Erin was in the process of backing away from the conversation, remembering how Remy had not appreciatedher input with his daughter in the past. But before she was out of earshot, she discreetly whispered to him, “You can leave the car at my house, if you want.”
Just in case that bit of information helped.
It’s not like she was trying to lure him to her place to back him up against a wall and kiss the hell out of him. Although, if she had him alone for two minutes, she’d find a way.
Giving Remy privacy, Erin took the time to thank Trish for all her help coordinating the drive and then sent two volunteers to the tent behind Last Chance Vintage to store the day’s donations.
At the sound of a girlish squeal, Erin turned to see Sarah fling her arms around Remy’s neck and squeeze him. Clearly, she was happy with the outcome of the day.
“Thank you!” She practically danced from foot to foot. “I’ll text you every hour, okay? I promise I will be safe.” She kissed his cheek. “Thank you for letting me find friends.”
Erin could almost see Remy flinch at the last comment, but she didn’t understand their relationship well enough to know why. But she did know that Remy had the rest of the afternoon and evening free of commitments other than those calls he had to make.
A thrill tripped through her even as she told herself that didn’t necessarily mean he would spend it with her.
Sarah bolted from the store with a shouted goodbye, waving and texting.
Erin didn’t dare make eye contact with Remy for fear of spontaneously combusting. Now that she’d allowed herself to think in terms of the attraction and the chemistry that he felt, too, she could think of little else.
Following Sarah out the door, Erin headed to the parking lot behind the store and slid into the front seat ofher car. She only had to wait about five minutes before Remy came out with his equipment and loaded it into the trunk of his rental.
Her heart beat fast as she rolled down her window.
She was a grown-up. She could handle the fallout no matter what happened between them. They deserved some happiness—a brief window of time to forget about the past.
“The invitation is still open if you need a place to hang out before your flight.” She squinted up at him in the sunlight. His gray tie lifted in a sudden breeze.
His gaze damn near scorched her as his eyes wandered over her.
“I’ll follow you.”
Her heart did a little backflip and she allowed herself a smile.
“If you can keep up.” Winking, she put her car in Drive and headed home.
She wasn’t thinking past the next five minutes, let alone the next five hours. All she knew was that Remy Weldon wasn’t going home until she got her hands on him.
Chapter Ten
Keep up?
Remy would have floored the gas if he’d been leading the way to Erin’s house. He’d been willing to sacrifice what he wanted to make sure she didn’t get hurt in the fallout when he left town, but Erin had made her stance clear. She wanted to take the risk.
She wanted him.
He followed her old Thunderbird away from Heartache’s main street past peach orchards in full pink bloom. The car had a custom paint job in royal blue with metallic flecks, but underneath, the pimped-out ride was basically an antique. Erin had a way of rescuing worn-out things and giving them new appeal.
When she turned down the long driveway, he was right behind her. Thinking about her. As much as he’d wanted to be there for his daughter today, Sarah didn’t want to leave Heartache, and he was in danger of alienating her more if he refused to let her spend time with her friends before he took her back to Miami. There’d be plenty of time to figure out what was going on with her once they left Tennessee.
Until then, Sarah had her friends and Remy—unbelievably—had Erin. One night to pretend the past didn’t exist. One night where they wouldn’t worry about the future or the complications of being together. After all, he’d be on a flight home before dawn.
He was out of his car and opening her door for her before she’d even collected her belongings off the passenger seat.
“I kept checking the rearview mirror on the drive here,” she admitted as she took his hand and let him help her out.
He didn’t let go of her. Lacing their fingers together, he held tight to the only woman who had been more than just a blip on his male radar in the past two years. Erin Finley fascinated him.
“You didn’t seriously think you were going to lose me?” He climbed the front porch steps beside her, the mild breeze of a Tennessee spring stirring the scent of flowering trees and the barest hint of Erin’s amber fragrance.
