Page 15 of Forever Endeavor

She shook her head. “A few first dates, nothing serious.”

“Ah, but you’re still putting yourself out there so maybe there’s still a glimmer of hope left in you yet. Not every love story gets a happy ending, Billie, but it doesn’t mean we quit trying to find one that does.”

“What about you? Anyone since Meg?”

“It’s not the same thing. You’re still young and I’m—”

“…sixty-six, not ninety-six! There’s still plenty of time to meet someone new. You shouldn’t have to live the rest of your life alone.”

“Careful there, Sunshine, your optimism is showing.” He pushed his plate aside and brought his beer closer. “Call me a hopeless romantic, but I’m holding out for something special. If it’s meant for me, I’ll find it…or rather, it’ll find me. Love has saved me more than once.”

It was melodramatic, even a touch sappy, but Billie had to admit her interest was piqued. “Saved is a strong word, Cal. Are you sure that’s what you want to go with?”

“Saved is definitely the right word. Especially when it keeps you from putting the business end of a revolver in your mouth.”

“Wh-what?”

“At one time in my life, long before I met Meg, I was down so far I thought I was better off dead. And that’s when love saved me.”

Her heart quickened. “How? Come on, you can’t leave me hanging.”

Cal laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back in his chair. “Tell you what. Come out on the boat with me at the crack of dawn and I’ll tell you the rest of the story.”

“Tomorrow? All right, I’m hooked. What time do I need to be up?”

“Four-thirty,” he answered.

“Four-thirty…in themorning?” she coughed. “Seriously?”

“If you want to hear the rest of my story, but if not—”

“Okay, okay, I’ll be up. But you better have some mighty strong coffee on board your ship, captain, and plenty of it.”

Sonny

Bob Seger howled about workin’ on his night moves while Sonny spent the afternoon workin’ under the hood of a patrol car. Replacing a blown head gasket for Janus Lake’s deputy sheriff had to take priority over fixing Billie’s coupe. That didn’t mean that between compression tests and checking for cylinder leaks, Sonny’s mind wasn’t stuck on a non-stop loop of her greatest hits. The way her cinnamon hair fell in soft, shiny waves. The jade eyes that pulled him right in and under. Her soft, round curves in all the right places, including that fine, firm ass now seared into his brain and capable of wrecking a good night’s sleep. Just the thought of her sleeping across the hall from his room kept him tossing and turning. She’d stirred up unexpected things. Sexual things.

Maybe she’d felt a pull too. After all, she did get awfully handsy and twice dropped mention of being divorced. Might be looking to blow off steam, and that would make for some easy picking. Then again, who was he to call Billie low-hanging fruit? Hell, it had been ages since anyone showed interest in plucking his plums.

Still, there was no point in acting on any urges. It’d been a hoot sparring with her, the most fun he’d had with a woman in recent memory, but as soon as he had her car back in working order, the only trace left of Billie would be tire marks skidding straight out of town. On the other hand, her guaranteed exit in a matter of days could be the perfect setup for a satisfying, guilt-free roll in the hay. No strings. No relationship. No—

“Hey, Sonny?”

THUNK!Fuck!Sonny rubbed the top of his noggin, freshly flattened from hitting the underside of the hood.

“Oh crap, sorry, boss man…you okay?” Gurdeep asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sonny said, still smarting. “Got lost in thought and forgot where I was. What’s up?”

“I finished the tune up and the oil change on the Impala. Just wondered if you want me to tackle the power train on the sports coupe next. Looks like it’ll be a fun challenge.”

“Uh, it’s okay, I’ve got that one under control. Parts are on back order.”

Gurdeep crossed his arms over his coveralls as he leaned on the grill of the patrol car. “From what I hear, the car’s owner is a sporty little model too.”

“How do you know?”

“I saw the name Billie on the service order and Gary told me you were out with a girl named Billie at The Pell last night. There’s no way that’s a coincidence.”

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