by Alison Bliss
The young worker shook his head and waved his hand in the air. “That was just him helping out a buddy. Besides, I’m pretty sure he just wanted to get a look under the hood. It’s a sweet-ass ride.” She grinned with pride, but he must’ve thought it was the curse word that gave her that reaction because he followed up with, “Oh, sorry. Pardon my French.”
Sidney giggled. “I’ve heard the word ass before. Even used it a few times myself,” she said with a wink. “And you’re absolutely right. It is a sweet-ass ride.”
The worker laughed and nodded in agreement. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do for you, miss?”
“No, I’ll just…wait around until I can have a word with Brett.” He couldn’t possibly ignore her—or wash his hands—forever.
“All right. But you better do it soon. He’s about to leave. Has some appointment later to look at a used car lot that went up for sale recently.”
Her head snapped up. “What in the world would Brett want with a used car lot?”
“He’s hoping to buy it and turn it into his new auto repair business.”
Her eyes widened. “Brett’s opening his own garage? Oh my God. That’s wonderful news!” He had told her about that particular dream of his a long time ago, but she hadn’t known he was actively trying to fulfill it. Good for him.
The worker nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, he’s working on it. But he’s still not sure he’ll qualify for the loan yet. I think he’s hesitating to fill out the forms.”
She gazed across the room and spotted Brett drying his hands off. “Really? Well, that’s…uh, interesting. I might be able to help him with that.”
When Brett finally glanced up, she motioned for him to come back over. But he shook his head. So Sidney did what she had to. She rounded the counter and headed into the garage, straight toward Brett.
One of his brows rose in question. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“Not here, you’re not. You can’t be back here. Didn’t you read the signs?” He pointed to the closest one on the wall nearby. “It says no customers allowed in the work area.”
She grinned smugly. “Good thing I’m not a customer then.”
He tilted his head in confusion. “Huh? How do you figure?”
“Customers pay for your service, right? But you wouldn’t let me pay you. So that means I’m not one of your customers.” That was her story, and she was sticking to it.
He gave her a yeah, right look and pointed to a different sign. “Well, this one says ’Employees Only,’ and the last I knew, you don’t work here.”
She shrugged. “Apparently, neither do you. At least not today. Why didn’t you tell me it was your day off?”
“Because it didn’t matter.” He glanced around the garage. “Who the hell told you it was my day off anyway?”
She ignored his question. “It does matter when you’re working on my car and not getting paid for it.”
Brett waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not a big deal. Let it go already,” he said, walking past her toward a rear exit.
Sidney followed him outside. “Fine. If you won’t let me pay you for your time, then let’s at least make a trade. You did something for me, now it’s my turn to do something for you.”
His feet stalled beneath him, and he turned around slowly to face her. His heated eyes resembled the blue flame on a welding torch, and they zeroed in directly on her. “Sidney, if you’re even close to insinuating that you’d sleep with me in exchange for fixing your car, you’re seriously going to piss me off.”
Wait, what? She blinked at him in confusion, not understanding where the hell he’d gotten that cockamamie idea from. “Oh dear Lord, of course not. That’s not at all what I was getting at.” But she couldn’t help giggling. If he thought having sex with him would be doing him a favor, he was seriously underestimating his skills in the bedroom.
Her reaction only annoyed him more. “What’s so funny?”
“Uh, nothing.” She bit her lip to contain the laughter bubbling in her throat. “I just meant that I wanted to help you get that loan you’re going to apply for so you can buy that used car lot and open your garage.”
His eyes widened. “Jesus. How do you know all of that? Just who the hell have you been talking to? My sister? No, I bet it was that stupid husband of hers. He can’t keep a secret to save his own life.”
Sidney chuckled. “Actually, I heard it inside while I was talking to one of the workers at the counter. I didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret.”
“It had to be Kyle.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know his name. Young guy with a big smile. Super friendly. Piercings in both ears.”
“Yep, that’s him. He’s a good kid and all, but he spreads gossip faster than a teenager.”
“Well, I’m glad he told me. I think it’s great that you’re finally going after your dream of opening your own garage. You’ve wanted that for so long. I just wish you had told me the good news yourself last night.”
He shook his head. “There’s nothing to tell. I’m not even sure if I’ll get the loan, and I still have to check out the property to see if it’s worth the asking price.”
Did she dare ask? “Uh, so which bank are you planning to use?”
His eyes met hers. “Not yours, if that’s what you’re thinking. I didn’t want to put you in a weird position since we have a past.”
“I appreciate that, but it wouldn’t have been a problem. I take my job as a lending officer seriously, and the loan process would’ve been the same for you as any other client.”
He nodded in agreement. “I figured as much. But I think I’ll go ahead and stick with the other bank I chose. I wouldn’t want to get approved for a loan through you and anyone in town to question your integrity just because we used to be a couple. I think it’s better this way.”
