“No, but I’m telling you the thought of you and Rena is like oil and water. Salty and sweet. Or, wait. Salty and sweet works.”
“You have a point?”
Lou grimaced. “I had one somewhere. What I’m trying to say is she’s known for being kind, and you’re not. She loves romance. You don’t seem to have a romantic bone in your body.Butmaybe you do, because you left her a flower. And a note. And she’s acting all dreamy, according to Stella. You laid some decent foundation.”
“Ja.This I know.”
“Where are you going tonight?”
Axel sighed. “To dinner. After that, I don’t know.”
Lou blinked. “Ah, okay. What does Rena like to do?”
“She likes to read.”
“That’s true.” Lou grinned. “She has my fiancée hooked on some books. And, boy, have they made our nights at home special.” Lou and his fiancée acted like honeymooners, and they hadn’t even gotten married yet. Axel saw their gooey-eyed looks at each other and wondered if he would ever share that with Rena. Or if he’d be the only one looking so foolish.
He recalled everything he’d learned about her in the time he’d been coming in to Ray’s. “She seems to like television and staying home. I know she likes R&B music, slow songs, and animals. She’s a big animal lover.” He should totally tell her about the pregnant cat. “She’s not a bad cook, likes milk chocolate over dark, and loves painting her nails different colors. She loves her family and thinks friends are important. She’s always loyal and apparently very into romance.” And so fucking beautiful she made his heart stop.
“Jesus, you have it bad.” Lou shook his head. “We all know you’ve been moping over the woman forever. Valentine’s Day is coming up. Maybe you should ramp up your efforts into that.”
“My plan centers around that stupid holiday. But first I have to get through tonight. I wish I knew what her favorite foods are.” The things he’d jotted down from Del at the garage had been sparse. Roses and chocolates. Check. He needed more.
“Hold on.” Lou dialed a number on his phone and hit speaker.
Unfortunately, Del answered.
Axel cringed. He appreciated that Rena’s cousins had tried to put in a good word for him, but if it became known he had no game and needed their help to make Rena fall for him, he’d become a laughingstock and be forced to break bones in order to salvage his tattered rep.
He shook his head, but Lou held up a hand and mouthedRelax.“Yo, Del.”
“Lou, what—hold on.” She swore at Sam to pick up his stupid tools before she came back. “Sorry. What do you need?”
“I want to put twenty down on Heller by V-Day. I love the guy, but he’s pathetic when it comes to Rena and needs all the time he can get. Another five weeks should do it.”
Axel glared.
“Say, what’s Rena’s favorite food?” Lou asked her.
“I want to help you, I do. But I bet against him. As much as I’d love for the pair to work, he’s gonna blow it. I mean, it’s Heller.”
He barely contained a growl.
“You should do it for Rena,” Lou argued. “She likes him. Don’t you want her to be happy?”
“I do, which is why I’m going to introduce her to my doctor buddy next week. Heller is great and all, but he’s too wild. And honestly, I don’t think he could romance his way out of a kissing booth.”
“Real nice, Del.” Lou shook his head fiercely when Axel would have commented.
“Okay, gotta go. And don’t even think of hitting up my brother or dad about this. I’ll know,” she growled and hung up.
“What the fuck, Lou?”
“Heller, just trust me on this. And if you blow it, you cover my twenty.”
Axel didn’t like it, but when Lou got through to Liam and started getting information Axel could use, he figured he wouldn’t hold Lou’s comments against him. Much. Now Del, on the other hand…
* * *
