“Frieda!” he called, sounding exceptionally happy for someone who’d just gotten my name wrong. “It’s good to finally meet you. Theo has told me so much about you and his time here in your beautiful town. I must admit, this doesn’t look much like a motel.”
I sighed. “Theo also sent you to the wrong place. I’m Raquel and it doesn’t look like a motel because this isn’t the Blossom Ville. This is where I live.”
His smile faltered. “Excuse me?”
“Yeah, I think your friend might’ve done this on purpose, though.” I walked off the porch and extended my hand toward him. “Avery—that’s my brother—hates Theo with a fiery passion these days. I suspect Theo sent you to me because he didn’t want you ending up in a ditch somewhere, never to be seen again.”
“Oh.”
“You should thank him for that.”
“Fucking Theo.” Colin tipped his head back toward the sky, shook it, and then immediately gave up the scheme he and Theo seemed to have cooked up. “That makes sense, actually. He warned me that we might encounter some resistance with this acquisition if the owner found out he was involved.”
“Some resistance?” I snorted. “If that’s what he told you, he undersold it. Avery would rather burn the place to the ground and forego an insurance claim than to accept Theo’s help.”
Colin sighed and raked his fingers through his hair, but he didn’t seem particularly alarmed or even taken aback by this information. “Yeah, he mentioned we should keep what we’re doing to ourselves.”
“What exactly are you doing?” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked up at him, wishing I was just a few inches taller. This guy towered over me and his shoulders were easily as broadas Theo’s. He sure as hell wasn’t going to be intimidated by a grease-stained hobbit like me. “Why did you call it an acquisition before?”
He lifted his hand to shield his face from the sun despite the fact that he was still wearing the dark glasses. “Is there someplace we could talk about this while not being grilled alive?”
I chuckled. “When did you arrive?”
“A few hours ago.”
“Well, if you think it’s bad when the sun is nearly starting to set, you’re really going to hate your buddy for sending you out here tomorrow.”
“Trust me, I’m hating him plenty already.” The guy’s jaw worked for a beat before he dropped his hand. “You didn’t ask who I was when I got here.”
“You’re Colin. You said so yourself.”
“Yeah, but he told you I was coming, didn’t he?” He motioned vaguely around the property. “Even out here, I doubt people are just okay with random strangers pulling up and introducing themselves.”
I considered toying with him for a beat, maybe even mention the shotgun I kept in the Airstream just in case, but honestly, I didn’t have the heart for it right now. This was the closest I’d been to Theo’s world in over a month, and even though I’d never known the version of him who dressed like this or drove expensive cars, Colin was here because of him.
“Let’s go inside. I’ll get you some water and we can talk.”
“Thank God.” He eagerly followed me in and then looked around the half-finished living room while I got him a glass of water.
I even added some ice as a special treat. Just because he was Theo’s friend. I headed back over to him and sat down on one of the two couches in the center of the room. “Sorry it’s not more…”
How am I even supposed to finish that sentence with a guy like this? More done. Just more?
“I’m in the process of renovating,” I finally said, waving him into the couch across from mine. “So what’s going on, Colin?”
After draining half the water, he lowered himself down carefully and smoothed his tie before he finally looked at me, sunglasses now off and hooked into his collar. He was handsome, this guy. I’d give him that.
Naturally, as far as I was concerned, he wasn’t nearly as good-looking at Theo, but no man could measure up to him. Besides, this dude was way too clean shaven and shiny for me.Still handsome, though. Any other girl would be lucky to have him.
“Theo and I would like to buy the autobody shop,” he said crisply. “I’m not sure how much he told you, considering that you were clearly expecting me, but since you asked what we’re doing, I suppose he didn’t tell you the plan.”
“No. What do you mean,Theowants to buy the shop?”
“Well, him and me. Us. It’d be a partnership, but the goal isn’t to take it away from you,” he explained. “We’d like to buy it, but keep it your names. Yours and Avery’s.”
My heart started fluttering. “You want to buy it, but not take it from us? How is that even possible?”
“It’s the advantage of the way we’ve structured this deal,” he said. “You’d keep running the shop. The name and employees stay. The business remains yours, but this way also allows us to skirt the courts insofar as taking your father off the paperwork and getting him the help he needs.”
