His gaze dropped to the floor. “I get that a lot,” he mumbled.
“I mean it. I’m glad we’re friends.”
“‘Friends’?” he said as if he didn’t understand the word.
“Of course. I don’t have just anyone over for minestrone, you know.”
He chuckled, and they walked to the foyer. “I’ll let you know about your car Monday,” he said when she opened the door. “And I’ll have Hank drop off Lois here first thing tomorrow so you won’t be stranded here.”
She’d forgotten all about her Mercedes. “Lois?”
“My rental car. That’s what we call her.”
“Oh, right. Thanks,” she said, resting against the doorjamb. “And thanks for taking me home and staying for supper. I needed this tonight.”
He grinned, and she wondered what his smile looked like without the beard. “Me too,” he said. “Good night.”
After he left and she closed the door, she leaned against it. He really was a nice guy. Then the strangest thought came over her.What if we were more than friends?
She shook her head, laughing out loud at the thought. This was what happened when she was exhausted—her brain filled with foolish, outlandish ideas to distract her from the pressing problems in her life. And while she would love to kick back and say that she worked to live, right now she had to live to work or she wouldn’t have a job.
Focus, focus.There would be plenty of time to relax after she made enough sales to buy #6. She just hoped it would still be available by the time she did.
Chapter4
Rusty didn’t turn on the radio when he got into his truck. Instead, he thought about what Harper had said about them being friends. Normally, hearing a woman say that to him—and they had, more than once, always after a date, and then he’d never hear from them again—would bother him. But it was good to hear it from her.
It wasn’t as if he didn’t have friends. Two, actually, now that he thought about it. He hung out with Percy sometimes after work, but Percy had gone through a divorce six years ago and had his kids every other day and twice a month on the weekends. Then there was Hank, the older guy he’d hired to work part-time three years ago. They occasionally had a drink together, and he’d gone over to Hank’s apartment a couple of times to watch a football or baseball game. But when Hank got a girlfriend last March, that had stopped.
Up until tonight he hadn’t realized how thin he was in the friendship department. Then again, he’d spent his freetime working on the GTO or going to the lake when the fish were biting, along with attending the occasional church potluck and, lately, weddings. That had been fulfilling enough. Or so he thought.
But tonight had been nice. Real nice. And he was glad he’d gotten to know Harper better. He just wished she hadn’t caught him staring at her, but he couldn’t help it. She was a natural beauty.
More like breathtaking.
Cool it.He didn’t need to think about how gorgeous she was. They were friends, and if he was stupid enough to even think about being anything else with her, he would ruin what they had. He was glad she hadn’t been offended when he told her she didn’t need the makeup and clothes she liked to wear. He hadn’t meant for that to slip out.
His phone rang, and he hit a button on his dashboard. “Hey, Amber,” he said as he entered the Maple Falls town limits. He hadn’t talked to his sister in over two weeks, although that wasn’t unusual.
“Hi, Rusty. How are you?”
He knew better than to tell his sister he’d just had dinner with a woman, so he said, “Good. Nothin’ new happenin’.” Nope, nothing new at all. “How’s the family? Senior behavin’ himself?”
“Of course not.” Amber laughed. “Actually, he’s doing great. The kids are good, and so is Austin. I do have some news, though.”
“Lay it on me.”
“Austin’s been offered a job in Colorado Springs.”
Rusty let that settle for a moment. “Really?”
“Yeah. He hasn’t taken it yet, and we’re still discussing things. It would be a big move, but good for his career.”
He listened while she explained the job to him. She was right; it would be good for his brother-in-law. “I don’t mean to sound selfish, but I’d miss y’all.”
“We’d miss you too,” she said softly.
“What did Senior say?”
