“I have a proposal,” I said.
Levi crossed his arms. “And what would that be? Send me back to Minnesota?”
“No,” I snorted. “How about I give you a ride? I know the mechanic and I’m sure he can get you taken care of. Well, actually, I’m sure you know him too. His name is Dallas Whynot.”
Levi cracked a smile that was brighter than the sun. “Damn. I forgot he’s the mechanic. Never thought he would end up in that career.”
“What did you think he’d be?”
“A fucking librarian.”
I barked out a laugh. Dallas was an interesting one, that was for sure. All he wanted to do was work on his cars and read books.
“You know, he has one of those little free libraries outside his house,” I said. “Keeps it fully stocked and everything.”
“Of course he does.” Some of the tension melted from his shoulders. “I guess I’ll take that ride, if you don’t mind, Mateo.”
My stomach did a cartwheel as he said my name. I swallowed hard. “Sure. Where are you staying?”
“I rented that little house over on Armadillo Lane. The one with the yellow door.”
Oh boy. Did he have any idea that he was neighbors with Avery? Seemed like something one or the other would have mentioned by now. The tension between them was a movie on repeat in my mind.
Maybe I was just looking too much into things, but the way Avery had looked at him made me jealous?—
I clipped that line of thought like an unruly weed. I had no business thinking about Avery. Especially like that. She wasAustin’s sister, for god’s sake. She was myfriend. Over the last couple years, we’d become a staple in each other’s lives. It wasn’t uncommon for her to show up on my doorstep with breakfast and coffee on mornings when I was off.
She was also a gorgeous, funny, smart mess—and I absolutely could never think about more than what she was.
A friend.
Just a friend I thought of every single waking moment of every single day.
Just a friend I wanted to fuck straight through my mattress.
“I’ll give you a ride,” I said tightly.
“Thanks. Actually, I’ve been meaning to go see Austin, I just haven’t yet. I’ve been kind of keeping to myself. Probably not the best idea. Do you know where he might be?”
“Sure do,” I chuckled. “He’s probably working on the finances for the various businesses he’s got his fingers in. Should be at the office at the little blue hotel downtown. I’m surprised you haven’t texted him yet or he hasn’t texted you.”
“He probably has, honestly. I’ve been avoiding my phone. It’s been off or dead since I got here.”
I wondered why that was. It wasn’t like me to pry, but I was undeniably curious about Levi. There was just something about him that made me want to get to know him, especially when he let that prickly guard down.
“Well, come take a ride with me. I’ll get you over to him. Got anything in your car?”
“Just a backpack and my camera bag. I was going to go for a hike.”
“In this heat?” I snorted. “You’d be roasted, Minnesota.”
Levi stiffened for a moment, but then released a laugh from his gut. “You know, everyone has been calling me Tex for so long, it’s kind of nice to be called that instead.”
There was that flutter in my stomach again and a nervous smile tugged at my lips. What was it about him?
Levi leaned into the car and grabbed his backpack and water bottle, which was a relief to see. The last thing I needed was to be dragging him into the back of an ambulance with heat stroke. More often than not, that’s how I spent my shifts during the summer.
I rubbed the back of my head as Levi popped the tiny trunk. He pulled a black duffle bag out and slammed it shut.
