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6
Austin
“So you allknow I’m a big box retail warrior. What do you guys do?”
Randy raised his hand. “I’m a teacher. High school.”
I turned to Austin.
“I’m… well, I guess you could call me an independent investor,” he said. “Mostly real estate.”
“How’d you get into that?” I asked.
“I grew up middle class, but when I was eighteen, my grandfather passed away and left me a bit of money. I got lucky as a senior in high school and had a teacher who was willing to walk me through how I could either use that money to party my way through college, or I could use it to make even more money. So I learned the stock market and trading, and during my college years, I was able to plant a few good seeds. It all grew from there.”
“Cool. And you, Tyler?”
Aside from being an amazing kisser.
He reached into a bag he’d brought in with his duffel, and retrieved a bottle of wine. “Care to try some?”
“Tyler always wants people to sample his wares,” Austin stage-whispered to me. “He’s a winemaker.”
I took the red cup Tyler offered me and as soon as he’d poured me a small amount, I took a sip, surprised by the flavors that filled my mouth. “I like this. A lot.”
“Now if you’ll do me the biggest favor in the world and convince Austin of that,” Tyler said, “I’d be eternally grateful.”
He sat back down in his chair, and I couldn’t help but get a large eyeful of what looked like a very nice, very masculine bulge in his jeans. Was it always that big, or was he still, um… excited by our kiss?
“Tyler’s trying to recruit Austin as an investor. Understandably, he’s being careful. Winemaking is a precarious business, not for the faint of heart,” Randy said.
“It’s a new type of venture for me,” Austin said, stretching his legs.
Tyler might have kissed me, but Austin’s charisma and magnetic presence were undeniable. And then there was Randy. I couldn’t look at him without getting dizzy.
“But it is good wine. I enjoy it. Or maybe it’s the unexpected company?” he said, looking my way.
Was Austin flirting?
“I will say you three are the best part of the Mile 89 Motor Lodge.” I leaned back slightly and closed my eyes as I relished the wine and the company.
“So, Bee, what brings you here?” Randy asked. “You know, in the middle of nowhere in a blizzard.”
Poor judgment, that’s what.
“I am driving cross country for a family reunion in Florida. It’s my grandmother’s ninety-fifth birthday.”
All three of them looked at me like I was crazy.
I didn’t blame them.
“Okay,” Randy started, “I’ll ask the obvious question. Why didn’t you fly?”
I’d been waiting for that one.
“Because I don’t fly. Period. If I want to go anywhere, I drive,” I said.
He nodded. Really, there wasn’t much more to say about the topic.
