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The man rolled his eyes. He’d probably never had someone fight so hard against receiving a car. He looked down at the paper again. “Looks like a Mr. Steele had it sent. If you don’t want the car, take it up with him. But I’ve got to deliver it. That’s my job.”
Before Kat could open her mouth to ask which Mr. Steele had sent it, he flipped the switch again and the cable lowered the SUV the rest of the way to the ground. The man finally climbed down from the cab and busied himself unhooking things and getting everything set up so he could leave. Then he raised the flatbed back into position and walked over to where she was waiting.
“Sign here,” he said.
She was too tired to fight with him. She signed the paperwork, which drew an audible sigh of relief from the driver. Then he handed over a pair of k
ey fobs.
“There are worse things than waking up to a new Lexus,” he pointed out. “Have a nice day,” he added, before crawling back into his cab and disappearing down the street.
Kat looked at the keys in her hand in disbelief, then slowly made her way over to the SUV. It was beautiful, with sporty lines and elegant chrome details. It had to be the latest model, with top-of-the-line trim features. The interior had red-and-black leather seats and a shiny polished wood-and-leather dashboard. It made her old Jeep look like it was made from papier-mâché or Tinkertoys or something.
It was exactly the kind of car she would have chosen for herself if she could’ve had any car in the whole world. Each detail, from the sunroof to the wheels, was perfect.
But she couldn’t accept a gift like this. Not from Finn and certainly not from Sawyer.
Kat reluctantly walked back into her house and hunted down her phone from where she’d left it the night before. There, on her screen, was a text from Sawyer, answering her question at last.
Do you like it?
Kat rolled her eyes and shook her head before texting back. Of course I like it, she responded. But I can’t accept it.
Her phone rang precisely five seconds later, with Sawyer’s number coming up on the screen. “Come get your car,” she answered without saying hello.
“Good morning to you, too,” he said in an irritatingly chipper voice. He knew full well how she would react to a gift like that and he seemed to be reveling in it.
“Good morning, Sawyer. Now will you please tell me why there’s a brand-new Lexus in my driveway? Where is my Jeep?”
“Your Jeep is at the repair shop. I had it towed there early this morning. The guy took a look at it and said it’s on its last legs. The starter has gone out, which is why it won’t turn over, but he didn’t feel right charging you to fix that because the whole engine would need to be rebuilt before too long, anyway. I can’t have you stranded on the side of the road, pregnant and at the mercy of random bystanders.”
Kat had been afraid that the news about her Jeep wouldn’t be good, but this was even worse than she’d expected. “And so naturally, you bought me a new car instead?”
“Naturally.” She could almost hear his smug grin in his voice.
“Sawyer...” Kat said in a stern tone.
“Hear me out,” Sawyer argued. “You need a new car.”
“That may be true, but it doesn’t mean that you need to sweep in and buy one for me. If the Jeep is DOA, then I’ll go get something else. You buying it after last night makes it feel like some sort of thank-you-for-the-sex gift.”
Sawyer laughed over the phone line. It was one of the first times she’d ever heard him really, truly laugh. She liked the sound of it and wished she was with him in person to see if his eyes lit up or his dimple was on display. Finally, the laughter faded. “Do you really think I give cars to all the women I sleep with?”
“Well, no...”
“That would be an expensive habit, even for me, Kat. The truth is that yours isn’t safe for you to drive and it certainly won’t be safe to take my new niece or nephew around town, either. My brother asked me to keep an eye on things until he can get back, and in my opinion, the best thing I could do is get you a safe vehicle to drive.”
While Kat was relieved it wasn’t a morning-after gift, she still couldn’t take something like that from him. Or from anyone. Even from Finn and his team of bribing attorneys, although they’d offered her everything but a car in their settlement package. “I can’t accept this, Sawyer.”
“That’s a shame, since you currently have nothing else to drive. I can tell the mechanic to try and get your Jeep running, but it won’t be a quick fix. I hope you don’t have anything you need to do the next few days.”
Kat sighed. “I actually have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday. Not to mention going to the District to work.”
“Well, there’s no way your car will be ready that soon. The guy only took it in today as a favor to me. How about this? Since you need a car to get around, drive the Lexus for a couple of days. I’ll see what he can do with your Jeep. If he can get it running, I will take the Lexus off your hands. Maybe I’ll give it to Morgan for her birthday.”
Kat was more suspicious of this than anything. He’d backed down quicker than she expected. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely. Red isn’t really Morgan’s color, but I think she’ll like it.”
