Page 34 of Rescued Heart

The limousine idled beside the first row of parking spaces. It wasn’t like the limo driver, Justin, would mind staying in tonight. “If you want to drive, I’ll go tell Justin. I’m sure he’d be glad to have a night off.”

Eddie spun his keyring around his middle finger. “Might want to see my truck before you make your decision. Grouchy lady sure didn’t appreciate it the other night.” A sigh seemed to rumble across his shoulders. “Maybe that’s where I went wrong,” he mumbled.

“Wrong with what?”

He shrugged. “Nothing. I got an email from Janice this week. It didn’t improve my assumptions about her.”

Bianca wrinkled her nose. “I understand now. You’re saying I’m as grouchy as her. Well, that’s not true at all. If you’re more comfortable driving your truck, it’s what I want too.”

He actually smiled. Or at least, it was a half grin that pulled out one dimple. “I’ll go pull it around.”

She had been right. Justin loved the idea of a free night. Eddie brought over his black truck—it was a couple of decades old, but the paint had been buffed into a shiny display.

She opened the passenger-side door and climbed into the seat.

Eddie had his hand relaxed on top of the steering wheel. “Last chance to change your mind.”

Her stomach chose that moment to grumble.

Eddie put his truck into gear. “The mighty actress has spoken.”

She buckled in and pressed her lips together to hide her smile. And remembered that she’d never put on her red lipstick.

She pulled down the visor, but there was no mirror.

At a stop sign, Eddie asked, “What’s wrong?”

She opened her clutch. “Looking for a mirror to put on my lipstick.” She drew out her phone, set it on selfie mode, and then applied her lipstick.

She pursed her lips together and caught Eddie’s lowered brows.

“Did I get some on my face or on my teeth?” She checked her phone again, but the red hue was only on her lips.

He shrugged and turned the truck toward the left. “Thought you looked fine before.”

Fine?“Is that your way of saying the lipstick looks bad?”

His focus remained on the road. “Never said that.”

“You didn’tnotsay that either. I don’t know you well enough yet to be able to read you.”

He grunted and then slowed down the truck.

Bianca glanced out the window. “The buildings are really tall, pressed up together here.”

Eddie laughed. “Says the girl who lives in LA.”

“Lived.” She adjusted her seat belt across her chest. “I don’t anymore.” She didn’t know where she wanted her new home to be. “I mean, this downtown looks different from the one I grew up in. The tallest building there was the church. Its steeple used to be taller than the courthouse until someone supposedly climbed it and sawed it off.”

Eddie tapped his thumb along the steering wheel. “I think that’s why I like Last Chance County so much.”

Bianca leaned her shoulders back and glanced at Eddie. “It reminds you of your hometown?”

Eddie wrinkled his nose. “No.”

“Where did you grow up?—”

“We’re almost there.” Eddie flipped down his sun visor.

---