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Rick Simon was also funny as hell, he was genuine and passionate in his beliefs and good Lord, but the man knew his way around a woman. She should be in her happy place.
But she wasn’t.
Of course Charlie wasn’t unhappy. In fact, she was pretty damn content. But Charlie and content had never been best friends, and she couldn’t shake that nervous feeling that had taken hold a few days earlier.
She’d learned the hard way to listen to her gut. Something was going to happen. She could feel it.
But what?
“You look like someone pissed in your cornflakes this morning,” Davis said, shuffling up beside her and reaching for the coffee pot.
“Well that would be wrong, because I don’t particularly care for cornflakes.”
“Ah. Right. You drink those flavorless protein shakes.” Davis shook his head in disgust. “Whatever happened to the simple things in life like eggs and bacon for breakfast?”
“I don’t know. Maybe something called cholesterol?”
Davis poured himself a coffee, ignoring her dig as he glanced up at the clock. “Huh,” he said, crossing his legs and leaning back against the workbench.
“What?” she said sharply, irritated with him and not really knowing why.
“Rick’s late.”
She busied herself putting away the parts that had been delivered a few minutes earlier. She’d been thinking the same thing, but there was no way in hell she’d let Davis know it.
“Just because Rick dropped by for lunch yesterday doesn’t mean he’ll do the same today.”
“No?” Davis pushed off from the workbench and took a sip from his coffee mug. “So Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday don’t constitute some kind of pattern?”
Her head whipped up and she was just about to tell Davis to mind his business when the door from the front of her garage flew open and in walked the only man who’d ever made her heart feel as if it was beating out of her chest.
Jesus. She was really going to have to do something about that.
He wore his mirrored aviators, which gave him a dangerous edge, and with the black leather jacket, faded jeans and black boots, he looked the part. Sure the wavy hair that peeked from underneath the plain black toque softened the effect, but it only made him that much more adorable.
He really did take her breath away. Literally.
He stood there for a few seconds and stared across the room at her, that slow, sexy smile sweeping across his face.
“You’re late,” she said softly.
Davis snorted, but she ignored him. How could she not? Every single cell in her body was electrified just by Rick’s presence. Should she have taken a moment to think about that? Probably. Did she? Hell no.
Even if she wanted to, she didn’t get the chance.
Rick walked toward her, his long legs eating up the space in no time and he didn’t stop coming until his mouth was on hers. It was a gentle kiss, but one full of promise and Charlie had to drag her lips from his because she was suddenly weak in the knees.
“Sorry,” he said with a grin, setting down the takeout bag that he held. “Jackie was busy and made me wait.”
“Whatcha got in there?” Davis asked.
Rick chuckled. “What else? Clam chowder.”
The three of them tucked into their meal and Charlie was content to sit back and listen to the two men discuss the Shelby. She smiled as Davis argued the merits of the American made car, and giggled at his outrage when Rick admitted his love of Ferrari.
At one point the conversation became heated and just when she thought she was going to have to step in and play referee, Ava showed up. Dressed in her pharmacy jacket and blue scrubs with her dark hair flying all over the place, she looked cute.
Charlie glanced over to Davis. Cute enough to eat. Davis was acting as if it wasn’t a big deal Ava had popped by, but Charlie knew that Rick had been dismissed and all of Davis’ attention was on the petite brunette.
