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He turns and looks at me. “No. Said he needed off.”
“For what?” I ask as he wipes his greasy hands on a cloth.
“Not quite sure. He mentioned needin’ to leave town for something important and would be back on Wednesday. I told him it was fine.” He tilts his head at me when my nostrils flare. “You okay?”
Frustrated doesn’t explain how I feel right now. “That would’ve been great information to have before I told everyone their vehicles would be ready for pick up this afternoon.”
He waves it off like it’s not a big deal. “It’ll be alright. I handled all of this before Tyler started helping out, and I can do it again for two days.”
My eyes soften. “I know, Daddy. I just don’t want you to overwork yourself. That’s all.”
“It keeps me young, sweetie. Everyone’s vehicles will be ready before close. And if not, go home and change during lunch and help me out. I mean, if you still remember how to remove an oil pan and change a filter.” He gives me a hefty laugh.
This has me snorting. “Dad, I could do it in my sleep.”
“That’s my girl,” he says, then gets back to what he was doing because there’s no extra time for chitchat. “If people don’t want to wait, tell them to come back later this week.”
I nod and return to the lobby where my mind races. Tyler never mentioned going out of town, and a small part of me thinks he’s planning to leave Lawton Ridge again, regardless if he said he wasn’t. Deep inside, I feel as if I’ve pushed him away, and the guilt comes in full force, but so does the jealousy. Seeing him with that woman again is slowly eating away at me. All weekend, I’ve tried to ignore how happy Ruby looked when she saw him or how her voice changed an octave. I shouldn’t care that the man I first loved is moving on with his life because I have. Right?
When I get a little break, I text Everleigh and ask if she’d like to grab a quick lunch. She’s been so busy at the boutique with all the fall sales and decorating for Halloween that it’s been hard to get together, but she agrees to meet me. As soon as noon rolls around, Dad and I leave the garage at the same time and go our separate ways. It takes me a couple of minutes to walk to the deli where Everleigh is happily waiting in a booth by the big windows. She waves at me with her million-dollar smile, and I hurry inside. Once I sit, we order our chicken ranch wraps and sweet teas.
“So, what’s new?” She grins, raising her eyebrows. It’s the first time we’ve been face-to-face since I slept over after Robert and I had that big fight three weeks ago.
I bite my lip. “Nothing much. Did wedding shit all weekend. Winnie is like a cracked-out wedding junkie,” I tell her.
“Really? Need any help deciding on anything? Like who your maid of honor will be?” She waggles her brows, and I laugh at her obvious tone. I don’t want to have to pick between her and Katie, so I’ve pushed it off.
I shake my head. “Nah. I just randomly picked things. Honestly, Robert would be better off doing all this, considering he’s so meticulous about the colors, cake, and the song for our first dance.” I quickly change the subject, hoping she takes the bait. “How’s the boutique?”
She grabs a pack of crackers from the caddy and opens them. “Great. Super busy. You sure you don’t want a weekend job?” she asks around a mouthful, probably hoping I’ll say yes this time. “I can’t even guilt Tyler into helping me anymore since he got a job at the gym.”
My cheeks heat at the mention of Tyler and how I had no idea he was employed there, too. No wonder he’s not having any problems moving on from our heated make-out session.
Swallowing hard, I push the images of that night out of my head. “Girl, you should put an ad in the paper. I’m sure you’d have a handful of teenagers dying to be at your beck and call for an employee discount,” I tease. “I wish I had the time, but between the garage and wedding planning, there’d be no extra time.” I groan.
She playfully rolls her eyes. “I guess that’s a good enough reason, but if you change your mind, hit me up,” she sing-songs.
As I think about my next words, my heart begins to race. “Tyler didn’t show up today. Is…everything okay?” I can’t help the hesitation in my voice.
“I think so. All he told me was he had something to do in Vegas. I drove him to the airport yesterday afternoon, and I’ll pick him up late Tuesday night. He didn’t give me much info, regardless of how hard I tried. Honestly, I thought you were aware because he said he was approved to be off work. Sorry, I would’ve mentioned it otherwise.” She narrows her eyes. “It’s suspicious that no one knows what he’s doing in Vegas, right?”
“It is,” I say with a nod. I think about him leaving again and moving back to Sin City, but then I think about Ruby. Would he leave her too?
“What?” She watches me, noticing my mood change.
I force a smile and try not to act too curious. “Does Tyler have a girlfriend?”
Everleigh is in stitches over my question, but I don’t think it’s that funny. “A girlfriend?” She snorts. It’s obvious she has no idea about Ruby, but I won’t be the one to tell her because it’s not my business to do so.
“He’s never had a girlfriend—other than you, of course—and he probably won’t start now. It’s not in our blood to be in relationships.” There’s a sadness in her tone when she talks, and I figure it’s because of how they grew up. The only healthy marriage they witnessed was their grandparents’. Everleigh shows me her ringless finger and wiggles her hand.
“I suppose. Though, if it’s any consolation, any man would be lucky to be with you. Assuming he could wrangle you down.” I laugh, and she throws a piece of her cracker at me.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. What do you know that you’re not telling me?” she asks as our food is set in front of us, and we thank the waitress.
I lower my eyes, looking at the plate. “Nothing at all.”
“You’re such a bad liar!” she scolds, and I meet her stare. “Is my brother dating someone?” She arches a brow, waiting for me to answer.
