Page 132 of Love on the Run

“He’s our friend,” Anna quickly said. “This is Dawson, Olivia’s husband. He lives here, and they’re letting me stay for a while until I find a place of my own.”

Beau stood and jerked his head toward the kitchen. “Let’s give them some privacy.”

Dawson offered a hand to Brittany. “It’s nice to meet you. Anna told us about you.”

“I’m sorry for showing up unannounced,” Brittany said.

“It’s okay. Any friend of Anna’s is welcome here,” Dawson assured.

When the men left the room, Brittany wiped at her face again. “I should return the money your mom gave me.”

“Actually, I have an idea. Your decisions are up to you, but I’d like to talk about some ways you can use that money.”

Chapter 44

Beau

Beau’s phone dinged in his pocket. After wiping his hands on a grease rag, he pulled it out to read the message.

Anna: I have good news!

To Anna, good news could mean anything from finding a new moisturizer that smelled like coconuts and sunscreen to winning a huge case at the law firm.

Beau typed out a question, trying to manage his expectations for whatever the good news might be.

Beau: What’s the good news?

Anna: We’ll be there in fifteen.

That meant she was leaving her house, and Brittany was probably with her. After Anna bought a house, she asked Brittany to move in, and the two had been inseparable.

Beau glanced down at his grease-smeared T-shirt and jeans. Shoot. He needed a shower. Anna knew his job was dirty, but cleaning up a little before she showed up was the only polite thing to do since he wouldn’t be able to keep his distance once she was within his reach.

Shouting toward the next garage bay, Beau headed for the back. “Tim! I’ll be back in ten!”

“Tell Anna hi!” Tim answered.

Breaking into a jog, he headed for his apartment in the back. He’d beat this timer dozens of times before when Anna gave him a warning, and ten minutes later, he was back in the garage without a single grease smear on him.

“Lookin’ sharp!” Gage said with a punch to Beau’s shoulder.

“Shut up. You’d shower too if your girlfriend wore fancy clothes. Hadley works on a ranch.”

Anna’s car pulled into the lot, and she and Brittany both hopped out as soon as the tires stopped rolling.

Having Brittany in Blackwater was the best thing for both women. Anna was happy to have a friend and roommate, and Brittany was almost unrecognizable from the sad girl who’d shown up in town four months ago.

Anna’s heels clapped against the concrete as she made her way to Beau. Her smile hit him like a line-drive to the chest as usual, and he opened his arms seconds before she barreled into him.

“I can’t believe it!” Anna squealed as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“It would be nice to know what you can’t believe,” Beau whispered against her temple before pressing a kiss to her soft skin.

Anna tilted her head up and pulled him down to kiss her. The connection was over before he knew it, leaving him wanting more.

“You tell him,” Anna said, looking back at Brittany.

Brittany pressed her glasses higher on her nose before clasping her hands at her chest. “The fall release was a hit when we posted it on the website today, and we already have fifty orders.”

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