Page 5 of All I Need

Damn him and his good hearing. “Stay out of it, Grayson,” I shout, turning my head but keeping an eye on the gorgeous woman before me. I can’t imagine what she’ll look like when she smiles if she’s this incredible looking with a scowl on her face.

Our highway guest scrunches up her pert little nose and folds one ear piece of her sunglasses over the buttons down the center of her shirt, causing it to dip just slightly. The starkness of her bright blue eyes against the smoky eye makeup is startling for a solid second. I take another good look at her and piece together what is possibly before me. A woman scorned, no doubt. But possibly even worse than that, a bride scorned. Unless she looks this put together every day, but my guess is she was done up for something special.

Lips the color of the ripest strawberry, finger and toe nails looking like they’ve just been freshly painted, and hair pulled back on the sides by pretty little beaded headpieces, she’s everything I expect a bride to look like on her wedding day, minus the big gown, of course. I glance over my shoulder at Grayson one more time. Smirking little shit needs to find himself that bowl of popcorn he was wanting earlier for how interesting he seems to find this entire situation.

My chest heaves as I decide what my next steps should be for fear that she’ll use that club on me rather than the car windshield.

“I’m Walker McKinstry. That nosey shit behind me is my nephew, Grayson. I’m sorry to interrupt what looks like was about to be a good workout for you, demolishing this car and all.”

“You trying to be a smart ass, Walker?”

The corner of my lip curls up at her immediate use of my name. “No ma’am.”

“Ma’am? What are you, some southern gentleman? I’m not an old lady, if anything I’m a miss.”

“Definitely not an old lady.” I stare at her feeling completely out of my league with a woman for the first time in, well, hell, I don’t know. Probably since I was Grayson’s age and about to lose my virginity to a girl two years older. Having a twin sister helped me feel comfortable around women my entire life. I never went through that shy stage of not knowing how to talk to girls… until now. “Want to tell me what the car did to you?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Alright. How about, you got a plan? Anywhere you’re heading in particular?”

“My only plan is not going back.”

“Seems to me that makes perfect sense, even not having a clue what you’d be going back to.”

She hums in agreement, looking down at the golf club still in her hand. She scrunches up her nose again and fuck if it isn’t the cutest little mannerism I’ve ever seen.

“Stupid fuck,” she mutters before flinging the golf club through the air. It lands with a puff of dirt in the field. I’ll have to call the Wagners who own that piece of property. Let them know that they have what appeared to have been a pretty nice set of clubs strung throughout the field.

“He fucked up big time, huh?” I risk the guess.

Holding up her left hand, she shows just a small distance between her thumb and pointer finger. The sun glistens off a huge diamond ring, bringing me back to my conclusion that she’s a bride. Or was one.

“Nice bling you got there. Should bring in some good money.”

She looks down at her finger, curling her other hand around it as if embarrassed it was still on her finger. Then she shrugs, shaking off whatever she was feeling just moments before. “Probably. Figure I about devoted my entire life to that douchetwat, might as well get something out of the deal.”

I nod, not really giving a shit either way considering it’s her life.

“So you know my name and my nephew’s name. Any chance you’re going to share yours with the class?”

Her blue eyes assess me, likely trying to decide whether or not I’m trustworthy enough to know her name. She bites her bottom lip and after what feels like an eternity, says in a sure voice, “Ellie.”

“Ellie, huh?” I almost cringe at the way it comes out accusatory so I reach out a hand to her. She takes a small step forward and gives me a firm handshake. “Nice to meet you, Ellie.”

“Same, Walker.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way—“

“You know that’s a terrible way to start a sentence, right?”

I smile and rub the back of my neck. “Actually, I do. My sister is always telling me the same thing.”

“Sounds like a smart woman.”

“That she is. Well, as I was saying, or about to ask, I guess, do you have any idea where you’re heading? Or just out for some early evening destruction of property to get your night started out right?”

“Property destruction was all I really had on my agenda for the evening.”

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