And Then He Kissed Me Read Free Page B

Mr. Updike,” she said as professionally as she could. “Are you looking for a Harley today?”
    He shifted. Right then, the only thing he was looking at was her . Probably wondering where the town’s track coach and physical education teacher was hiding under all the hair and makeup.
    Blame district downsizing, she wanted to tell him. But she held her tongue.
    “This, uh…” Red seemed to be searching for a question that didn’t involve a query about what she was wearing. His head, more square than round, tilted to the side.
    Audrey fought off an eye roll. She almost liked it better when strangers from Marston or New Prave or Faldet or any of the surrounding towns would give her a once-over and a low wolf whistle. It might be chauvinistic and objectifying, but at least their jaws didn’t go slack and their eyes round with bewilderment. For crying out loud, she thought, was it really so impossible that she could work her…assets a bit?
    She didn’t need the folks in her hometown to stand up and slow clap for her, but she wished they could be a bit more supportive.
    Because, truthfully, there was a tiny part that didn’t hate this. Deep down she felt a crackle of energy where a thrumming sliver of her was somehow more awake in these new clothes. More present, perhaps, as if their contour and shape were bringing her to the forefront of her own life just a bit more.
    She kept it buried, though. Audrey knew all too well where such wild-hearted blazes could lead. And she wasn’t about to go down that road again anytime soon.
    Red cleared his throat. “What’s the, ah, front-tire speed rating on this hog?”
    Audrey brought herself back to the job at hand. She flashed Red the smile she’d taught herself at the beginning of the day when it dawned on her that she’d be spending her time in a Harley-Davidson dealership and she knew nothing about most things on two wheels.
    “I can find out about that tire rating for you, Red. In the meantime, can I show you some of the features of this one right here?”
    She had no idea what any of the mechanics were on the Harley Street Glide she was pointing to, other than it was a beautiful, inky black that reminded her of a moonless night, and the seat was a scoop of leather deep enough to throw on a horse and call a saddle.
    “These are the…handlebars,” Audrey said, tottering over to the front of the motorcycle in her heels and wishing momentarily for her sensible running shoes. “This is where you steer.”
    The lines on Red’s forehead deepened in a confused crinkle. Audrey was never going to be any kind of help to the dealership if she kept this up. She straightened, and looked at Red square on.
    “Honestly, I never would have guessed that a Harley was your kind of ride. Tell me what you like about them.”
    Red’s expression relaxed a little. He stared at the bike. “Oh, well, you know. Machine like this is quality, a real piece of craftsmanship. And—a fellow can dream, I suppose.”
    Just goes to show how little I know, Audrey thought.
    She never would have figured a Harley store in a small town like White Pine could make it. After all, her community comprised everyday folks who were farmers and teachers and small-business owners. But White Pine Harley had been open for a few weeks now, and it seemed to be doing fine. Today, there had been a constant, steady trickle of people in the showroom. And more sales than she’d expected. Ben Howell, her dentist, had bought a three-wheeled Electra Glide. And Lester Lawsick, the local large-animal vet, had bought a used machine off the back lot.
    I may have been wrong about everything, Audrey realized suddenly, wondering how well she really knew her hometown. If the community could fire her from her dream job, stare at her like a freak when she found a new one, and support a Harley dealership, what was next?
    “They’ve got used ones, too, if you’re interested,” she said, trying to help Red think about his options,