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At this pointin the interview, Hollie Berry removed her microphone. So while we can’t know exactly what she said to Mr. Tucker as a parting shot, the middle finger salute she gave him as she stormed off stage was pretty clear.
ONE
Lia
“The more things change,the more they stay the same,” I mutter.
I pull my mom’s car up to the garage bay of Henderson’s Auto Shop and peer out the windshield, taking in the old building beyond the hood. At some point, it received a fresh coat of paint, but beyond that, looks exactly the same. Fifties retro sign and all—which ironically isn’t retro since the shop opened in the fifties.
I get out of the car, the cold December air wrapping around me, and zip up my jacket. The melody of holiday classic rock music and mechanics’ tools fills the air.
I hesitate before walking into the shop. I want to drop off the car and hightail it back to my parents’ house. If I’m here too long, chances are good I’d run intohimand that isn’t something I’m prepared to do.
I don’t think I’ll ever be prepared for that.
When no one comes out of the bay to greet me, I sigh and step forward. “Hello? Anyone here?”
The sounds continue, so I walk farther ahead, crossing into the bay. The smell of gasoline and motor oil are strong and remind me of a long-ago summer when I couldn’t wait to see the man I now want to avoid.
I look around the garage, and my gaze falls to a pair of boots poking out from underneath the jacked-up sedan in front of me. I round the side of the car, keeping a wide berth as I’d been taught and clear my throat, leaning forward so Boots can hear me over all the noise.
“Excuse me, I’m here to drop off my vehicle for some service…”
The owner of the boots slides out from underneath the car, and all of the words I’ve ever learned fly right out of my head when I see him.
Jake Henderson, the man I wanted to avoid at all costs, stares up at me from his prone position. His gray-blue eyes widen slightly before his lips curl into a grin that makes his already handsome face nearly irresistible. “Well, hey there, Sunflower.”
The words are said slowly, and that raspy, deep-timbred voice sends electricity skittering down my spine.
The same way it always has.
The nickname brings back memories I want to forget.
He’s calm, cool, and collected, while I, on the other hand, have lost the ability to speak and think. Just like I always did whenever he was around me.
At least until that long-ago summer.
Pull it together, Gray.
I stand upright and square my shoulders. “Hi, Jake. I’m just dropping off my mom’s car for some maintenance work.”
He places a hand over his heart and gives me a mock pout. “Damn. And here I thought you were here to see me.”
I scoff, in spite of my heart racing in my chest. “As if…”
In one fluid motion, he rolls onto his feet and stands, towering over me. It’s sexy as hell, the way he moves. I take a step back, letting out a small breath to calm down.
He raises a brow and slings a dingy rag over one broad shoulder. “Do they let you talk likeCluelessin those fancy boardrooms?”
I let out another breath, but this one is to keep from stomping my foot or kneeing him in the balls. “No.”
Jake taps a wrench against his palm, that infuriatingly sexy grin still in place. Those eyes that always made me think of summer storms rake across my body, taking me in from head to toe. “Been a while since you been home. Looks like Seattle agrees with you.”
I can’t help myself. I give him the same head-to-toe assessment, and from the way my skin heats, my body likes what it sees.
Traitorous bitch.
Dark denim covers his long legs and strong thighs. His broad chest and six-pack abs—just looking at him, I can tell he still has both—are covered by a fitted, light-gray, long-sleeved Henley with a streak of grease on the front. Knowing him, he wiped his hand down the front of it at some point. His dark hair is tousled like someone’s hands have run through the strands.
