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“It is,” I say with a nod. I think about him leaving again and moving back to Sin City, but then I think about Ruby. Would he leave her too?
“What?” She watches me, noticing my mood change.
I force a smile and try not to act too curious. “Does Tyler have a girlfriend?”
Everleigh is in stitches over my question, but I don’t think it’s that funny. “A girlfriend?” She snorts. It’s obvious she has no idea about Ruby, but I won’t be the one to tell her because it’s not my business to do so.
“He’s never had a girlfriend—other than you, of course—and he probably won’t start now. It’s not in our blood to be in relationships.” There’s a sadness in her tone when she talks, and I figure it’s because of how they grew up. The only healthy marriage they witnessed was their grandparents’. Everleigh shows me her ringless finger and wiggles her hand.
“I suppose. Though, if it’s any consolation, any man would be lucky to be with you. Assuming he could wrangle you down.” I laugh, and she throws a piece of her cracker at me.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. What do you know that you’re not telling me?” she asks as our food is set in front of us, and we thank the waitress.
I lower my eyes, looking at the plate. “Nothing at all.”
“You’re such a bad liar!” she scolds, and I meet her stare. “Is my brother dating someone?” She arches a brow, waiting for me to answer.
One thing is for certain—Everleigh won’t let this die and will probably confront Tyler as soon as he’s home. Tucking my lips inside my mouth, I pretend as if I’m zipping them up and tossing the key.
“Did you forget who you’re talkin’ to? You can’t change the subject that easily, she continues, then takes a big bite of her wrap, but I’ve lost my appetite. “Who is she?”
“No idea. I don’t know anything about it, but thought you would if it was serious,” I confirm, which isn’t a lie. I don’t dare tell her how pretty the woman is and how she’s perfect for Tyler—fit with tattoos, bright eyes, and high cheekbones. Instead, I keep those details to myself because just thinking about her causes my blood to boil. Compared to her, I’m homely, the girl next door type. Ruby seems like she could give Tyler the best night of his life, and as much as I shouldn’t care and tell myself I don’t, there’s no denying the fact that I do.
I pick at my food, eating half of it as she talks about the shop and the new inventory she ordered. I’m happy she fills the silence because I don’t have much to say.
After we’re done eating, she hurries and grabs the check before I can, then takes care of it.
“No fair! You never let me pay.” I pretend to pout but smile and thank her. We exchange a hug, and before I turn and walk toward the garage, she looks at me.
“Everything okay between you and Tyler?”
Though a cool breeze is blowing against my cheeks, I feel like I’m on fire.
“Yeah, why?” I press, wondering if he said something about me.
She shakes her head. “Just wondering. You’ve both been…weird lately.”
I force a laugh. “No idea what you’re talking about. Everything about Tyler and me working together is weird.”
Waving her hand, she chuckles. “I guess you’re right. If you get bored tonight or tomorrow, come over! We can have a girls’ night since my brother’s gone. We can get drunk watching nineties rom-coms and eating Ben & Jerry’s.”
I grin, remembering I have to decide if I’m going to dinner with Robert tonight. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“Deal!” she tells me, and we go our separate ways. “Hope you sell out of everything today!” I shout over my shoulder.
She chuckles, giving me a thumbs-up.
The rest of the day at the garage is busy as hell. Robert texts me again about tonight, and I decide to join him. Apparently, I need to dress nice because the client we’re meeting is extremely high profile. I read between the lines of his message and know he wants to impress her. A few minutes later, he calls me.
“Hey, darling. What’re you up to?”
I smile at his genuine tone. “Just working my ass off. It’s been a Monday from hell.”
He chuckles. “Hope I’m not bothering you.”
“You’re not,” I say, as I make a fresh pot of coffee because I’m hitting my afternoon slump.
“Oh, I wanted to ask if you could write Winnie a check? She’s ordering some things for the wedding, and I’m about an hour and a half away from the house.”
“Yeah, sure. Not a problem. Can I do it when I get off at five?”
“That’s perfect. The checkbook is in the top drawer of my desk. Write it for five thousand, put it in an envelope, and place it in the mailbox. She said she’d run by after she got done with a client. I won’t have time to make it home before I pick you up for dinner.”
