“Thanks, my wife says the same.” He gives me a cocky look that I might call a smirk if his face moved more than an eighth of an inch as he did it.
I mime typing on a keyboard. “Coding? Programming? You ever used a computer before, or are wrenches the most advanced technology you’ve touched?”
“I’m a simple guy,” he says with a shrug.
“My god, you’re insufferable,” I bemoan.
This is who I’m trusting Van Gogh to?
“Good news!” Weston bursts in cheerfully, moving in between us once again. “She thinks the bed & breakfast might have something open, which is just off of Main Street near downtown, not five minutes away from his shop, where Van Gogh will be.”
Not that I’m paying him any attention, but out of the corner of my eye I see Wyatt mouth “Van Gogh?” to himself, like the name offends him. Maybe he’s more of a Monet fan.
I pop a brow at Weston. The man owes me nothing, yet he’s goingthisfar out of his way to help me? “You’re really earning this mac’n’cheese, aren’t you?”
He gives me a casual shrug in return. “What can I say? I’m a devoted father. Dedication costs nothing.”
Something in my chest pinches, and I plaster a smile onto my face.
His phone lights up in his hand and so does his face as he checks the message. “All right, you’re all set. She’s got the B&B waiting for you. I can take you there after the van is squared away. Unless you rethought the side of the road.”
He shoots me a wink as I shake my head, then looks back at his brother.
“All good, Wyatt?”
Wyatt gives him a single, wordless nod, and I stand by and watch as the two men get my baby loaded up onto the back of the tow truck and prepare to spend the first night apart since I got her, all those years ago, fresh out of my failed college experiment.
The grouchy mechanic was nice enough—if that’s what you wanna call it—to let me pack my necessities before hoisting herup, so my laptop, chargers, toiletries, and tomorrow’s outfit are now all I’ve got with me.
Not even my vibrator made the cut, and after all this tension, that might be a mistake. The universe is being cruel, knowing I could use a release with the stress today brought.
I’m used to living a minimalist lifestyle, but travelingthislight is new for me. I won’t be four steps away from my bed, my kitchen, my worktable, and a seat with two pedals that’ll take me anywhere I wanna go at any given time of the day for once.
Hopefully I’ve gotten everything I need to work from wherever I’ll be until Wyatt calls me with the news. We did at least agree that if nothing else, I’ll come to the shop late tomorrow to see Van Gogh and refresh my bag.
As someone who only has a handful of outfits total, I’m not exactly prepared to pack for a long time away from my roving home. I’m going to need to find somewhere to do laundry here shortly, I was planning a whole refresh and reset at the next campsite.
Wyatt’s reply to the plan was grumbled, but I’m going to pretend he said, “No problem, thanks for your business, ma’am, it’s a pleasure being able to check on your precious van for you. Welcome to Smoky Heights, and I hope you have sweet dreams.”
But as Weston drops me off at the adorable B&B and wishes me well ten minutes later, it’s another fantasy my mind is entertaining.
My eyes drag over the tee clinging to his firm chest, those corded arms, and the black and gray tattoo of something mechanical on the back of one of them.
I find myself wondering if being here for a couple of days is too long to allow myself to see him again? If that’s more time than the emotionless flings I prefer mandate, for my own wellbeing?
There’s a reason I only do one-night stands.
And I already feel like this man knows too much about me, like he sees deeper than I let others go, after an hour or two of nothing much more than joking around. Adding sex into that mix? Might only work if I’m on the road the next day.
Otherwise, I can already feel a tempting pull to let him further in. To get closer.
And I’ll never be doingthatagain.
All right,this town is cute, I’ll give it that much.
And no one else has been as much of a grumpy fucker as that tow truck driver either, and I’ve run into a surprising amount of people as I explored the quaint little downtown this morning.
I’m waiting for Sookie or maybe Luke himself to walk out of one of these buildings any minute now, this place isthatdamn charming.
