I scoff and look over my shoulder. Eve is sitting on the couch, scrolling on her phone and happily munching on potato chips, but I know she’s listening to every word of our conversation. “Don’t push your luck.”
“Don’t worry, Bambi,” he says, and I can tell he has a huge smile on his face. “Luck has nothing to do with it. I always play for keeps.”
I roll my eyes so hard I hope he can hear it through the phone. “Why did you call?”
Knox clears his throat, and I hear rustling in thebackground like he’s sorting through papers. “Your truck is officially ready.”
“Really?” I ask, excitedly. I am so ready to have my truck back. Most of the things I need are within walking distance, but I am in dire need of hair dye, and the closest place is a half hour away. Not to mention, I can start picking up more furniture to flip. I am holding off on reaching out to anyone because I did not want to ask Knox for help. Although he always found a way to help me anyway.
“Yup,” Knox answers, smacking his lips together. “I can drop it off if you want. I’ll just need a ride back to the shop.”
“No,” I say a little too quickly. After our kiss and the karaoke serenade, I was trying to avoid being in small, enclosed spaces with Knox. My mind knows touching him is a recipe for disaster, but that hasn’t been properly communicated to the rest of my body. “Eve can take me.”
Taking Eve straight into the belly of the beast is probably a terrible idea, but if I still feel the same way about Knox, then why do I care if my sister lays into him? Yet, the bastard is right. He has slowly defrosted the part of my soul that used to loathe him.
“Are you sure? It’s really not that big of a deal. I can?—"
“We’ll be there in ten,” I say, cutting him off. “Goodbye.”
I don’t give him the chance to argue anymore before ending the call and turning to my eager sister. I swallow the bile building in my throat and step forward. Now is the perfect time to tell my sister about mynewrelationship, right?
“Eve, please don’t kill me, but I have something to tell you.”
“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Eve says, aggressively putting her car into park.
I stare up at the tattered “Sal’s Auto” sign and let out a muffled breath. Eve had a lot of questions. So many that I found myself pulling lies out of midair. Lies that I didn’t necessarily feel guilty about because I was starting to believe them.
Knox wasn’t the same immature idiot that I fell for the first time. He was thoughtful and kind. Soft when he needed to be and even serious, which was a word I didn’t think was in his vocabulary. I thought I would struggle to be civil with him, but he made it so damn easy, and that frustrated the hell out of me.
What was even more irritating was that I found myself mindlessly attracted to the man. It’s like my brain turned itself off when he batted those long eyelashes that were wasted on the male species.
“I’m sorry, Eve,” I say, bowing my head. “I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me for falling out of one man’s trap straight into another.”
“Okay, hold up,” she replies, unbuckling her seat belt and turning toward me. “I’m not disappointed, Ree. You’re a grown ass woman and you’re free to date whoever you want. I’m going to pull out my big sister protector card again to say that I’m just concerned that you’re jumping into this too quickly after Patrick. Not to mention, if that asshole breaks your heart again, you have nothing to run back to. You gave up a lot to make this dream a reality, and adding a man into the mix will complicate things.”
I nod slowly, taking in every word. I want to tell her that she’s wrong and Knox is actually helping me with my business, but I don’t want to give her any more ammo. Plus, these warnings will be null and void at the end of summer once Knox gets his loan and we can go back to ignoring each other.
A sour feeling ruminates in my stomach, and suddenly, the idea of ignoring Knox doesn’t sound all that great.
“I know,” I say, popping open the car door, “and Iappreciate your concern, but I know what I’m doing, Eve. I’m not a dramatic teenager anymore. We’ve only been seeing each other for a few weeks. It’s not that serious.”
Eve purses her lips and strains her eyes. I know she doesn’t believe me, and she doesn’t have to. Once this horse and pony show is over, I’ll tell her the truth.
“Well, I’m coming in with you,” Eve mumbles, pushing open her door. “I’ve got to meet the guy that has my sister in a chokehold.”
The chime of the bell reminds me of the last time I was here and how much has changed in such a short amount of time. My feet guide me through the same door where the sharp clanking of metal echoes on the other side.
I find Knox crouched over the hood of someone’s car. His electric-blue stare is intense, and there’s a small pencil perched on his ear. He’s not wearing his hat today, so the dirty blonde curls are loose and stick out in every direction. And then there’s his outfit.
Baggy coveralls are snugly wrapped around his waist, and he’s wearing a skintight white tank top that looks painted on. His face is freshly shaven, and his jaw looks sharper today. Even though I like the five o’clock shadow look, this also works for me.
Who am I kidding? It all works for me.
I clench my hands tightly against my sides and try to ignore the pulsating warmth occurring between my hips. I bite the inside of my cheek and remind myself that fake relationships only work if you don’t fantasize about your partner bending you over the hood of their car.
Eve grabs my arm and pulls me back before we get any further into the shop. “I get it.”
“What?” I ask, wrinkling my forehead.
