Chapter 18
PRESLEY
“What’s this?”
“It’s your money.” I placed the envelope on his desk and slid it toward him. “It’s all there. The loan and what you let me borrow.”
“Already?” His brown eyes were wide with curiosity as he opened the envelope and glanced inside. “How’d you manage that?”
“We decided not to do the remodel on the salon.”
“Um-hmm.”
“I just don’t need it anymore.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes. I’m positive.” I met his stare as I said, “I appreciate your help. I really do, but I’m good. I want you to have this back, and let’s try to pretend that none of this happened.”
He opened his mouth like he was going to argue but then thought better of it. The room fell quiet for a moment, so I took the chance to say, “I didn’t get a chance to ask you the other day, but how are things going? Are you seeing anyone?”
“Oh, uh…” He stammered, like I’d caught him off guard. “Uh, yeah. I mean, no. Well. Sort of. Maybe... It’s complicated.”
That told me all I needed to know.
“As long as you are happy.”
“I am.” He looked up, and his expression softened. “I want the same for you. Always have.”
He stood and pulled me in for a hug. It was brief but sincere. “If you ever need anything, all you have to do is call. Doesn’t matter what it is. I’ll always be there for you.”
“I appreciate that, Gary.”
And just like that, it felt like a chapter closing, even more so than it did when we divorced, and I walked out of his office without carrying the past with me.
When I got back out to the van, Lila Kate was still in the passenger seat, waiting for me, and it was clear from her bright smile that she was excited about something.
I barely got in and closed the door before she’d shoved her phone in my face and announced, “I think I found a car. It’s a little more than I wanted to spend, but the miles are good. And it has a clean title.”
“Okay.” I glanced at the screen and nodded. “We can go check it out after we pick up mine.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” Excitement filled her eyes. “I can’t believe we’re really getting our life back.”
“We got lucky. Very, very lucky.” I raised my brow. “I hope you learned your lesson with all this.”
“Oh, I did,” she answered quickly. “You don’t have to worry about that, but it hasn’t been ALL bad. You and Luke would’ve never crossed paths again without me.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Oh, I do,” she giggled. “You’re way too much of a stick in the mud to ever give a man like him a second look.”
“That’s not true.”
“Pfft, yes, it is. Old Presley would’ve avoided him like the plague.”
“That’s not fair. I was just trying to play it smart,” I argued, feeling heat creep up my cheeks. “And for the record, I’ve learned my lesson about all that. No more judging books by the covers and all that.”
“Oh?”
“Um-hmm. I’m going to be more open-minded about people and possibilities. I’m turning a new leaf.”
“That’s awesome, Pres.” Her smile softened, moving from teasing to pride. “I like this new version of you.”
“I like it, too.”
I drove straight to the car dealership, and like they’d promised, they had the paperwork waiting for me. I signed on the dotted line, and a half an hour later, I was sitting behind the wheel of my new car.
It wasn’t anything special. Just something that would get me from point A to point B, but it was mine and I was proud to have it. With a smile on my face, I left the van at the dealership and drove over to check out the car Lila Kate had found.
We pulled into the smaller used lot on the edge of town, and Lila Kate’s eyes lit up as she pointed to the off-white Rogue parked out front. It was freshly washed and practically gleaming. I’d barely killed the engine when she opened the door and rushed over to it.
When I walked up, she smiled and said, “It’s so pretty.”
She was right. It was pretty, and the price couldn’t have been better. It seemed to be perfect. Almost too perfect. Suspiciously so. I walked around it, checking for anything that might catch my eye, and I couldn’t deny that it looked pretty good.
The tires looked to be in good shape, and the paint seemed to be in good shape. I was checking out the rear when the salesman walked up. He looked like he was in his late forties, and his hair was slicked back like it hadn’t moved since the early 2000s.
He was all smiles as he greeted us, “Hello there, ladies. I’m Daniel.”
“Hey, Daniel. I think I spoke with you earlier,” Lila Kate replied. “I’m Lila, and this is my sister, Presley.”
“Nice to meet you both.” He placed his hand on the Rogue as he said, “You have good taste. She’s a good one.”
“How long have you had her?”
“Just a week or so,” he answered smoothly.
“And it’s just one owner?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“No accidents?”
His smile never faltered as he answered, “None that are listed on the Carfax.”
“Mind if I see that report?”
“Sure thing. Just let me run back inside and grab it.”
“Thanks.”
He turned and started back inside. Once he was out of earshot, Lila Kate stepped over to me and said, “I could ask Smitty to come by and look it over for us. Just to be safe.”
“I’ll get Luke.” I already had my phone in my hand, messaging him when I said, “He’ll be able to tell us if it’s really as good as it looks.”
“Good idea.”
Seconds later, the salesman returned and offered me the Carfax. I looked it over for a moment, but I didn’t see any red flags. They’d done all the typical maintenance, and there was no sign of any accidents or repairs. “It looks good.”
“So, you girls ready for me to draw up the paperwork?”
His smile tightened when I said, “Um, not just yet. I have a friend who’s going to come and check it out. Maybe give it a test drive.”
“I see. Well, that’s good. Just let me know how I can be of help.”
The words had barely left his mouth when Luke’s bike rumbled into the lot like it owned the place. He parked and pulled off his helmet, and when I saw his disheveled hair and sexy smirk, it was all I could do to keep my knees from giving out on me.
