“No, I don’t,” I insisted, but Idid.It just wasn’t perfect and it definitely wouldn’t be approved by any manufacturer with half a legal department. “Give me some time.”
If I redesign the housing and modify the mounting alignment?—
Avery leaned against the workbench, studying me with that confident grin still on his face, prematurely triumphant for sure. “Okay, we’ll give you time, but you can make it work. I know it.”
Theo’s eyes met mine when I looked back up. “Whatever you can do, I appreciate it.”
Oh, for fuck’s…“Fine. I’ll try, but don’t get your hopes up. Your insurance isn’t going to like it even if I do manage to make it work, and even then, there’s no guarantee it’ll get you more than ten miles before it all blows up in our faces.”
“I’ll take those odds,” he said, looking at me like he had all the faith in the world, those eyes hovering on mine for just a second too long. “Thanks, Raquel.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” I grumbled, desperate for him not to figure out that having him look at me like that was making me feelthingsagain. “Can I go back to work now?”
He smiled, nodding before he followed Avery to the doors, but right before he disappeared into the shop, he glanced back at me over his shoulder. Our gazes clashed and held for just a second, but that stupid flutter sparked to life in my chest allover again, the useless organ still going wild even long after he’d already left.
Theo Whatever-his-last-name-is was going to be the death of me, but the worst part was that I wasn’t even sure I would mind. There was something about him that made me feel things I wasn’t convinced I had ever felt before, and as annoying as it was, at least it was also making me feel alive again.
CHAPTER 9
THEO
At this point, my motel room was probably more my apartment than just a room I was renting. I felt at home here, sipping my coffee as I pulled out of the quiet parking lot in Kit’s old truck, armed with yet another list of supplies to pick up from the hardware store.
I was seriously thinking about finding out whether Quartz Pass Hardware had a loyalty program, because if so, I was joining it. Over the last couple weeks, I’d been there so often that I was on a first-name basis with its two employees and even old Harvey, who seemed to have appointed himself as the store’s hall monitor, was starting to accept that I had opinions too.
Look at me. I’m thriving.
Oddly, this quiet little town was growing on me. As the days passed, I became more and more fond of it. I even felt a surge of actual happiness when I pulled into the lot at the store, already having found a favorite parking spot around one side of the building that always seemed to be available.
After grabbing a cart, I headed inside, mentally reciting Frieda’s list. When she’d said there were a few jobs to be done, she hadnotbeen kidding. Underselling it, yes. Heavilyso. But I was starting to wonder if anyone had really done any maintenance on the old place since her husband had passed.
From the sounds of things, every single person in town cared about and respected her. I was pretty confident that people had been helping her keep the place from falling apart, but she was a proud old bat. I doubted she’d genuinely let anyone know the extent of the work required to be done.
Either way, at least she had me now.
Or she did, until I walked into the store and spotted Raquel. Back when I’d first arrived, I’d thought the compulsorystopping and staringthing would fade, but nope.
Frieda and her list vanished from my mind as soon as I strode past the flooring displays to seeher, flipping through a thick tile catalog. My steps slowed, my cart swinging in her direction without my brain having been involved in the decision-making process at all.
Since it was a Saturday, Raquel wasn’t wearing coveralls or work boots. Instead, she had on a faded black tank top with jeans and her hair was loose for once, the dark waves falling across one shoulder.
I nearly started drooling as I raked my eyes over her from behind, the curves of her hips and ass so much more pronounced dressed as she was today.Get it together, Westwood.
As I approached, she glanced up, and unlike literally every other time we’d interacted, her expression softened instead of morphing into a mask of suspicion. “Let me guess, Frieda sent you?”
I shrugged. “Maybe I just like hanging out in the hardware store.”
“I suppose it’s as good a place as any to bore yourself to death while hanging around and spending more money than you have on things you don’t strictly need.”
“Well, it was that or the bar, and this seemed healthier.” I offered her a half-smile, then leaned in and looked down at the catalog she was still holding. “Ouch, tiles? As far as I know, that’s not a cheap way to spend a Saturday.”
“It’s not, but thankfully, this is just for a kitchen backsplash.”
“That’s a very adult thing to be considering.”
She pumped her eyebrows at me. “I know, right? It’s horrifying. I should be counting gummy bears with my friends or something.”
“Now that would be reckless, counting them in front of your friends.”
