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“Actually, this is Hannah’s twin sister, Hallie—Hannah’s manager.”
“I’m so sorry.” Chad looked chagrined for a second before saying, “You two look exactly alike. Exactly.”
Hallie pulled her hand from Chad’s and waved off the apology. “Don’t worry about it. You wouldn’t believe how often it happens. Even with people we’ve known for years.” She dragged out the word years and slid a feisty glance over at Gavin when she did it.
Wasn’t she so funny.
“Same price range as the trucks?” Chad asked Gavin.
“No limit. Show us the best you have. I’m feeling spendy today.”
Chad’s eyes popped with excitement before he scampered off, promising to return with keys. Gavin turned to Hallie, expecting to see excitement on her pretty face. Instead, she regarded him sternly.
“Do you know how much money you waste by leasing? Buying is the more financially sound decision. And if you were smart you would drive a used car rather than new, which loses thirty percent of its value the moment you drive it off the lot.”
“I feel like you misunderstood me when I extended this invitation. I wanted your advice on style, not price. Besides, it’s no fun to drive a used car.”
“There’s more to life than fun—” She paused, her mouth hanging open for a beat before she bit her lip.
“A belief we’re going to work on changing for you today.” He offered his hand. “Come with me.”
She hesitated for a beat before slipping her hand into his. He guided her through the showroom to stand in front of a tricked-out, completely impractical, bumblebee yellow sports car. His mouth over her ear, he murmured, “Driving this beauty off the showroom floor without haggling over price—now that’s fun.”
She peered at him through her eyelashes, the edge of her smile appearing and giving him a preview of one delicious dimple. He couldn’t help admiring her full mouth, or leaning closer. Unfortunately, Chad showed up at that moment and ushered them outside.
Hallie didn’t know what Gavin was up to, but she had to admit picking out an incredibly expensive, indulgent and, yes, fun sports car was the highlight of her day.
Of course, that could be partly because he’d not only been standing very close to her since they arrived at the dealership, but was also holding her hand as they admired a sleek red sports car.
“The color’s Candied Apple,” Chad said when Hallie touched the gleaming hood. “Excellent choice. Want to take her for a spin?”
“Yes.” Gavin smiled down at her. “We would.”
Chad opened the passenger-side door for her and then rounded to the driver’s side. Gavin lowered onto the leather seat and gripped the wheel with both hands. After a brief tutorial from Chad, the salesman waved them off.
“We’ll have her back within the hour,” Gavin said.
Chad patted the top of the car. “Take your time.” Then he jogged across the parking lot to greet his next customer.
“Is it the Sutherland name that beckons this sort of VIP treatment?” Hallie ran her hand over the leather dashboard. It really was a beautiful car, and she’d never been much of a car girl.
“It could be, but in Chad’s case, I think it’s mostly gratitude for keeping him from getting the hell beat out of him in high school.” Gavin put the car into gear and rolled out of the parking lot, navigating into the busy afternoon traffic.
“You protected him?”
“You sound surprised. You don’t think I could? He and I might be roughly the same size now, but he was a skinny fifteen-year-old.”
She had to laugh at Gavin’s cockiness. Chad was passably attractive and basically the same size as Gavin, but the car salesman didn’t have the fantastic jawline or scruff Gavin had. Chad was wider in the shoulders with a touch of a belly at his belt line, whereas Gavin was as sleek and muscular as a jungle cat. She’d had the privilege of noting his rippling muscles whenever he’d been shirtless on the boat. He worked hard on his body. She’d seen the evidence whenever he arrived at the studio after a run, sweat sparkling on his brow.
Sort of like the sweat on her own brow now. She swiped it away and turned her thoughts from Gavin—clothed or unclothed.
“I’m not surprised,” she said. “Protecting people is what you do. Though nowadays from more than losing their lunch money.”
He glanced away from the road long enough to send her a warm smile. Like the compliment had touched him. But that couldn’t have been a revelation. He had to know he was a good person.
She’d always admired his laid-back style. He wasn’t pushy, but he was firm. He was likable, funny, and his clients trusted him without exception. Hannah hadn’t hesitated to work with him after she and Will were together. And Presley had been singing Gavin’s praises for as long as Hallie had known her. No way could Gavin have missed the hero worship coming at him from all sides.
She focused out the windshield as the next turn took them away from busy traffic and toward proper country territory. Beaumont Bay was a bustling, wealthy, busy city, but there was still plenty of undeveloped, untouched land. Mountain View Lake and the trees beyond hid numerous large houses in their hills you wouldn’t notice if you weren’t looking for them.