The man had done a real number on me.
I couldn’t even look at him without thinking about all the wicked things he’d done to me. I could almost feel his mouth on my neck. On my shoulder. On my stomach, and everywhere else. I’d never had a night like that before, and I wasn’t sure I would again.
I hoped him agreeing to check out the car was a good sign.
When he started over to us, Daniel stepped back, giving us some space. He came over and kissed me on the cheek as he whispered, “Hey there, beautiful.”
“Hey.” Just being close to him had me blushing, and I could feel the heat of it as it crept up my neck. “Thanks for coming.”
“No need to thank me.” His eyes skirted over me, and his sexy smirk grew wider. “Gave me an excuse to see you.”
Without another word, he turned his attention to the Rogue.
He walked around it slowly, methodically, and crouched to look underneath it. That’s when I heard him ‘hmmmph’ for the first time. He popped the hood and started the engine, then walked around and gave everything a good look. That’s when I heard ‘hmmmph’ for a second time.
His expression didn’t give anything away, but it was clear from his clenched jaw that something wasn’t right. And I must say, he looked so damn hot and confident and sexy looking things over. It was one of those moments where I wished I had one of those T-shirts that said, ‘I’m with him.’
After a few seconds, he turned to me and said, “I’ll be right back.”
I nodded and watched as he walked over to the salesman and started talking. Their voices were too low for me to actually hear what they were saying, but it wasn’t long before the salesman’s smile started to fade. Luke, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed.
A few minutes later, Luke came back over to us and smiled.
“Well,” Lila asked impatiently.
“There’s good news and bad news.” He crossed his arms as he leaned against the hood.
“The car’s solid, other than what looks to be an oil pan issue.
Owner probably hit a curb or something, but it’s nothing that Skid and I can’t fix.
The good news is I was able to get you an even better deal. Took another grand off.”
“Seriously?” Luke gave her a quick nod, and Lila Kate squealed and launched herself at him, hugging him as she chanted, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“No problem.” He gave her a little pat on the shoulder. “But you owe me one now. One of those coffee drinks you girls like, or a beer. I’m flexible.”
“You got it.”
And just like that, Luke had saved the day once again, and he’d done it so easily.
He’d not only stepped right into the middle of our mess like he was part of it, but he actually seemed happy to be there.
He was still smiling when he turned to me and asked, “What do you girls have planned for later?”
“Well, right now, I’m about to head over to the jeweler and see about getting my grandmother’s ring back.
” Just saying it out loud made my chest tighten.
“Lila Kate will finish up here and head into work, and I’ll probably just go home for the night…
Oh, I almost forgot. I have to go pick up Chrissy and take her to get the van from the other dealership. ”
“I’ll take care of that.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know. I want to... It’s nothing to it. I’ll get Smitty or one of the boys to drop it off. I just need the keys.”
“That would be great.” I reached into my purse and pulled out the keys, offering them to him. “You just keep saving the day.”
“It’s my job.” He gave me a wink. “I’ve got a shift at the casino tonight. Why don’t you swing by, and we can grab a bite to eat?”
“Sure. I’d love to.”
“You two are so cute I might barf,” Lila Kate whined.
I gave her a playful nudge. “We’re not that bad.”
“Oh, but you are.” She smiled. “And I love it.”
And just like that, standing in the middle of some no-name car lot with my sister and Luke, it felt like things in my life were finally clicking into place.
Sadly, it wasn’t a feeling that would last for very long.
I left the car lot and drove over to the jewelers.
I walked into the jeweler's feeling almost excited. It had killed me that I’d had to sell my grandmother’s ring, and I was looking forward to getting it back. I thought it would be a quick stop until I walked through the front door and came face-to-face with the jeweler.
He wouldn’t even meet my eyes when I walked up to the counter and said, “Hi, Mr. Pratt. I’m not sure if you remember me, but I came in a few days ago and sold my grandmother’s ring.”
“I remember.”
“Great. Well, I’m here to see about buying it back.”
“Oh, well…” He cleared his throat and grimaced when he said, “I’m sorry, but the ring’s already been sold.”
“What?” I gasped. “That’s not possible. You promised to hold it until the end of the month. You said you noted it on the account.”
“Yes, I know, and I did.” He let out a breath. “I was out sick yesterday, and my daughter sold it.”
“But that was my grandmother’s ring!”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” He sighed like this was just a simple inconvenience instead of my heart being broken. “It was a mistake. Things happen. It’s a risk you take when you sell a family heirloom like that.”
“You gave me your word.”
“I can offer you a store credit or help you find something similar.”
“It was my grandmother’s ring. It’s irreplaceable.”
“You should’ve thought about that before you sold it.”
There was no sympathy in his tone or compassion in his eyes. He didn’t feel bad about what had happened. Why would he? It was just more money in his pocket, and I was left with nothing. I felt completely defeated as I turned and walked out of the store.
By the time I reached the sidewalk, the tears were already burning my eyes.
It was my fault. I knew the risk when I sold the ring.
I knew there was a good chance that I wouldn’t get it back.
That didn’t make it any easier. And to make matters worse, it wouldn’t be the only disappointment I faced that night.
There was more to come.
Much more.