Stay in your Lane (On Hold)

Chapter Ten ~ The Deal

Chapter Ten

There was something about adult Travis that muddled my brain more than it had when we were kids. It wasn't until he dropped me off that the side-effects of his presence began to wear off. The longer I spent away from him, the more clearly I thought, and the more annoyed I became.

That horny toad knew exactly what he was doing when he took me into that maze. He'd taken me into that corn with the most sinful intentions, and I'd fallen so easily. I'd known. Of course I knew. It was Travis Baker. The horniest toad to ever hop his ass into the world. He'd been girl crazy his whole life. He'd been slicker than a car salesman long before he could drive, and I knew that. I'd gone in there, knowing damn well what would transpire.

Then the little sucker sucker-kissed me, and I'd been down for the count. One, two, three. My legs had spread wide enough to scandalize every Christian woman from here to the North Pole. Mrs. Clause was probably still trying to cool down.

As horrible as it had been, I was lucky Mama found us when she did. What even was that? Sure, I hadn't pulled away. Sure, I'd pressed closer. Sure, I'd wanted him. I'd kissed him back. But the first kiss, the one that started the whole thing, had been stolen. He'd caught me off guard. He'd fought dirty.

I thought about it all day at work. It was easy enough with how slow it was. Most folks were too busy recovering from the Harvest Festival, and by most, I mean all. My brain flip-flopped between which parts of the night before it wanted to remember. The parts that made me chew my lip and stare into space. The parts that had me cursing beneath my breath.

When my shift finally ended, I went straight to lane twenty to take my frustration out on the pins. The alley was still empty. Frank was in his office, and Rita was in the kitchen doing prep. The TVs were muted. The juke box was empty. I slid on my shoes and wiped down my ball. Let my mind focus in on the one constant. The one thing that never changed.

I zoned in, lost myself in my approach, my form, until I was no longer anything other than this. Spares were redemption. Each strike was therapy. I rose above the nonsense, then my own words came back to bite me in the ass.

"What the fuck, Ashley?" Sawyer hissed, causing me to miss the ten pin.

I spun to glare at him. "Really? While I'm in the middle of a throw?"

He didn't look sorry. No. If anything, he looked madder than me. He closed the space between us and looked around as if checking to make sure we really were alone. "Why is there a rumor that you and I are dating?"

"Oh." Damn Travis and his big damn mouth. He must have said something to someone, and it only took one someone in a town as small as ours for news to spread like wildfire.

"Oh?" He shook his head. "What do you mean '"Oh"?Do you have any idea how much shit I got from MeMaw? Now she's convinced you're some kind of harlot, dragging me down to damnation."

I rolled my eyes. "Like I'd have to drag you."

"This is serious! She threatened to kick me out!"

"I'm sorry." Shit. This was exactly what I was talking about. I loved Travis, but Travis wasn't good for me. Travis was like a super fun drug that ruined lives. "I said it to Travis to get him to back off. I didn't think he'd tell anyone."

Sawyer's eyes widened. "You did what?"

"I know. I'm so sorry. Your name was the first one that popped into my head."

"He's going to kill me!"

I paused, my brow furrowing. "Who's going to kill you? Travis? No. He's an ass, but he wouldn't—"