I inhale sharply.
Layla leans forward, her eyes glittering. “You’re not the one in charge here. It’s me. This is no longer a negotiation.”
“Don’t push it.”
“Oh, are you upset?” Layla reaches out and cups my cheek. “You sweet, naive oaf. You think everyone is as upright and sincere as you. That’s why you keep getting played.”
My heart slams against my ribs and I rip my face out of her hands. “As long as you leave town, we can work with you. It doesn’t have to be this ugly.”
Layla smirks, picks up her purse and looks down at me. “I know something important about Chance’s relationship and I can disclose it whenever I wish. That’s called ‘power’, Nat.” She slides her sunshades over her face. “I’m not leaving Lucky Falls anytime soon.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
RILEY
“Boss, you with us?” Jimmy waves a hand over my face.
“What?” I stare at the three mechanics giving me quizzical looks from their seats around the table.
“You were in the middle of talking and you just…” Carlos blows a raspberry. “Shut down.”
“The vehicle fumes must be getting to her,” Blade jokes.
“What vehicle fumes?” Carlos asks, shaking his head. “We’ve only got that one van here.”
I look at the book in my hands. It’s an autoshop manual that I had printed for today’s training. I clear my throat and try to remember where I left off.
My brain scrambles the words.
Flipping the book closed, I smile tightly. “Can anyone summarize what I’ve said so far?”
“We write the parts we need in the logbook, call the parts store and write the price in the logbook too,” Carlos recites.
“Easy as pie,” Jimmy says. “It’s the same thing we used to do. We’re just writing it all down now.”
“I really tried to make it simple and keep it as close to normal procedure as possible. If it’s hard to implement or if you feel like the process can be tweaked, feel free to tell me.”
“We got it, boss.” Jimmy salutes.
“In the spirit of keeping things simple, I got Rebel’s approval for our shop name.” I pause for dramatic effect. “It’s ‘Lucky Falls Auto’.”
Neither Blade nor Carlos look impressed.
“Yay!” Jimmy tries to fill in the silence with a half-hearted fist-pump.
“Thanks for the support, guys,” I grumble.
I set the mechanics loose on the church van again, while I mechanically return to my office. Once I’m there, I sink into my chair, lean my elbow on the desk and rub my forehead.
The image of Nat with Layla at the cafe is imprinted in the back of my eyelids. Layla is a truly beautiful woman, and she perfectly matches Nat’s level of rugged attractiveness. It’s no wonder that he ended up drawn to her again.
If he still had feelings for Layla, why didn’t he say so? Why did he give me the impression that he and his ex are done?
I brush away the thought.
It’s not like he owes me an explanation.
Jimmy knocks on the door and I turn to face him.
