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I held up that side of the bargain.
“Then why do I feel like an ass?”
“What are you doing here?” Olivia asks me, two days later. I’m sitting by the pool at her house, talking with Vaughn.
“I invited him over,” Vaughn replies to his wife. “We’re talking about cars.”
“Oh, is there one you want Keaton to work on for you?”
“Yep, and I’ve almost got him talked into it.” Vaughn stands and walks over to my sister, wraps his arm around her waist, and pulls her in for a kiss. “Where are you off to?”
“Shopping with Stella and Sidney.”
My head whips up from my phone. “Sidney?”
Liv frowns. “Yeah, didn’t you know she’s back in town? We have to go find a spectacular dress for her to wear to some pretty important shindig in Nashville later this week. We’re always happy to help a woman in fashion need.”
“You’re so selfless,” Vaughn says, nuzzling her neck. “Let’s order takeout later, just you and me.”
“It’s a date.” She grins and frames his face, pulling him in for a kiss.
“Gross,” I mutter with a sigh, which only makes the two of them grin and keep kissing.
Finally, they pull apart, and Liv waves. “See you later.”
“See you,” I reply as Vaughn returns to his seat across from me. “Did you know Sid was back?”
“I would have no reason to know that,” he replies easily. “The interesting thing is, you didn’t know.”
I shake my head, ready to change the subject already.
“Let’s talk about the car. I think you should go with the ‘66 Charger. It was the first year it was made, and it’s a sweetheart of a car.”
“Okay, I’m good with that. How long do you think it’ll take you to find one?” Vaughn asks.
“Hard to say. I’ll start putting out the word that I’m looking for one. Could take a few weeks, could be a year. I couldn’t get it on the calendar until this winter, though, even for family.”
Vaughn grins. “That’s pretty fucking awesome, man. Good for you.”
“Thanks. We’ll start talking specifics once I find the vehicle for you. You can have any paint color, leather, you name it.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Out of curiosity, what’s the cost?”
I blow out a breath, thinking it over. “It’ll probably be a couple thousand for the car, depending on the condition. Then, you add in materials, engine, transmission, paint, and leather…” I tip my head from side to side. “Probably about a buck fifty.”
Vaughn’s eyebrow lifts. “A hundred and fifty thousand dollars?”
“Give or take. That’s the family discount. It might not be that much.”
“Damn, Keaton, you’re running one hell of a business.”
“What do you bring in per film these days?”
Now my brother-in-law grins across from me. “It varies, but averages somewhere around eight to ten million.”
I knew that. “Hell of a business.”
“Touché.” Vaughn holds his beer up to clink it to mine. “Your sister is fucking proud of you.”
“Big sisters are supposed to be proud. I could be flipping burgers somewhere, and she’d still be proud. Not that there’s anything wrong with flipping burgers. I like a good cheeseburger.”
“I hear that. And yeah, that’s true. She’d be proud either way, but she gets excited when the family talks about your business. It’s cool to watch.”
“Liv is the best there is, even if she is a pain in my ass half the time.” I take a swig of beer. “I’ll keep you posted on the Charger. It’ll be a sweet ride when I’m done with it.”
“Do that. I’m excited about getting started, but I also respect your schedule. There’s no rush. Do you mind if I swing by once in a while to watch once you get started on her?”
“I don’t mind. I might put you to work.”
“That doesn’t bother me.”
He walks me to the door and shakes my hand when I’m on the way out.
“Tell Sidney I said hi when you manage to track her down.” His grin is smug.
“Who said I was going to do that?”
He just laughs and closes the door in my face.
I jump into the Bronco and start it up, then push my hands through my hair.
Yeah, I’ll go find Sid later tonight and get things straightened out.
She hasn’t called or texted me. Obviously, she’s pissed, and I get it, but she’s back in Seattle, and she hasn’t said a word to me. Nothing.
The shopping spree has to be long over, so I pull into her parking spot in the underground garage and take the elevator up to her floor.
I could have texted to let her know that I’m on my way, but that would only give her an opportunity to shut me down, and I will get this cleared up with her. Now that we’re both calm, we can have a conversation about the whole situation. I can apologize, and we can just move the hell on. I missed her over the past few days, and I need to get my hands on her.
