Page 17 of Driven to Love

“Alright. Just one more scoop.” Addison pulled a can of moist cat food from the cupboard while Lu entwined himself around her legs, his impatience on full display while he waited for her to set the bowl down.

“Lunch is served. Wow! Hungry much?”

Lu ate with the intensity of a high-powered vacuum.

Addison grinned. That was her boy. He let nothing get in the way of his mealtime.

She reached down and stroked a hand over his soft fur. She was risking her limb by petting his royal highness while he ate, but it was worth it. With each pass over his fur, another knot in her stomach dissolved.

“Thank goodness I have you.”

Lu looked up, licking his muzzle. The bowl was spotless. He didn’t leave so much as a crumb.

“Wow. That’s a new record.” She scooped him up and nuzzled him. She had a feeling with the new job starting tomorrow, she’d be needing a lot more of Lu’s calming snuggles.

Chapter 7

“Fuckin’ A!” Nash rubbed his head. He dropped the ratchet for the third time today. This had been the longest week of his life.

“Dude. Are you okay?” Cade asked from under the hood of a ‘73 Impala.

“Yeah. I’m just having an off day.” Nash wasn’t about to admit the reason he was all thumbs today was from a pair of tan legs that were currently inventorying the parts room. Addison had started four days ago, and every time she walked into the shop, Nash’s focus shifted.

“You may need to start wearing a hard hat to work.” Leon chuckled in the bay across from him. “That woman walks into the shop and you get flustered like a schoolgirl.”

Nash threw a shop rag at him, but he couldn’t deny it. Something about Addison tied him in knots. “Speaking of school kids, I talked to Davey last night. He’s stoked about seeing your boys this weekend.”

“Mine too. I was thinking you all should join us for pizza tomorrow night.” Leon’s boys were a couple of years older than Davey, but they got along well.

“Sounds good. Shoot me the time and we’ll be there.” Nash rolled a cold can of Red Bull over the crown of his head.

“Cade, you and Laney should join us. Trish would love to see you guys. She had a blast gabbing wedding stuff at the party. I don’t know why women love that shit.” Leon shook his head.

“Thanks. Sounds fun. Let me check.” Cade pulled out his phone and started two-finger typing. No doubt he was asking Laney if the schedule was clear.

Addison entered the shop on her way back to the office. She waved, even smiled at them, Nash included. He just about fell over from shock. Maybe they were becoming friends?

Cade turned to Nash. “You should see if Addison wants to join us.”

Nash cracked open the energy drink and took a healthy swig. Friends did dinner, didn’t they? It wasn’t like a date. The whole gang would be there.

He ran a greasy knuckle over his chin, thinking.

Hell, she hadn’t thrown anything at him all week. That was a good start. He could chance a dinner invite. It was a group get together after all.

Nash set his tools on the bench and wiped his hands on a rag before following her into the office. Hoots and chuckles came from behind him. He didn’t look back, just flipped them off over his shoulder.

Soft clicks of the keyboard sounded over the low eighties rock music coming from the speaker. Eric’s office door was closed, which meant the boss was on a call.

Addison’s green eyes chilled slightly at the sight of him. “Good afternoon, Nash. What can I do for you?”

She was always the professional, even though her expression screamed “go away.”

He stood next to her desk and half smiled. “How’s your first week been?”

“Good.” She continued scrolling through a spreadsheet, her focus on the monitor.

“Eric’s a good guy to work for?” Small talk is good, right?