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Chapter One
Wednesday Afternoon
“Twenty-five hundred dollars?” Bella’s lips whispered over the words. Her throat closed and nausea rolled through her belly. If she said anything, her small breakfast of toast and coffee would be all over the garage floor. Given the oil and gasoline stains, they may not even notice.
She supposed it could be the fumes making her lightheaded. She wasn’t used to such strong, bitter smells.
“Close,” he said, looking down at his clipboard. “Twenty-five hundred, sixty-seven dollars …” He looked up again, giving a benign smile. “And thirty-nine cents.”
Bella met his gaze. Travis Montgomery. He was gorgeous as ever. His midnight eyes held no hint of emotion, but sarcasm dripped from his lips.
Tattoos traveled his arms and disappeared under his shirt, drifting up the sides of his neck. Black hair brushed his collar and was so dark that in the right light, one would swear it shown blue. He was tall, lean-hipped, and she’d wondered for years what his rough mechanic’s hands would feel like on her skin.
She’d had a secret crush on him since she was in high school. Whenever she’d see him around their small town, or out on the lake she was always aware of him. But they were from two different worlds and he wasn't what her family had planned for her.
“I …” She stared at him, unblinking. “I don’t have that kind of money anymore,” she said, squaring her shoulders.Thanks again, Artie, she thought. Humility was her new best friend, but in front of Travis? The guy she’d snubbed more than once years ago. She had to admit it was a new level of embarrassment she wasn’t exactly comfortable with.
Heat bloomed in her cheeks, but she was stubborn and wouldn’t look away. She wanted to get out of there, run as far as she could, but there was nowhere to go, no place for her to hide. And thanks to the transmission in her car, no way for her to get anywhere. She swallowed past the queasiness.
“That’s as low as I can go, Bella.” But as he said the words, his gaze slid down the front of her body to settle at the V between her thighs.
Bella sighed, but didn’t take offense at his blatant suggestion. Once upon a time … Except, she didn’t, hadn’t.
“That low or going lower or raising the number doesn’t matter. Not even the sixty-seven. At least for a couple weeks.” She was proud of the fact that her voice didn’t shake. “It’s possible you could find thirty-nine cents in the seats.” He was sexier than a man ought to be, but she wouldn’t let that distract her. “Can you hold the car for a little while? Maybe until the end of the week?”
“It doesn’t have to be cash. I take all major credit cards.”
“Really?” She didn’t roll her eyes, but the sarcasm in her tone couldn’t be mistaken and matched his from earlier. “Travis …” This wasn’t the first time she’d come up against this argument. “I don’t use credit cards anymore.”
“And I don’t hold cars for anyone. As you can see, the lot is pretty small,” he observed, looking over her shoulder out the bay door. “I don’t want legit customers thinking I can’t take care of them because there’s a fancy piece sittin’ out front.”
She ignored his emphasis on the word “piece” and fought the strong, sudden urge to kick him. Instead, she turned her head and followed his line of sight.
The front of the garage had a small parking area, but Bella also knew there was room out back. “It’s a Cadillac. People drive them all the time. Please, Travis. The end of the week. That’s all. I get paid on Friday.”
Pleasehad become the most-used word in her vocabulary lately. She’d always used it, along with thank you, excuse me, yes ma’am and no sir, but they had all taken on whole new meanings since she was no longer an heiress living in a mansion.
Their gazes locked again, and he didn’t seem moved by her plea.
“It was all I could do to get it here this morning. It kept dying anytime I got it over forty. I don’t have any way to get it back to the lake or anywhere else to keep it.”
He heaved a sigh. “Until Friday at closing. Not a day later.”
Relief swamped her, and she smiled. “Friday. Yes. Thank you, Travis. Thank you.” It was a small battle, but she’d won. “I have to get to the flower shop now, but I’ll be in touch Friday when I get off work.” She spun on her heel, heart thumping wildly in her chest at the victory. Of course, her mind whirled with the fact that it would take longer than two days to get the money, but one step at a time.
“Do you need a ride?”
His voice stopped her forward progress. She was thankful that she didn’t stumble over herself.
Lust flooded her body, but Bella masked her reaction before facing him again. Oh yes, she’d love a ride. A long, hard, naked ride. On him. He hadn’t moved closer, but heat flared between them. Maybe he wasn’t as indifferent as he’d have her believe. “No. I walked here. I can walk back. I don’t want to owe you more than I already do.”
Travis shrugged. “Suit yourself. Have a good day.”
She nodded. She didn’t believe his uncaring, all-business tone for a second. The spark she’d felt was real, but if he could pretend it didn’t exist, she could too.
Stepping outside the dim interior of the garage, the bright sun blinded her. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes and by the time she reached Main Street, she was able to see without squinting.
A sense of home and belonging filled her. She couldn’t remember loving this little town when she was a kid. What she could remember was not being able to get out fast enough. Even though she and her friends ran around unchecked, none of them ever planned to stay or return.
