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At the same time, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.
I stepped out and dried off, pulling out a stack of clean clothes I kept in the cupboard under the sink. They already smelled like a garage, but it was better than going home first.
Stepping out of the bathroom, I was eager to get started on work. It was the easiest way to put last night behind me. The quicker I forgot about it, the easier it would be to let go of Lily. I didn’t want to think about what would happen when she needed me to take care of the GTO. I didn’t think I could be in that barn again without everything rushing back to me.
“You slept here last night?” Ryan’s voice came from his office as I walked by.
I startled, not expecting to see him. “What are you doing here so early? You fight with Hailey?”
Then I winced at my question. I didn’t want to know what was going on between them. When they had issues early in their non-relationship, she’d come to me upset. I hadn’t even known they’d been seeing each other. Not only were they screwing around behind my back, but she’d fallen in love with him.
I wouldn’t have those issues because I didn’t get involved with anyone. I rubbed the sudden pang in my chest because I’d sure gotten involved with Lily last night—I’d gotten over her, under her, and there was more I wanted to do to her. If only I could be assured I’d get her out of my system after a few more nights like that one.
Ryan moved from behind his desk to stand in the doorway. He rested a shoulder against the frame, crossing his arms over his chest and one leg over the other. “Stop trying to distract me. What were you doing sleeping here last night after I told you we needed to hire someone? You’re supposed to be working less, not more.”
My jaw tightened. “I didn’t sleep here last night.”
“I heard the shower when I walked in. The only time you use that poor excuse for a bathroom is when you work late and sleep on the couch.”
“I didn’t work late. A customer asked me to come and look at her grandfather’s GTO.” I moved into my office, needing to sit. I was tired from last night. I hadn’t slept great, not with waking up to move from the barn to the house and a second round of sex.
“What does that have to do with you showering in the garage?” Ryan persisted as he followed me to stand in front of my desk.
“Lily wanted to clean out the barn so she can hold events there—wedding receptions or parties or whatever. I wasn’t listening to the details.”
His brow raised when I said the customer was Lily. “And?”
“Her grandfather owned it. She didn’t know if it was valuable or what to do with it. She wants me to fix it up and sell it.”
“Are you going to do it?”
I let out a breath that I’d drawn Ryan into the conversation. Hopefully, he’d forgotten about my early morning shower. “It’s a limited-edition Tiger Gold Pontiac GTO.”
His eyes widened. “Your unicorn.”
I’d always wanted one, but every GTO that came into my shop was being held tightly by its owner, and I’d never seen the gold one before. She didn’t understand its value. I was hopeful this was my chance, but at the same time, I didn’t want to take advantage of Lily.
“What are you going to do?”
“Tow it. See what it needs to be restored. It looked like it had been well taken care of, but since her grandfather’s death, it’s been abandoned. Lily’s grandma just covered it with a tarp.”
Ryan winced. “She didn’t start it or take it for a drive?”
“I don’t think so. From what Lily said, she couldn’t bear to look at it. It held a lot of memories for them. Her grandfather drove it when they first started dating.”
“That’s a nice story.”
I loved hearing the stories behind cars. Not only did it make our job more interesting, but we both enjoyed the idea of preserving memories and making people happy. There were those who collected for the sake of owning something rare or valuable, but it was the ones who wanted the vehicle restored to keep the past alive that got to me.
“You’re not thinking of using the newspaper, are you?” This car was too personal for me to push any kind of publicity. And I wanted it for myself.
“Possibly.”
I shook my head, irritated with him. “Forget about it. This one is too personal for Lily.”
Ryan narrowed his eyes at me. “I thought business came first. What’s going on between you two?”
I let out a huff of breath. “Nothing.”
