Page 24 of Daddy's Little Liar
Chapter Seven
She got the job.
Georgia was so happy and excited, she all but bounced in the driver’s seat all the way back to Solstice Springs. Which was strange from the minute she realized that’s where she was heading. It wasn’t exactly on the way, and really, what point was there in going back to share her good news with her emergency mechanic?
Ridiculous.
Beyond ridiculous, yet he was the first person she thought about when she left her interview, the first person she thought of when she got the confirmation call from Human Resources two hours later, and the constant shadow who occupied her thoughts as she’d spent the day touring Santa Fe with her cousin, looking at what housing was available to rent.
“I’m so excited you’re moving down here!” Her cousin cried, giving her a hug right before she drove off for home.
To be honest, Georgia was, too. She was at the beginning of a grand, new adventure, something so wonderful, it couldn’t help but turn her life around. As much as she hated moving, she was ready for it.
Ten miles down the road, she saw a small white house with a for-rent sign in the yard, which got her thinking about Daddy again. The best new part about her job was that it could be done remotely. If she only had to drive into work every couple of weeks, she didn’t need to live in Santa Fe.
The next thing she knew, she was at the forty-eight-mile marker and taking the turnoff to Solstice Springs. She was going back to Daddy. The excitement inside her blossomed and swelled. She couldn’t wait to tell him her good news.
By the time she pulled into town, it was almost dark, but Dad’s Garage was still open. His head poked out from around the propped hood of his current project when she pulled into the driveway. Her nipples tingled as they looked at one another, and that funny spark of heat blossomed in the pit of her stomach, just like it had the first time she’d seen him.
Shifting into park, she switched off the engine and careful of her booted foot, climbed out as he sauntered out to meet her. Careful with her weight, she hobbled to meet him and was in such a good mood, she didn’t even notice right away that he wasn’t smiling.
“I got the job!” she crowed, then gave a little squeal and even clapped her hands. She’d have bounced, but her ankle knew better.
“Congratulations,” he said mildly and wiped his hands on a cloth that probably hadn’t been completely white in months. He wasn’t smiling.
“My cousin’s husband helped me get it,” she acknowledged with a nod. “He says it’s a great company to work for, and I start in three weeks.”
“I’m happy for you.” Still neutral, still not smiling, he wiped his hands and waited, which was when she noticed how very tense he seemed. The spark of warmth in her stomach died a little. It was feeling a little like it had last night when she’d been in trouble.
“Um…” She cleared her throat. “I’m starting at almost twenty an hour,” she offered, trying to reclaim the giddy happiness. It wasn’t resurrecting.
He held up his finger. “Wait right here.”
Turning on his heel, he went to his office in the garage. The sexy strut of his hips drew her eyes, but the tension inside her never fully went away. It only got tighter, in fact, when he came back with his cellphone in his hand.
She clutched her hands together, her stomach knotting.
Daddy waited until he had reached her side before switching the screen on, plugging in his passcode, and opening his messages.
“You want to show me where you texted to say you made it to Santa Fe, okay?” he sternly demanded.
Feeling all of two inches tall, she squeezed her own fingers until it almost hurt.
“Oh, that,” she said.
“Yeah, that,” he echoed, definitely not smiling.
Her stomach dropped.
“I didn’t send one.” The knots tightening into nooses, she reacted defensively. “Well, I didn’t think you were serious.”
“You didn’t think I was serious?”
She wished he’d stop echoing her. Her palms were sweating enough as it was. Clasping tighter, her hands clutched each other in a stranglehold so she wouldn’t fidget. She didn’t like what his tone and stare were doing to her.
“How was I to know you really wanted to keep in touch? I mean, people say that all the time, but they don’t really mean it.”
His eyebrows arched, although he didn’t look half as surprised as upset. “You want to tell me what part of last night led you to believe I didn’t mean it?”
