A jack-of-most-trades, I found a way to really fit in, which was how I’d ended up surrounded by three older, know-it-all men in the slightly overwhelming Quartz Pass hardware store. I was here for paint, and apparently, all three of these guys had spent their entire lives painting houses.
No matter what, I would be leaving here with the paint I’d come for, but it looked like I would have to get through them first. They all had differing, but very strong opinions aboutabsolutely everything I was doing at the motel, which I’d come to find out was a town staple they didn’t quite trust me with.
“No,” one of them said firmly, pointing a crooked finger at the sample cards in my hand. “You want a flat finish.”
“Eggshell,” another countered immediately. “It’s not about whatyouwant. It’s whatheneeds.”
“Both of you are idiots,” the third muttered. “In this heat, you use satin.”
I looked between them, then back at the teenager behind the paint counter. He was the only one who actually worked here, but he didn’t seem to have an opinion at all. I groaned as I turned back to the sample cards. “This is the most stressful relationship I’ve had in years.”
All three laughed, then offered their final bits of advice before wandering away to go terrify somebody else. One of the older guys turned to look at me over his shoulder to offer one last piece of advice, though.
“Trust me, Theo,” he said. “Frieda knows what she’s doing. If she sent you with specific instructions, you’d better follow ‘em. Get the flat finish.”
I hadn’t told these men my name, but small towns were incredible like that. Nobody ever minded their business, which meant that by now, the entire town knew my motorcycle had died and that I was helping out Rita while I waited for it to be repaired.
Weirdly, I didn’t hate it, but maybe that was because here, I wasn’t Theo Westwood. I was just Theo with the broken motorcycle and paint samples.
I nodded and sent him a grateful smile. “Thanks. I’ll take that under advisement.”
Frieda had, in fact, sent me with very specific instructions, and just like the guy had told me, I followed them. Even if that meant not leaving the store with the flat finish.
Eventually, I loaded up with six gallons of exterior paint, two rollers, and painter’s tape, and I was on my way to the register when I saw Raquel. Avery had told me she was his younger sister. She stood halfway down the plumbing aisle, examining something on the shelf with focused intensity, oblivious to the world around her.
I didn’t mean to stop walking, but it happened anyway. Raquel was a bombshell of epic proportions.Seriously. Stopping and staring is compulsory.
Even in torn jeans and with heavy boots on her feet, her dark hair messily pulled back, she was drop dead gorgeous. I’d only seen her a couple times, but she didn’t seem to bother with makeup or jewelry. Probably because the tears on her jeans had come from work and wear rather than having been made by the designer, and jewelry could be dangerous in her line of work.
She was different from most beautiful women I’d met before, which was another reason why I couldn’t stop staring. Where other girls were delicately beautiful, she was as striking as they came, with long black hair and huge, pale gray eyes. Skin so tanned, it even beat mine.
Her face had made me look twice—and then feel creepy about it—and her mouth had been made for either kissing or issuing creative insults. Just her cheekbones would’ve been enough to put me on my ass, but her actual ass was a work of art. At the same time, she looked like she belonged in this dusty little town, but was also completely too sexy, too interesting, and too impatient for it.
I realized a second too late that I’d been openly staring at her from behind.
Unfortunately, I only realized it when she glanced over her shoulder and caught me in the act.Smooth, Theo. Really elite work.
One dark eyebrow arched as her eyes met mine, her head tilting just ever so slightly to one side. “Are you following me now?”
I shifted the paint cans in my arms. “This is actually a professional ambush. I was wondering if you might help me understand why three old men just spent twenty minutes lecturing me over paint finishes?”
Her mouth twitched, but she didn’t quite smile. I noticed the same glimmer of suspicion in her eyes that had been there every time she’d seen me so far. “That was Earl, Don, and Harvey, wasn’t it?”
“The paint council? Yes.”
“They do that.” She finally turned to face me, but there was still something cautious about her, like she was assessing whether I was entertaining or a problem. An awkward beat passed as she just looked at me before she spoke again. “Are you settling in okay otherwise?”
The question surprised me a little, but I nodded anyway. “Mostly, yeah. It’s a friendly town. People have been very welcoming for the most part.”
Even as I said it, I braced myself for the questions that were probably going to come now.Who are you really? Where do you come from?
This girl was obviously suspicious of me and I understood that, but I wasn’t in the habit of explaining who I was or who I was connected to. I liked being just Theo with the broken bike.
It truly surprised me when she didn’t go there, just kind of giving me a shrug before carrying on as if she didn’t care about my history at all. “They’re friendly because they’re curious. In a town like ours, fresh blood is as good as a headline. I hope you’re prepared for some next-level matchmaking. The old biddies are going to be setting you up with their granddaughters all over the place while you’re here.”
I chuckled. “Thanks for the heads-up. I was wondering why Harvey asked if I was single.”
Raquel groaned. “His wife, Gloria, is one of the biddies. Expect a call from her real soon if you told him you’re unattached. Their granddaughter is only twenty, but Gloria has been trying to arrange her marriage recently.”
