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Mack nods. "You’re probably right about that, but tonight, I need you to show me where the community is so I can take a look."
I pop open my clutch to pull out my cell. "I’ll phone my driver."
His enormous warm hand settles over mine. My eyes snap up to meet his as the delicious warmth of his hand covers mine like a glorious electric blanket. "Don’t bother. Come with me. I’ve got my truck outside, and I’ll make sure you get home safe and sound tonight."
Oh, what the hell. What are the chances the girls will still be up by the time he drops me off?
"Fine. Let’s go."
He holds up his arm, ushering me toward the front exit. I bite my tongue as a victorious gleam shimmers in his wide, expressive eyes. If he thinks that this is a game and that he’s winning, he couldn’t be more wrong.
MACK
The lady in blue that I spent the night fantasizing about is Brooke. Fuck me, I wasn’t expecting that.
Yanking open my passenger side door, I turn and extend my hand. It’s probably not entirely necessary, given the running board along the base of the truck and the various handle options, but I’m not going to miss one opportunity to feel Brooke Sheridan’s hand in mine.
I often imagined when I first left for overseas and she wandered down south to start over, what I might say if I saw her again. I used to think I’d be an asshole, make it known that after she left me with a shattered heart, she meant less than nothing to me.
But once I set my eyes on her and could see it was really her, I haven’t been able to stop grinning. Hell, I’m a sap and didn’t even know it. Maybe had this happened several years earlier, I’d feel sharp pangs of regret and the jagged barbs of fury. But all I feel now is happy, happy to see her again, that she’s okay. She’s as stunning as the last day I saw her, which is no surprise. Brooke has always been the most beautiful girl in the world to me, and some things don’t change.
"You drive a Ford now? I thought you told your father there’d be snowflakes in hell before you step foot into one of these. You were always a Chevy man."
I chuckle as I take her hand and help her settle into her seat. She looks like an angel in her blue silk dress. I rake my fingers through my hair to keep my hands busy so I’m not tempted to reach over and pull her to me. Seeing her sitting in my truck is doing funny things to my resolve, and suddenly it feels like the years are melting away.
"This is my father’s truck, and yeah, I was a Chevy man, that’s for damn sure. But I was a younger man then, hot-headed without a cause."
She giggles, and it’s music to my ears. "Mack, are you the older, more mature version of Drake?"
"Woah, I wouldn’t go that far, but something along those lines," I tease.
Closing her door, I walk around the front of my truck and suck some oxygen into my muddled mind. I yank open the driver’s side door and hop in. "Yeah, I inherited this slightly dated F150 a few years back and haven’t had the heart to get rid of it since my father passed away a little over a year ago."
She gasps, and her liquid blue eyes fill with loss and concern. Her tiny hand reaches for my forearm. "Oh, my God, Drake, I’m so sorry."
I try to grin and just shrug. "Thanks. He battled cancer for a few years, but it spread too far too fast for the doctors to keep up. He was a good man and led a good life. My mom’s doing okay. She moved to Tennessee to live near my aunt. Those two are both widows now and thick as thieves."
Brooke smiles, pulls away, and nods. "I’m still sorry."
I reach up and adjust the rearview mirror. "Anyway, it sounds like we’ve got a job to do tonight. So let’s not keep Mr. Brocker waiting."
She tucks a few stray whisps of hair behind her ear. "About that."
"Uh, oh. This doesn’t sound good." I smile and she rolls her eyes.
"Yeah, about that, Dra—Mack. About that, Mack."
I wink at her, and her cheeks color. "Good save there."
She clears her throat, and her voice turns serious. "We can’t both work here. It would be unprofessional and awkward, and since I was the first to start working here, I think it would only be fair if you turned down this job."
"I couldn’t agree more."
She takes a deep breath as though gearing up for a fight but stops cold in her tracks. "Really? You agree, and you’re just going to walk away from Brocker’s offer?"
I nod. "Yeah. I agree with everything you said. There’s no way we could work together with our history without us sliding into murky waters. If there’s one thing I’ve learned recently, it’s the importance of maintaining professionalism. Call it a goal of mine, if you will."
Her gorgeous blue eyes search mine, and the cutest little frown furrows her midnight brows. "Seriously? Just like that?"
