Page 41 of Lucky Haven

I quickly lock my front door. “Let’s go to work.”

He makes an exaggerated bodyguard move, scanning the sidewalk before escorting me down the steps.

“You make me laugh,” I admit.

“Good.”

“Shouldn’t you already be at work?” The garage is always open when I arrive at the library.

“Perk of being the boss. I opened up an hour ago, and then I can head out to pick up my girlfriend while Riley holds down the fort.”

“Is that how you said it, Riley, I’m going to pick up my girlfriend and escort her to work!”

“As loud as I could so the whole town could hear, yeah.”

“And what did Riley say?”

“She said, is it that smoking hot librarian you’ve been staring at for the last six months?”

I roll my eyes. “That doesn’t sound like something Riley would say.”

I don’t know the younger mechanic well, but smoking hot librarian is more of a Cash-ism. And it makes my belly tremble.

He winks at me. “You caught me. She knows better than to ogle my girl.”

“Oh, is Riley…” I trail off.

He has no hesitation finishing my thought with an affirmative answer. “She’s bi. Pretty loud about it, too. Which is cool by me.”

I nod. “That’s good. I’m glad you’re supportive of her.”

He laughs. “Jesus, that’s a low bar, isn’t it?”

“Not one that a lot of people manage to clear, unfortunately.”

He gives me a sideways glance.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

But his curiosity is sharp now.

“Not nothing, you’re staring at me.”

“We’re just walking.”

“Walking and drilling into my soul with your eyeballs.”

He grimaces. “What a deeply unsexy way to say that.”

I laugh. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know you didn’t.” He tugs at his short beard. “You’re a fascinating woman, you know that? You’re not innocent about the ways of the world, but you’re…”

“Still painfully innocent? Yeah, I know.”

“That’s not what I was going to say.” He bites his lower lip thoughtfully as we reach Main Street. Holding out his hand, he waits for me to take it before he resumes walking.