Page 11 of All Wrong
Meg nodded. “I had to see what she could do.”
Perfectly understandable.
“And?” he prompted.
“She’s a beast,” Meg said, her eyes lighting up, her chest swelling with pride. “Pickup was phenomenal, but I got a death wobble at eighty, so we’ll need to make some adjustments.”
Eighty wasn’t achievable on the quiet streets of Pine Ridge proper, which meant she’d had to take the car up to the mile-long stretch of straightaway outside of town.
“Who narced?” Nick asked.
“Old lady Krimms,” Connor said gleefully, no longer attempting to hide his delight.
“Christ. She’s still alive?”
For years, the woman had been perching in front of her window with her binoculars, watching and waiting to see someone do anything that would warrant a complaint. She was a self-appointed one-woman neighborhood watch and general pain in the ass.
“The point is,” Meg said, waving her hand, “this isbusiness. It’s not like Dad’ll get mad because I went to help someone.”
Connor shook his head. “Dad doesn’t want you taking the wrecker out solo. Remember what happened last time? It took him and Uncle Jake a full day to get that car up the riverbank.”
Meghan scowled, looking so much like her mother. “I made a mistake, okay? It happens. Besides, I’m not going back there to ask permission,” she added, hooking a thumb over her shoulder toward the stockroom. “Are you?”
Connor shook his head, and Nick chuckled. He wouldn’t want to interrupt “inventory” either.
“How about I take the wrecker?” he suggested. He might as well since Nicki was otherwise occupied.
“Works for me. Can I ride shotgun?” she asked.
He looked at Connor. “How many passengers are we picking up?”
“Just one.”
Plenty of room. “All right then. Let’s go.”
Less than ten minutes later, Nick spotted the disabled vehicle off to the side of the road. His pulse quickened when he saw the familiar make and model. Quickened even more when he spotted the blonde driver leaning against the vehicle. Long legs in modest shorts. A white cotton top that showcased her golden hair and skin to perfection.
Nick put on his flashers and pulled over in front of the SUV. Meghan was out the door before he was.
“Hey, Corinne! Connor didn’t say it was you. Youokay?” his niece asked as he pulled out the cones and flares.
“Hey, Meg. Yeah, I’m fine. The car just decided it didn’t want to run anymore. Sorry to bother you on a Sunday.”
“No big deal. You’re lucky Uncle Nick came by when he did though. Otherwise, you might have had to wait a while.”
Nick rounded the corner, seeing the wry smile on Corinne’s face and the pretty pink flush of embarrassment staining her cheeks.
“Go on then. Say it.”
His lips curled up into a smirk as he went about the process of hooking up her car. “Say what?”
“That I should’ve paid attention to the Check Engine light.”
“How long has your light been on?” Meghan asked.
“A while,” Corinne admitted.
“Should’ve brought it in.”
