Page 26 of Finding You

She groaned at the last option because it was just so typical of Devin.

And how crazy was it that she knew what was typical of him after knowing him for less than a week?

They rode together to his shop and while she got set up at the front desk and checked in customers, Devin went about his business and started working on her car.

Now it was lunchtime and she wanted to scream. Would it have killed him to just say…something?! It didn’t even have to be major, just something like “Hey, I guess we got carried away last night” or maybe “I’m sorry about that kiss. It won’t happen again.” But then…pretty much anything he said was going to rub her the wrong way. She didn’t want him to apologize or regret it, but a little compliment about how hot it was wouldn’t hurt.

Looking up, she saw two women heading through the door. They were both blondes and clearly looked like they were on a mission. Maybe their car broke down and they were here for an emergency tow? Or maybe…she cut off her train of thought because suddenly they were right there in front of her. Smiling brightly, MacKenzie welcomed them. “Hey! Good afternoon! How can we help you today?”

The two women looked at each other and grinned before looking back at MacKenzie. “Um…hi,” the shorter of the two began. “Are you MacKenzie?”

Eyeing them warily, she nodded.

“Okay, good!” the taller blonde chimed in. “I’m Ashlynn Donovan and this is Avery Hudson and we’d like to invite you to lunch!”

“I was handling this, Ash,” Avery said. “You don’t need to be the one in the spotlight, issuing all the invitations.” She rolled her eyes before looking over at MacKenzie. “Yes. We would love to invite you to lunch. We’re not too late, are we? Have you eaten yet? We meant to get here earlier, but…”

“But I was finishing up a color job on Mrs. Banyon, and she wasverychatty today.”

“Um…” MacKenzie began.

“If you have, we’ll just tell Devin you’re taking an extended break. He won’t have a problem with it,” Ashlynn stated firmly–as if she knew Devin well enough to know he’d be okay with the whole thing. “We’re just going to go over to Sweetbriar Cafe. You’ve been there, right? They have a little bit of everything you could want for lunch on the menu. So what do you say?”

“Um…”

“Ladies,” Devin said with a grin as he stuck his head into the waiting area. “You’re not scaring MacKenzie, are you?”

Both women shook their head, looking as innocent as nuns in church. “Who, us?” Avery asked sweetly.

“We were just here to invite her to lunch,” Ashlynn said. “We wanted to welcome MacKenzie to Sweetbriar Ridge and…”

Devin chuckled. “I swear you do a better job of welcoming people to town than the local Welcome Wagon.”

Ashlynn frowned at him. “Leave old Gladys alone. She’s 93 for crying out loud,” she protested. “And besides, this is simply about being friendly. MacKenzie’s stuck here with all you guys and smelly, dirty cars. We just thought she’d like to take a break and have a civilized lunch with the girls.”

Devin didn’t look completely convinced. He turned toward MacKenzie. “If you’re okay with it, go on. We can cover the phones and the desk while you’re gone.”

Not sure if his being agreeable was a blessing or a curse, she shrugged and reached under the desk for her purse. Besides, the girls looked nice enough–although she had a sneaky suspicion this lunch invitation wasn’t purely for her own benefit. Judging from the town’s reaction to her the last few days, MacKenzie was pretty sure Avery and Ashlynn were simply looking to get the dirt on her and Devin’s relationship.

Something that was completely confirmed the second the door to the shop closed behind them.

“So…you and Devin, huh?”

“Is it true you just met him when your car broke down?”

“And you’re staying with him? Ooo…nice!”

“And working with him too? That is so sweet!”

“But you like him, right? Like really, really like him?”

“Devin is one of the best guys I know. Believe me. Many women have had their eyes on him for a long time, but he hasn’t seemed interested.”

“Have you kissed him yet? I bet he’s a great kisser.”

They hadn’t even made it out of the parking lot when MacKenzie stopped in her tracks. “Okay,” she began diplomatically. Honestly, they weren’t being catty or snarky. They were genuinely excited about the prospect of MacKenzie and Devin being an item. But… “Those are a lot of questions in such a short amount of time,” she went on. “Could we maybe pull back a bit and just…I don’t know…get to know one another before you start the inquisition?”

Both women stopped and looked at her–all wide eyes and serious expressions.

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