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“Nah, take it anyway. Just come and pick me up tomorrow on your way to grab your car. It’s all good, Palmer.”
“I guess I should get my groceries home. Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“I’m positive.” He smiles, and I feel that smile and its effect on me all the way to my toes.
“What are your plans for tonight now that you’re off the hook from your shoot?”
“Probably nothing. Unless you don’t mind me out hot-rodding in that truck of yours,” I tease.
“Why don’t you take your groceries home and then come back?” He looks shocked himself that he asked. It’s on the tip of my tongue to decline and let him off the hook, but he keeps going. Selling his case. “I’m meal prepping, and I can show you how I do it.”
“I’m sure you don’t want me here cramping your style.” I wave him off.
“I asked you to come back, Palmer. That means I want you here.” There’s something in his tone, it’s laced with confidence and assurance, and it’s impossible for me to say no.
“What can I do? Do I need to bring anything? Pick anything up that you might have forgotten?”
“No. Just you, Palmer.” His eyes are dark blue pools of something that I can’t name, but I damn sure wish I could.
“Okay. Well, I guess I’m going to run home, and I’ll be back. Um, you have my number now, so if you think of something….” My voice trails off.
“Drive safe. I’ll see you soon.” He nods and begins to unbag all his groceries.
* * *
My arms are loaded down with bags, because I’m that person who will overload herself to the point of falling over to prevent making more trips. Why, I have not one single idea, but that’s how I’ve always done it. My cell phone rings, but by the time I get all the bags untangled from my arms and hands, it stops, only to start again.
I dig it out of my back pocket and swipe at the screen. “Hello,” I say breathlessly.
“Hey. How’s your car?” Ramsey asks.
“Brooks thinks it’s the alternator.”
“Are you at Declan’s shop? Do you need me to come and get you? I got held up earlier, but I could slip away now.”
“No. Thanks though. Brooks let me have his truck.” I’m greeted with nothing but silence. Pulling the phone away from my ear, I check that we didn’t get disconnected. “Ramsey?”
“I’m here.”
“Oh. I thought that I lost you.”
“Did you just say that Brooks let you have his truck?” Her tone does nothing to hide her shocked reaction.
“I did.”
“That’s his baby.” I can hear the surprise in her voice.
“Men are crazy about their trucks around here. I asked him several times, and he insisted it was fine. Wait, do you think he’s just trying to be nice because you and I are besties, and it’s really driving him insane right now that I have his truck?”
“Palmer, I… no. If I know anything about Brooks, hell, any of my cousins, they’re honest people. He would have told you he’d drive you if he had an issue with it, or he wouldn’t have offered at all. I’m just shocked, I guess. He loves that truck.”
“It’s not like I’m going to be out tearing up cornfields with it. I’m actually just driving back to his place tonight, and then I’ll come home and wait for Declan to call me, telling me my car is ready. I’ll go pick up Brooks and take him to the shop with me so he can get his truck back when I pick up my car.”
“Wait. Wait. Wait. Hold up. You’re going back to Brooks’s house tonight?”
“Yeah. We went to the store together, and my client canceled, and he invited me back to show me this meal prepping he does.” I try like hell to keep the excitement out of my voice. The thought of spending more one-on-one time with Brooks has me giddy, but I won’t let that show. Not even to my best friend.
“Am I dreaming?” Ramsey asks.
