through the small crowd. Lincoln talked like there aren’t usually a lot of people here, but there’s easily twenty or thirty guys and a few women.
Some are working out, others are sitting at a table in the back playing poker, but mostly they’re standing around talking. The smell of sweat, stale beer, and cigarette smoke hangs heavy in the air, and when I bump into a woman, she turns and glares.
“Sorry,” I whisper, holding up my full hands so she knows I’m not a threat.
Holy shit. My heart is racing, but I feel a sliver of relief when I make it to the black door. It swings inward, and I step into a dark hallway. I follow the directions, push open the first door on the left, and stop short at the sight in front of me.
A petite woman with long blond hair is sitting on a bench. Her leg is stretched in front of her, resting on Lincoln’s lap, and she’s smiling at him as if he hung the moon. My blood runs cold when she reaches out and touches his arm.
It’s a soft touch.
A familiar touch.
“Do you think it’s broke?” she asks.
Lincoln is angled away from me, so I can’t really see what he’s doing.
“I don’t think so, but it’s going to hurt like a bitch tomorrow. That was one hell of a fall. Your ankle already looks like a damn softball.”
Lincoln does something to cause the woman to wince. “Maybe I should go the hospital and get an x-ray.”
“If you want. Or maybe give it a day or two. You’ve got a lot of swelling, and it’s already starting to bruise, but your range of motion is still pretty good.”
“I’m such a klutz.”
“You always have been.” He laughs and lifts his face, and I’d give anything to see how he’s looking at her. “You’re the only person I know who can trip over air.”
She slaps playfully at his shoulder and laughs, the sound cutting straight through me. “I’m not that bad.”
“Yeah, you are. Do you remember that time you tripped getting on the escalator at the mall?”
The woman snorts and covers her mouth. “Don’t remind me.”
“You plowed into three people trying to get up and ended up knocking over a little old lady.”
“She cussed me out.”
The easiness of their conversation makes me sick, and when Lincoln laughs warmly, I fight the urge to puke. Who is this woman, and why does she get to be here with him and I can’t?
“I know; I remember. And what about that time we were walking through Wal-Mart and you tripped and fell against the ball pit.”
“Hundreds of balls went flying.”
“That’s the only time I’ve been kicked out of a store.”
“But you’ve got to admit it was funny.”
He nods. “Hilarious.”
It’s obvious they’ve known each other for quite some time—and outside of here no less. The thought of them spending time together outside of The Barn causes my heart to race. I hate that they have this intimacy. I hate it even more that she gets to see this gentle side of him.
Lincoln fiddles with her foot and when their eyes meet, she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “So, does this Saturday still work for you?”
“I’ll be there,” he answers. “Thank you for planning this. It means a lot to me.”