Page 14 of Under the Radar

Hannah. In my house. With me.

I was still smiling as I swung myself into the passenger side. Dom side-eyed me with a wide grin as he backed out of the driveway. “Roomies, huh?” He chuckled.

“Yes.”

“I say that girl is far more than that in a month,” he muttered. “Maybe less.” He reached into the bag and took another cookie. “Hell, if she can cook like this, marry her up, boy. Fast.”

I looked out the window.

I had no desire to bet against that.

CHAPTER FIVE

Hannah

The sounds of the trucks faded away, and I shut the door and headed to the living room. All my boxes were there. All my things. I sighed in happiness as I sat down on my sofa, ignoring the crinkling sound of the plastic that covered it. It would look nice against the far wall once the room was painted. It went okay with the one Chase had. Even the chairs matched well enough. I studied the room, mapping out the layout of everything in my head. It would be cozy when I was done.

I still couldn’t believe I was going to live here. With Chase.

When I had seen the handwritten advertisement in the general store, I had looked at the address, the location striking a memory. It was the cute mechanic. The one with the sad eyes. I had helped him one night in his drunken state.

He had been so adorable, insisting he wasn’t trying to drive. Then he peered at me, getting far too close for it to be comfortable. Yet, with him, I was fine.

“You got hit with a cinnamon truck,” he slurred a little. “Little dots ever-ry-where!” He drew out the last word into three syllables. Then he winked. “Are they everywhere, Occifer Cinnamon?”

“Gallagher,” I corrected, trying not to laugh at his inappropriateness. “It’s Officer Gallagher.”

“To everyone else.” He waved his hand. “To me, you’re Occifer Cinnanum. Cinnamon.” He hiccuped. “Oops.” Then he patted his chest. “Mine.”

I bit back my smile. He was utterly endearing.

“Can I call someone for you?” I asked. I didn’t want to throw him in the drunk tank.

“You could take me home. I wouldn’t tell anyone. We could cuddle. I bet you’d be a good cuddler.”

“A friend, maybe?” I prompted, shocked at the fact that I was actually tempted. He looked as if he needed a good cuddle.

“Oh, okay. Brett,” he said, sounding disappointed.

Once his friends came to get him, I felt sad he was gone, which was ridiculous. He probably wouldn’t even recall meeting me.

The next time I saw him was at the garage where he worked. Something had sparked between us, and I had hoped he would ask me out, drop by the station, or even call me, but aside from his changing my oil and being extremely sweet, I had heard nothing.

I had hesitated, then untacked the ad from the board. Mr. Conner had chuckled.

“My boy’s old place. Chase is looking for a new roommate. You need a place? He’s a good kid.”

“Yes.”

“You’d be safe there.”

His words struck something in me, and I smiled. “Thanks. I’ll just, ah, take this.”

He had laughed again. “You do that. Once he gets an eyeful of you, he won’t want another applicant.”

I had hoped he was right.

Seeing Chase again had made my heart beat faster. He was still sweet and sort of shy, yet at times, he became funny and sexy. He looked at me in a way that made my stomach jump and my chest warm. But he was polite and courteous and wasn’t upset when I told him I took down his sign. He seemed shocked at my desire to live there, then immediately agreed to it. Showed me the place. Told me I could paint.