“That’s fine. But at least let me help you out by giving you some tips on how best to get approved for a loan. If you want, I can even look over your finances and credit score to make sure everything is in order and walk you through the documents you’ll need to fill out. Being prepared could really help your chances of getting that approval.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Of course not. You did me a favor, and I’d like to repay it. Do you have mobile banking on your phone so that we can bring up your statements online?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Well, if you have some time right now, maybe we could grab a bite to eat and go over your records.” She motioned to his favorite fast-food eatery—a little locally owned hot dog stand across the street from the shop. “I know how much you love that place. Why don’t we just go there?”
“You want me to go to lunch…with you?”
Heat crept up her neck. “Um, yeah. I mean…as friends only, of course.”
He seemed to hesitate with an answer, which only made her feel even more self-conscious about her curvier figure. Was he afraid people would see them and assume they’d gotten back together? And if so, why did she even care? It wasn’t like it was any of their business anyway.
Finally, he gave a nod of approval. “All right. Let’s do it then.”
Jeez. Took him long enough.
Chapter Four
Brett had found a small table off to the side where they could have some privacy during lunch as they went over his finances and discussed his credit report. It was bad enough that Kyle was spreading his business around town. He didn’t need the two of them doing it inadvertently as well.
They started off making polite small talk as they looked over the documents on his phone, but it wasn’t long before they were sharing a few laughs and reminiscing about old times. And that only had him missing Sidney more than ever.
He’d been reluctant to accept her offer, knowing every minute he spent with her was only messing with his head and giving him false hope of renewing their relationship. But the temptation of spendi
ng more time with her was just too much to resist.
Sidney had always oozed warmth and goodness, and he missed having her in his life. Even though she was very clear about their “friends only” status and showed no interest in anything other than repaying a favor, he’d take what he could get. Because he’d rather have her in his life as a friend than nothing at all. And if she could help him get that loan for the garage, then that was just an added bonus.
Caught up in their conversation, neither of them seemed to notice that they had a visitor approaching until the man was practically on top of her and already leaning in for a hug. “Hey, Sidney. How are you?”
Her mouth fell open, but she managed to snap it shut in time to hug him back. “Oh, um…hey, Charles.”
Brett didn’t miss her uneasy tone or the way she cut her eyes over to him, as if she was worried about what he would say after seeing another man hug her. But she was a free agent, and it wasn’t up to him. She could damn well hug whomever the hell she wanted, and there was nothing he could do about it. Sure, he didn’t like it, but that didn’t mean he had to vocalize his feelings.
Besides, Charles wasn’t at all Sidney’s type. He looked like a golf nerd in his pink polo shirt and khaki shorts, as if he was some kind of country club caddy or maybe a frat boy. He was tall, dark, and probably good-looking by most women’s standards, and he had a perfect set of brilliant white teeth. But he didn’t at all have that rough edge and intensity that he knew Sidney loved so much.
Sidney glanced at Brett and then back to her friend. “Uh, so what are you doing here?”
Charles shrugged lazily. “Someone said this place sells the best hot dogs in town so I thought I’d come try them out. But I didn’t know you were here. I was sorry we had to postpone dinner last night because of a flat tire, but I’m looking forward to our date tonight.”
Wait, what? Brett’s head snapped in Sidney’s direction, and she immediately cringed. Even though she tried to smile a little, the guilty look on her face told Brett everything he needed to know. She’d had a date last night. Damn.
He guessed this explained what she had been doing out there all alone and why she had dressed up. He hadn’t even thought to ask her since he figured that she would’ve told him if she wanted him to know. Apparently, she hadn’t.
“Um, yeah. Me too,” Sidney said quietly.
“I didn’t even see your car out front,” Charles told her.
She nodded. “That’s because it’s not. It’s still parked at the garage across the street.”
Charles shaded his eyes like a pansy and gazed across the road. “Sounds like you need a new mechanic. How hard can it be to change a flat tire?”
Irritation swept through Brett, and he ground his teeth together to keep from saying anything.
Sidney’s face paled instantly, and she sat a little straighter. “Uh, actually, the car is fixed already. I just need to go pick it up when I’m done.”
Charles nodded. “Well, that’s good. Hopefully they don’t charge you an arm and a leg. Mechanics are crooked like that, you know?”
Brett blew out a breath and counted to ten in his head. Charles was lucky that Brett was seeing a therapist who had given him tools to control himself in this kind of situation. Otherwise, Brett would’ve already ripped off this guy’s arm and leg and beat him with them. The dickhead.
The three of them sat in uncomfortable silence before Sidney finally said, “Well, I guess it’s time for me to get going. I’ve got some errands to run before I head home.”
Charles smiled. “Same here. Hopefully you won’t have any more problems with that tire. Of course, that all depends on whether the mechanic knew what the hell he was doing when he fixed it.”
Brett rose from his chair, and Sidney stiffened instantly, clearly worried about what he planned to do. Charles was completely oblivious though and didn’t even seem to notice the thick tension hovering in the air around them.
Of course Brett didn’t like knowing that the woman he loved was dating again. Who the hell would? But he was sickened to no end as he watched her stiffen, all because she wasn’t sure how he would react to the news. He’d done that to her, damn it.
