Page 58 of Love in Overdrive

Cade wouldn’t have thought it. “I know I’m not Bryan, who did everything right, but I’m not a total screw-up either.”

“Bryan didn’t do everything right, and I didn’t either. I just want the best for my kids and tried to steer you toward it. It’s difficult for parents to watch their children struggle or make choices that will be hard on them down the road.”

“Do you regret being a mechanic or owning the shop?” Cade asked.

Eric sat back, rubbed his chin with his hand, and pondered for a minute. “No, I don’t. But your mother and I struggled financially at times. We had to cut corners and eat lots of mac and cheese dinners. You kids wore hand-me-down clothes.”

“Dad, we didn’t even notice that stuff. I had a great childhood, and I bet Bryan and Hailey would say the same.”

Eric nodded. “I guess I need to let you make your own choices. You’re all grown-up, and I will do my best to support you in whatever you do.”

“Thanks, Dad.” They both stood, and Cade rounded the desk to give his father a hug.

Hugging was not a common occurrence among the men of his family. This one was a full-on hug, no slap on the back.

“Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. Back to work.” Eric swiped a finger across his cheek.

Cade left his father’s office and checked the time on his phone. Almost lunchtime. Laney crossed his mind. What was she doing? He hadn’t seen her when he left the police station last night. He half expected to run into her at the phone store, but hadn’t.

New phone in hand, he itched to call her, but he still didn’t have her number.

He slapped his forehead. It shouldn’t be this hard to contact her. He could call the daycare—If only he could remember the name of it.

Across the shop, Nash worked on a Buick. Cade lasered in on him and crossed the shop in an instant.

“Nash, do you have Sawyer Hunt’s number?”

“No. Why?” He popped his head out from under the hood.

“Didn’t you all meet the other day?”

“Yeah, but he stopped at the shop to tell me what happened.”

Shit. Cade rubbed his jaw. “How about that friend of Laney’s? Addison?”

Nash stopped what he was doing, stood up, and wiped his hands on a shop-rag. “You spent the whole day and night with her, and you didn’t get her phone number?” He shook his head.

“We didn’t have our phones at the time.” Cade gave Nash a pleading look.

Taking pity on him, Nash grabbed his phone off the top of his toolbox and scrolled down his contacts. “Here.” He rattled off Addison’s number.

Cade shook his head. “Why don’t you call her and get Laney’s number for me? You know you want to talk to her again anyway.”

“I don’t know. That chick doesn’t seem to care for my company very much.” Nash shook his head, but Cade just looked at him with a that-never-stopped-you-before look.

“Fine. But if she threatens me with three-inch needles in a voodoo doll, I’m out.” Nash placed the call.

Cade gave him some privacy, but not too much. He hovered on the edge of the bay.

His friend smiled and shook his head. Nash never had an issue with the ladies, but usually, they came to him. Cade’s friend could be a little shy around women, but something about this woman had him chatting up a storm. Interesting.

But not that interesting. Alright already, enough flirting. Impatience bubbled up in his throat. By the time Nash hung up the phone, Cade was fit to be hog-tied. He couldn’t wait another moment, and it was only four minutes and twenty-three seconds. Not that he was counting.

“Here, don’t lose it this time.” Nash texted Cade the number. “Now go call her. I’ve never seen you this worked up over a gal.”

That’s because Cade had never been this wrapped in knots over a woman. He didn’t know why, but something about Laney brought out every protective instinct he had.

Can you say caveman? Yeah, that’s how he felt around her. But he didn’t know how she felt.

Time to find out.