Only in My Dreams by Darcy Burke

the hooks and pulled her coat down. She’d pushed one arm into a sleeve before Dylan got to her and held the garment up for her.
    He checked his phone again. Still nothing from Cameron. “I was hoping my brother would come get me. I don’t want to put you out.”
    She glanced at him in surprise. “Like you driving my mom home wasn’t a major inconvenience.”
    He shrugged. “She was so out of it I didn’t want her to wait around while one of you came to get her.”
    â€œWell, thanks.” She eyed him with a mix of curiosity and caution. “Let’s go.”
    S ARA CRINGED AS she walked to the garage. She’d used those exact words— let’s go —when they’d left Sidewinders for their one-night stand. She desperately wished she could take them back. Sneaking a look at him as he followed her into the garage, she wondered if he’d even noticed. Likely, the awkwardness she felt was all one-sided.
    What if it wasn’t? She was dying to ask if she made him uncomfortable. And if so, why? Did he regret their night together? Did he want another one?
    Yikes, where had that come from? She turned and got into the car, long-ago advice from her dad bouncing around her head: Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to .
    Dylan got into the passenger seat as she started the engine. The temperature in the car seemed to spike. Again, she assumed that was only her perception. He was staring forward, his expression utterly inscrutable.
    Great .
    She backed out of the garage and turned toward the drive. She punched the radio on, thinking that could help defuse the tension.
    â€œI like this song, even though it’s a little goofy. You?” His deep voice cut through her anxiety and gave her a jolt.
    â€œWhat?” She hadn’t been paying a lick of attention to the music and now sought to listen. Catchy tune, lots of radio play, nominated for an Oscar for that kids’ movie with the little yellow minion things. “It’s cute.”
    They fell into silence for a few minutes. By the time they reached Ribbon Ridge proper, she couldn’t stand it anymore. “What did you and my mom talk about?”
    â€œNot much. Cookies, the bypass, her therapy a little bit.”
    Her therapy? She hadn’t wanted to talk about it lately. “What did she say about the therapy?”
    â€œYou know, it really wasn’t a lot. Just what I told you about going alone.”
    â€œAlex’s death has been hard.” Her voice hitched a little as emotion welled up in her chest, but she swallowed it back. “Especially for her. She spent so much time with him. He still lived at home, and he worked for Archer.”
    â€œYour dad’s company? What did he do?”
    â€œHe was a writer. He did all of the marketing copy, the website, that sort of thing. He named all the beers. Hmm, I wonder who will do that now.” It was just another question that needed answering since he died. It seemed like there was something new every day. Something he touched that now gave them pause. “It’s still so weird to say ‘was.’ ” She pulled her sleeves up over her hands so she could rub the fabric between her fingertips and the steering wheel.
    â€œI bet,” he said softly. “Your mom’s strong though. Maybe stronger than you guys think.”
    â€œWhy do you say that?”
    He shrugged and set his elbow on the door. “She’s going to therapy. She’s trying to find a way back to normal maybe.”
    Every time she thought things might actually start to return to normal, something happened to make her realize normal was a long way off. And maybe it was gone forever. Maybe they had a new normal. Her senses started to spin, causing her to seek more sensory input from the ridges on her cuffs.
    â€œI notice you do that with your sleeves.” His question drew her to look toward him. He nodded toward