Harper could practically see the dollar signs lighting up in Brielle’s eyes. “And what do you do?” Brielle asked.
“I’m a mechanic.”
“Oh.” She glanced at Harper, then back at Rusty. “Well, Harper and I can discuss the particulars sometime tomorrow.” She turned to Mason again. “We should be getting back to our table.”
“Sure thing, babe.” He nodded to Rusty, then turned to Harper. “Nice to meet you,” he said, his gaze lingering on her.More like leering.
By the sudden fury crossing Brielle’s face, she was now paying attention. But she was all smiles when she said goodbye to Rusty. “If the Miles Road propertydoesn’twork out, I’m sure I can find you something else,” she said, ignoring Harper completely before walking away.
Rusty turned to Harper, his bushy red brows knitted together. “That was, uh, something.”
Harper seethed inside. The property was expensive, but Rusty could afford it. Instead of relishing watching Brielle deflate like a leaky party balloon when she heard Rusty’s occupation, she was angry. How could she be so insulting to him? “I’m sorry about that,” she said, her teeth clenched.
He met her gaze, storm clouds in his eyes. “You’re sorry?” he said, sounding almost as mad as she felt. “It’s not your fault that jerk couldn’t keep his eyes off you.”
Wait, he’d noticed that? And he was upset about it? “It’s okay,” she said, brushing off Mason’s gross behavior.
“No, it ain’t okay. He disrespected both of you.”
Harper tensed. Was Rusty jealous? Jack sure was whenever another man noticed her and had reacted as if it were her fault.“You’re a babe,”he’d said.“And you’re my babe, got it?”
Ugh. So much for being “his.” It didn’t take him long to move on to Brielle.
“Hey,” Rusty said. “You okay?”
She looked at him, searching his expression. But all she saw was frank concern, along with a trace of anger. Not a smidge of jealousy, though. That was refreshing. “I’m fine,” she said, wanting to put the whole exchange behind her, at least for the rest of their meal. “Let’s dig in to this pizza.”
He glanced at the untouched pie. “Pretty sure it’s cold by now. Want me to ask the waitress to warm it up?”
She eagerly reached for a slice. “Are you kidding? I love cold pizza.”
“Me too.”
As they ate the pizza—which was delicious and enjoyed by Rusty—she fought to ignore Brielle and her creepy date, and her curiosity about why Brielle and Jack had broken up, then tried to figure out why she was wasting mental energy on either of them.Focus on Rusty. He’s your priority.Up until Brielle showed up, it had been easy to do. But like she had so many times before, Brielle always ruined things.
When there were two pieces of pizza left, she asked for a box and the check. A few minutes later, the waitress put the slip of paper on the table. Rusty reached for it.
“This is on me,” she said, grabbing the check before he could take it.
“But you made supper last time.”
“I know, but tonight is a business dinner.” She took a credit card out of her wallet and placed the check and card back on the table.
He shook his head. “All right, but next time I’m payin’.”
A short while later, he pulled into the café parking lot. “Thanks for the pizza,” he said, turning to her. “But I’m serious. Next time the meal is on me.”
“All right, all right.” She chuckled, finally feeling free of Brielle’s presence, both physical and mental. “I won’t argue with you.”
“I should have your Merc done in a couple of days, Lord willin’. I can bring it to you and pick up Lois. How’s she been holdin’ up for you? Any problems?”
“Not a single one.”
“Good ol’ dependable Lois. Had her for over a decade, and she’s never let me or anyone else down.”
“Unlike my Mercedes.” Harper sighed. “I wonder if I should trade her in on something more sensible—and reliable.”
Rusty shook his head. “You don’t have to do that just yet. She ain’t got me beat. Haven’t met a car that has, actually.”
