“He’s not coming in today. You’re up.”
I reached up to flick at one of the heart-shaped fake ruby earrings I’d put on that morning with the tip of my index finger. “But—”
Rip’s eyes strayed to the side of my face for a moment before focusing again. “Everything can wait. I’ll meet you by my truck.”
He was being serious about me going with him. “But…,” I mumbled, trailing off, because I wasn’t sure what other argument to give him for why I should stay.
Other than him taking his crap out on me the day before, there was no reason I shouldwantto stay and work. Who would say no to taking a few hours off? Me, apparently, and I wasn’t even sure I knew why I was totally fighting it other than just being a tiny bit resentful over how he’d been. Sure, I was going to forgive him and get over it, but I wasn’t a robot. I couldn’t just turn my feelings on and off. I needed at least ten minutes.
“I’ll deal with it if you fall behind. Let’s go,” he stated in that voice that was somewhere between patient and not.
He took another step back and then turned around to head toward the door, calling out over his shoulder, “You can eat that in my truck. Let’s go.”
Eat—
He was really being serious. He wanted me to go with him.
The door shut just as I stood there and glanced at the bag in my hand.
I sighed again.
It didn’t take me long at all to walk back to my room, strip out of my protective suit and grab my purse. I doubted I’d need it, but I’d watched an episode of a show once of someone who was in a wreck, died and couldn’t be identified, so now I didn’t like not having my ID with me at all times. That and my paint-specked leggings didn’t have pockets to put my cell phone in. Then I headed out of the room and made my way toward the parking lot, kicking the door to the shop closed behind me.
Rip was already waiting inside his truck, chin high while he relaxed against the headrest. His lips were moving just enough so that I knew he was either talking to himself… or lip-synching along to whatever was playing on the radio.
Some part of me knew he was singing along.
I wasn’t going to think it was adorable. Nope. Not when he’d been so strange and on edge the last few days. Not when he’d been unfair over something that hadn’t been all my fault. It wasn’t going to happen.
…but it was happening.
I managed to keep the smile on my face, one hand holding my purse, the other holding my donut, and watched as Rip’s head turned to look at me as I walked toward his truck. Before I was there, he reached over and opened it for me from the inside, pushing the door open. I climbed in, careful not to scratch the leather or do anything else that would screw up the completely restored interior.
“I tried to go as fast as I could,” I told him as I set my purse on the floor and reached for the seat belt.
He put the truck into drive. “I’ve only been out here a minute.”
I shot him a look out of the corner of my eye as I closed the door and finally set the small white bag on my lap, wondering once again why he wanted me to go with him.
And where was Mr. Cooper?
I waited until he’d pulled the truck through the gate that was connected to the fence that went the entire way around the building before I asked, “Do you mind if I make a quick call?”
The only answer I got was a shake of his head.
I bent over and pulled my phone out of my purse, going straight to my favorites and looking for one of the only two men’s names I had saved under my favorites.
The line only rang twice before a familiar voice picked up. “Little moon,” Mr. Cooper answered, sounding totally normal, totally fine.
“Hey, Mister C,” I replied.
“I meant to call you last night. Miguel texted me over happened with Rip”—I shifted my eyes to the side to make sure that someone wasn’t listening. If he was, his face didn’t register any signs that he’d overhead Mr. Cooper talking about him—“but Lydia came home and it slipped my mind.”
“It’s okay,” I said before he could keep going. “Everything is all right.”
The sigh he let out told me he didn’t agree with me, and that warmed my heart.
“I was calling to tell you that I’m going with Rip to the auction today.”
