If he’s defending her, then maybe his judgment on women is skewed. I give him the side-eye, but he ignores me. “Here they come. You want me to get rid of them again? You know it won’t last for long,” he warns.
“I’m going to have to deal with it sooner or later,” I mutter and cross my arms over my chest as I wait. Remy dips his chin to my dad, then stands in front of me, mimicking my stance. “Why are you still here?”
“When did you start asking questions you already know the answer to?” he quips.
He’s got me there. “I have some things to take care of. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”
Remy leans forward so his face is only a few inches from mine. “I’m not letting you out of my sight, plus Gray will probably have an aneurysm if I let that happen. Do you really want to be responsible for killing the mayor?”
My eyes go to Grayson, then my dad, then back to Remy. “Come again?” I blurt, because I don’t know what else to say. My sweet, never wanting the spotlight Gray is the Mayor of Hill Crest?
“You heard me.” Remy uses my distraction to wrap his arm around my back and guide me over to his car.
“You chumps didn’t get her any coffee. Fix that and meet me at the old Wompler place,” Dad calls and lets Remy load me into the back of the Land Rover.
“You’re the mayor?” I question the moment the door is closed. Damnit, Remy knows me too well. I was so busy processing the new information I didn’t object to him putting me in the car instead of riding with Dad. “What happened to becoming a veterinarian?” Gray wanted to be a vet from as early as I can remember.
“Why are we going to the Wompler place?” Grayson asks, ignoring me.
My first instinct is to shout at him, but I bite my tongue. I really don’t even have the right to demand answers from them, especially when I’m not giving any of my own.
Remy looks in the rearview mirror after getting in the car, waiting to see if I’ll answer, and when I make no attempt to, he puts the car in gear and heaves a sigh. “It must have something to do with the case she’s working on.”
Without moving his torso or even looking at me, Felix wraps his pinky over mine. I don’t know if I’m comforted by his touch or bothered by the fact that he’s making sure no one else knows he’s doing it. Nevertheless, I curl my finger around his because I’m a glutton for punishment.
Remy takes us through some drive-thru coffee shop that looks like a log cabin. The girls inside are all decked out in little lumberjack outfits that look like they came from the sexy aisle of a Halloween store. The one at the window grins widely when she sees the car or Remy—I’m not sure which—and then it slips when she looks down at the cup. “This isn’t your usual.” She’s probably a few years younger than me, her lips full and shiny as she pouts.
I roll down my window and shove my arm out with a five-dollar bill gripped between my fingers. “That’s because it’s mine.” I’m probably glaring, but I don’t give a fuck.
“Hey, Melony,” Grayson coos. The girl leaves my five dangling from my fingers so she can lower her head and smash her perky tits against the windowsill, making sure everyone has a fantastic view of her rack.
“Hey, Mayor Hale.”
“It’s just Grayson.” He gives her a sexy grin that makes my stomach hurt. Her cheeks actually flush, and she briefly lowers her eyes. I wave the bill as close to her face as I can get it, and she finally looks back at me.
“My drink,” I remind her, though I’m tempted to toss it in her face at this point, but she can probably work the wet look and I need the caffeine too fucking badly.
“Oh, silly me.” She shoves the cup my way. “On the house.”
I fumble for the cup so it doesn’t spill and end up dropping the cash. The girl and I make eye contact for just a moment before she tips her head to the side, seeming to say,Oh well, and returns her attention to the front seat.
It takes me about two seconds to decide what to do. “Remy, can you pull up please?” Five bucks is five bucks. I’m not too prideful to get out and pick it up.
“Just a second,” Grayson tells Remy while still chatting up the girl at the window.
“Felix, do you mind jumping out?” I can work around Grayson’s jerk face.
“Uh, okay.” He looks at Remy but opens his door, and I scoot over to get out on his side.
“What are you doing?” Remy twists until he’s half in the backseat. I jog around to the driver’s side of the car and wedge myself between the big SUV and the building and bend down. Thankfully, the money is lying right where it fell. I hold it up, feeling victorious.
“Get your ass in the car, Frankie.” Remy shakes his head. Felix is still standing by his door, holding it open as I get back in and slide across the seat. I pocket the cash and grab my coffee from the cupholder where I placed it, pretending to ignore Grayson flirting with the lumberjackie. It takes a lot of willpower, and the coffee isn’t even good. Not that I needed more proof, but it’s obvious why they come here and it’s not for the drinks.
“We need to go,” Remy states in the middle of lumberjackie blathering to Grayson, and when he pulls away from the drive-up window, I use my cup to hide my grin.
Grayson gives Remy a glare. “You could have let me finish.”
“Nah, it wasn’t important,” he responds just as glibly.
