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She checked her watch. “Not for a while yet, if that’s okay with you?”
Clay grinned. “That’s just fine by me, darlin’. I was hoping that we’d have time for a drink and to catch up with everyone first.”
“Of course, Autumn and Matt are in a booth over there with Brock and Carson.”
Clay laughed. “Thanks, but I didn’t mean with them. I get to talk to them all the time – and that’s work.” He jerked his chin toward another booth where two older couples were sitting. “I meant them. But before that, before everything gets too crazy and I forget, I have a little something for you.”
Tori gave him a puzzled look, but before she got the chance to say anything, Xander appeared at her side. “Hi, thanks so much for coming.”
Clay chuckled. “You’re welcome; we don’t need to go through that again, Tori here just did all the thanking I need. But I was just telling her that I do have a little something for you guys.”
Xander exchanged a look with Tori, but she was no wiser than he was. They both watched as Clay stuck his hand in the pocket of his jeans and took out a key.
He nodded at Tori as he held it out to her. “Go on, take it.”
She reached out for it, but hesitated when she recognized it. “That’s…”
“It sure is,” said Clay.
She looked up at him in confusion.
“I was talking to your mom – don’t go getting mad at her, she didn’t ask me or anything – and when she told me about how the two of you managed to get this place renovated and up and running while sharing one truck, it hit me that there was something I could do for you. Go on, take it,” he insisted.
Tori took the key and looked down at it. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say a damn thing.” Clay winked at her. “You can come and get it any time. I was going to bring it tonight, but then I thought you probably don’t need to worry about finding someone else fit to drive when you get done later. I will have to borrow it back from you whenever Autumn gets around to placing this damn video shoot, but that will only take a few days.”
Tori looked from him to Xander and back again; she really didn’t know what to say.
“Thank you so much,” said Xander. He smiled at her. “We really did grow attached to that old truck.”
“I thought as much.” Clay smiled. “The only reason that I picked that one out for this damn video is that it reminds me of the truck I drove to Nashville when I first moved there.”
“Oh! Then you should keep it yourself,” said Tori.
Clay shook his head. “No. I’ll never drive the damn thing. It would only sit and gather dust at my place. When I heard that you guys could actually use it, I loved the idea of you having it. And besides, if you’re driving it, I’ll see it around town. I like that idea.”
“What’s going on here?” They all turned to see Tori’s mom giving them a puzzled look. “Is everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine,” said Clay.
“Mr. Mac… Clay is giving us the truck.”
Her mom’s eyebrows shot up. “He is?” She looked at Clay and then back at them.
For the first time since they’d arrived here, Tori felt nervous about what her mom might say next. She held her breath for a moment.
“Clayton MacAdam!”
All Tori’s breath came out as a laugh when she saw the expression on Clay’s face. She hadn’t thought of him as being the kind of guy who anyone dared to castigate, but then again, this was her mom.
“Why, Alexandria, do you have a problem with me, darlin?”
Tori exchanged a glance with Marianne and couldn’t suppress a giggle at the way Clay laid on a deep Southern drawl that she’d only ever heard him use on stage.
Her mom narrowed her eyes at him. “Yes, I do.” She glanced at Tori, who was relieved to see that she was smiling. “It’s bad enough that I didn’t get to buy my daughter and her fiancé the home that they’ve just moved into. When I realized that I’d been foiled in my attempts to do so, my next best plan was to buy them a car.”
Tori’s heart thudded to a halt. Her mom had just referred to Xander as her fiancé. When she turned to him, Xander looked tense, and she could see a little pulse ticking in his jaw. Oh no, he must think that her mom was having a dig at him. She’d have to try to make things right between them later. Although, from the apologetic look her mom had just given him, it didn’t appear that she had too much of a problem with him.
