As she reached for the first obstacle—something with pointy tines curved into large C shapes—she heard a voice behind her drawl, “I hope your Tetanus shot is up to date.”
Whirling, she glared at Callum. “Sneaking up on me like that when I have a weapon in my hand is not a good idea.”
“What were you going to do? Sweep me to death? Blind me with the flashlight?”
Despite her annoyance, his question drew a wry smile.
“Maybe,” she brandished the broom, “I should warn you, this thing’s loaded.”
“With cobwebs. I think I’ll take my chances,” he scoffed.
“Did you come in here to help, or just to state the obvious? It seems to be your biggest talent.” She really wanted to get that bike out of its cocoon and see what shape it was in.
Callum refrained from answering and, with a ripple of muscle that drew a sigh from Adriel’s lips for some reason she wasn’t quite sure she understood, lifted the many-tined whatsit out of the way as though it weighed no more than a feather. Just as quickly, he dispatched each remaining obstacle before flexing again to lift the dusty blue bike and carry it outside.
“Nice shape for its age.”
“It seems sturdy enough.”
“Tires have a little dry rot, but I think there’s another set hanging on a nail back there. Might be newer.” Adriel watched him disappear back into the shed, her eyes lingering on the planes of his broad shoulders. The sound of something falling followed by a couple of nasty words prompted her to call out to see if he had been hurt.
“I’m fine. One sec.” He emerged from the shed holding a pair of tires in one hand and an extra set of tubes in the other. “Got them. Let’s have a look.” Callum laid one tire up against the bike and passed the other through his hand to check for cracks.
“Well?” Adriel said when he was through.
“They’ll do. I saw a pump hanging on the wall by the workbench.” He pulled out a multi-use pocket knife and used one of the implements to let the remaining air out of the inner tube. “Go get it, would you?” The order was tossed carelessly over his shoulder.
Adriel watched with fascinated interest as Callum set to work wrestling the old tires from the rims. He used a pair of screwdrivers to pry the rubber away from the spoked metal, then reversed the process after tucking a new inner tube into place.
About ten minutes into the job, he muttered, “Be nice if someone offered me a cold drink.” Chagrined, Adriel realized she had forgotten her manners. There was a pitcher of sun tea brewing on the porch; by the color she judged it strong enough, and quickly dosed it with ice, a little lemon, and just enough sugar to take the bitterness away. She poured two glasses and returned to where Callum was just beginning to pry the second tire from the rim.
“Would you like a cold drink?” Her tone was sweeter than the tea, but with an edge of sarcasm.
“Yes, thanks.” Callum stood, stripped off his shirt, then rubbed the cool glass across his forehead. Adriel’s mouth went dry at the sight, and to make matters worse, she gulped down too much iced tea and nearly choked. Luckily, Callum had already turned back to his task and didn’t notice.
“There, I think the old girl still has some life in her.”
“Thank you for all your hard work.”
“She’s almost ready to go. One more thing and you’ll be able to test her out.”
“Maybe later,” Adriel reached for the bike, “It needs a good cleaning first.”
“She,” he emphasized, “is just a little dusty.” For lack of anything else handy, he swiped his own tee shirt over the bike.
“She? How does an inanimate object develop a gender?”
“No idea. Just the way it is.” Callum called back over his shoulder as he disappeared into the shed again to return seconds later with a small oil can. The chain and sprockets received a liberal anointing with the smelly contents while he lifted the rear tire off the ground and had Adriel spin the pedal. “Take her for a spin.” After a few revolutions, the wheel spun free and easy. Callum had her test the brakes by reversing the pedal. They worked like a charm.
“Maybe later.” After you’ve gone.
“You do know how to ride a bike don’t you?”
The lie trembled on her lips but would not pass them. “No. But I’m sure I can figure it out all on my own. Surely it can’t be that difficult a thing to learn. Children do it every day.”
The way his eyes lit up, Adriel knew she was in trouble. Flipping up the kickstand, he gestured for her to take her place on the seat. Half a zillion thoughts chased through Adriel’s head, and not a single valid excuse among them.
“It’s all about balance and momentum. Put your feet on the pedals and I’ll give you a push to get started.”
“There’s no need…”
“Hold onto the handlebars and if you want to stop, just turn the pedals backwards. This model isn’t equipped with hand brakes.” Every attempt to deflect his help went ignored.
She sent up a prayer that she wouldn’t tip over in front of him, and felt his hand brush her backside as he grasped the seat to help guide her forward. Distracted by the tingling from the point of contact, she wobbled the handlebars when the bike started to move.
“Pedal.”
Callum’s shouted command startled Adriel’s feet into motion. With a mighty shove, he propelled her down the drive while she pedaled madly until she felt the rhythm click into place and everything smoothed out. Leaning into the motion, she felt the wind rush past cheeks sore from smiling. This was more fun than she ever expected. Sometimes being human wasn’t half bad.
At the end of the drive, Adriel completed a turn that was only a little shaky, and pedaled back
