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“Sorry, I was deep in thought.”
“I saw that. You need an oil change. I figure while I do that, I might as well do the works.”
“The works?”
“Filters, fluids, belts. I don’t imagine you want a full breakdown?”
I scrunched my nose, shaking my head. “Yeah, hard pass.”
He chuckled, tossing his head back. My heart raced, watching his Adam’s apple vibrate. “Didn’t think you did.”
“Are you sure about doing it yourself? I can take it to a mechanic.”
“I am a mechanic. I don’t mind. I like working on cars when I’m not designing houses.”
“Well, okay. If you say so.”
“I do.” The affirming tone in his voice comforted me. Still, I felt like I was burdening him and ruining his Sunday. “If you want to get out of the car and hop in the truck, I’ll hook it up and tow it over to my place.”
“Sure.” I did as he instructed.
Minutes later, we were on our way. Derek drove on a backroad instead of the freeway to his house. I hadn’t been into the valley yet. It was different, flat as I’d expect a valley to be. His neighborhood had a smattering of properties, ranches as he called them.
Derek’s home was tucked into the back corner of a cul-de-sac. I liked that it wasn’t a subdivision like you’d find in California. Homes one on top of the other never appealed to me. I preferred space and privacy. Derek had that abundantly here.
He parked along the side of his house in front of an oversized garage. The smudge on the side of his nose bugged me the whole way to his house. When he exited the truck, I did so as well.
I hung back on the side, not sure what to do next, fidgeting with my fingers.
“You can hang out in the house if you’d like.”
“I’d rather not. I’ll stay out here. It’s not cold in here.”
The corner of his lip curled up. “It’s a heated workshop.”
“Oh, that explains it.”
Like the inside of his truck, the garage was clean and tidy. Organization abounded. Dozens of hooks on the walls held tools; there was a wall of cabinets, a large metal cart thingy on wheels, and other equipment I didn’t know anything about. Derek took his craft quite seriously. I knew something about that with my passion for planning events and keeping everything organized.
He pulled a stool over near the car. “If you’d like to sit.” He patted the seat. “There’s water and pop in the fridge over there… and beer.” He jerked his chin to the left.
I turned in the direction his serious olive-green eyes went.
“Well, you seem to have it all out here. I bet you even have a radio so it’s not so quiet.”
He grinned wide, picking up a remote. With a click of a button, country music filled the space.
“A little cocky, aren’t you?”
“A lotta cocky.” He winked. “But I like quiet too.”
My cheeks heated. That smudge on his face tempted me to rub it off. I wanted to touch him. It was insanity. Clearly, I was starved for attention, physical touch, companionship. And why wouldn’t I be after what Will put me through?
I hadn’t been kissed, held, or made love to in two weeks. Despite Will’s affair, he’d continued to give me affection abundantly. I never understood how he had so much stamina.
It killed me when an image of Will fucking Cori entered my mind late at night while I was alone in a cold, empty bed. I didn’t want to be alone. I needed to be loved and cared about.
I shouldn’t care if it’s too soon to consider another man. Not when Will didn’t care enough about me. Not when it was so easy for him to shatter my hopes, dreams, and heart.