In the past, he’d always gone off the deep end. God, he was such an idiot. No wonder the woman left him. At least now he had finally learned to recognize his insecurities for what they were and had learned to control himself. In fact, he was more confident in his behavior than ever, and he was extremely proud of the progress he’d made over the past year. He only wished he’d made these changes sooner. Maybe then he wouldn’t have lost her.
Especially to this guy, of all people. Christ.
But Brett didn’t want to draw this out any longer than he had to. So he sucked in a slow, deep breath and steadied himself as he offered his hand to the other man. “It was nice meeting you, Charles. I’m Brett, one of Sidney’s friends.”
The guy shook his hand. “Great to meet you too, Brett. Sidney’s one heck of a woman, isn’t she?”
Brett glanced over at Sidney, who was sitting there with wide eyes and an open mouth. “That she is,” he said, smiling at her. “Thanks for all your help today, Sid. You two have fun on your date tonight.”
Then he did something that surprised even him. He turned and headed back to the garage to get his truck, leaving the woman he loved alone with another man.
* * *
After dinner at the Gypsy Cantina, Sidney slid into the passenger seat of Charles’s car and stared out the window. She’d been quiet most of the night and was certain that she’d been terrible company as far as first dates went. But she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about Brett.
Actually, she didn’t know what to think. There was no mistaking the shocked look in his eyes when Charles announced that he and Sidney had a date. Brett’s head had swiveled in her direction so fast that she was surprised it hadn’t fallen off his shoulders. She hadn’t really planned on mentioning the date to Brett, but once it was brought up, it wasn’t like she could keep it from him.
Thanks a lot, Charles.
Unsure of how Brett would react, Sidney nearly panicked when he suddenly rose to his feet and faced the other man head-on. Her breath had stalled in her lungs, and her nerves had fired a warning shot to each of her limbs in case she needed to react quickly. Even though Brett had told her that he was in therapy and has changed his ways, she’d seen him in action too many times in the past to expect anything but the worst.
But then he’d surprised her.
Maybe it’s true. Maybe he really has changed, after all.
After saying good-bye to Charles at the hot dog stand earlier in the day, she’d headed directly for the shop to talk to Brett. She didn’t know why she felt the need to explain herself, but she did. Too bad she didn’t get the chance. By the time she arrived, Brett had already left.
She’d worried that might happen, damn it. Now she couldn’t stop wondering what it had all meant. Had he been upset about her date? Or did he not care at all? Maybe that was it. Maybe he was completely over her and didn’t give a damn who she went out with. After all, he had told her to have a good time on her date tonight. God. Had he really meant that? She just didn’t know.
“It’s starting to rain,” Charles told her, turning on his wipers to clear the splatters of rain drops from his windshield. “I don’t think it’s supposed to get bad until later tonight though.”
“That’s good,” Sidney replied absently.
“You okay? You’re not sick or anything, are you?”
She badly wanted to fake some stomach pains and ask him to take her home, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “I’m fine. I think the weather is just making me a little tired.” She crossed her mental fingers, hoping he would take that as a hint.
No such luck.
Charles winked at her. “Don’t worry. I have something that is going to wake you right up. I hope you’re thirsty,” he said, pulling into a parking lot.
Sidney glanced t
hrough the windshield and gazed up at the Bottoms Up sign on the front of the bar, and her stomach twisted. As Charles pulled into an empty slot, she quickly scanned the surrounding vehicles until her eyes landed on a red pickup a few rows over. Damn it. Not only did Brett’s best friend and sister own this bar, but his truck was in the parking lot. The last thing she wanted to do was make anyone uncomfortable…including herself.
She wiped at her brow. “Um, I don’t know about this.”
“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. We can grab a few drinks and cause a bit of a ruckus.”
Exactly what I’m afraid of.
While Brett had been nice to Charles during lunch, she didn’t want to push her luck. One incident of Brett controlling himself was hardly what she considered proof that he had changed his ways. He might’ve just been on his best behavior earlier. Who knew? But if he was inside drinking, that might make things a little more tense. Alcohol always had a way of complicating things.
Still, it was a small town, and they wouldn’t be able to avoid each other forever. The lug nut incident proved that already. They would both eventually have to get used to seeing each other around, even if they were with someone else…
Oh, dear God. She hadn’t even considered that before since she’d been so busy avoiding him. But now that she had, the thought of Brett with another woman made her chest ache. She peered up at the bar again and bit her lip, wondering if he was inside with a date at that very moment.
Unfortunately, there was only one way to find out.
She sighed. “All right, let’s do it.”
Chapter Five
Brett hadn’t planned to stay long.
He’d stopped by the bar only long enough to tell Logan and Valerie all about the used car lot that he’d checked out earlier in the day. Beyond needing a new paint job and a little fixing up, Brett couldn’t dream of a better place to open his garage. And that alone had him dying to rush home and fill out the loan application. But his sister and her husband insisted that he hang out and tell them more about it. So he had.