Chapter 40
RAQUEL
Iwasn’t surprised by the blacked-out SUV pulling into my driveway. I’d seen enough movies to know men like Colin probably hadn’t ever seen the interior of a Ford or Chevy truck. At least, those of them who weren’t pretending to be middle class like Theo.
The SUV rolled to a stop beside my half-disassembled work van, the driver’s door opening a moment later. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it sure as hell wasn’t the man who climbed out, looking like he belonged on the cover of a finance magazine.
I didn’t think I’d ever seen someone so well dressed in real life.
Just his sunglasses probably cost more than my annual grocery bill and his shoes didn’t look like they’d ever seen a grain of dust before today.
The suit he had on fit his tall, swimmer’s frame like it’d been sewed directly onto his body and somehow even his tie seemed fancy.
I mean, he’s wearing a tie on an old horse farm outside of Quartz Pass, and he didn’t come here for a funeral. That, by itself, makes it fancy.
As he emerged from behind the door of the SUV, he looked around for a beat, probably taking in the old barn, the Airstream, and stack of lumber stacked underneath a faded green tarp, but then he spotted me and perked up immediately.
“Frieda!” he called, sounding exceptionally happy for someone who’d just gotten my name wrong. “It’s good to finally meet you. Theo has told me so much about you and his time here in your beautiful town. I must admit, this doesn’t look much like a motel.”
I sighed. “Theo also sent you to the wrong place. I’m Raquel and it doesn’t look like a motel because this isn’t the Blossom Ville. This is where I live.”
His smile faltered. “Excuse me?”
“Yeah, I think your friend might’ve done this on purpose, though.
” I walked off the porch and extended my hand toward him.
“Avery—that’s my brother—hates Theo with a fiery passion these days.
I suspect Theo sent you to me because he didn’t want you ending up in a ditch somewhere, never to be seen again. ”
“Oh.”
“You should thank him for that.”
“Fucking Theo.” Colin tipped his head back toward the sky, shook it, and then immediately gave up the scheme he and Theo seemed to have cooked up. “That makes sense, actually. He warned me that we might encounter some resistance with this acquisition if the owner found out he was involved.”
“Some resistance?” I snorted. “If that’s what he told you, he undersold it. Avery would rather burn the place to the ground and forego an insurance claim than to accept Theo’s help.”
Colin sighed and raked his fingers through his hair, but he didn’t seem particularly alarmed or even taken aback by this information. “Yeah, he mentioned we should keep what we’re doing to ourselves.”
“What exactly are you doing?” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked up at him, wishing I was just a few inches taller.
This guy towered over me and his shoulders were easily as broad as Theo’s.
He sure as hell wasn’t going to be intimidated by a grease-stained hobbit like me.
“Why did you call it an acquisition before?”
He lifted his hand to shield his face from the sun despite the fact that he was still wearing the dark glasses. “Is there someplace we could talk about this while not being grilled alive?”
I chuckled. “When did you arrive?”
“A few hours ago.”
“Well, if you think it’s bad when the sun is nearly starting to set, you’re really going to hate your buddy for sending you out here tomorrow.”
“Trust me, I’m hating him plenty already.” The guy’s jaw worked for a beat before he dropped his hand. “You didn’t ask who I was when I got here.”
“You’re Colin. You said so yourself.”
“Yeah, but he told you I was coming, didn’t he?” He motioned vaguely around the property. “Even out here, I doubt people are just okay with random strangers pulling up and introducing themselves.”
I considered toying with him for a beat, maybe even mention the shotgun I kept in the Airstream just in case, but honestly, I didn’t have the heart for it right now.
This was the closest I’d been to Theo’s world in over a month, and even though I’d never known the version of him who dressed like this or drove expensive cars, Colin was here because of him.
“Let’s go inside. I’ll get you some water and we can talk.”
“Thank God.” He eagerly followed me in and then looked around the half-finished living room while I got him a glass of water.
I even added some ice as a special treat. Just because he was Theo’s friend. I headed back over to him and sat down on one of the two couches in the center of the room. “Sorry it’s not more…”
How am I even supposed to finish that sentence with a guy like this? More done. Just more?
“I’m in the process of renovating,” I finally said, waving him into the couch across from mine. “So what’s going on, Colin?”
After draining half the water, he lowered himself down carefully and smoothed his tie before he finally looked at me, sunglasses now off and hooked into his collar. He was handsome, this guy. I’d give him that.
Naturally, as far as I was concerned, he wasn’t nearly as good-looking at Theo, but no man could measure up to him. Besides, this dude was way too clean shaven and shiny for me. Still handsome, though. Any other girl would be lucky to have him.
“Theo and I would like to buy the autobody shop,” he said crisply. “I’m not sure how much he told you, considering that you were clearly expecting me, but since you asked what we’re doing, I suppose he didn’t tell you the plan.”
“No. What do you mean, Theo wants to buy the shop?”
“Well, him and me. Us. It’d be a partnership, but the goal isn’t to take it away from you,” he explained. “We’d like to buy it, but keep it your names. Yours and Avery’s.”
My heart started fluttering. “You want to buy it, but not take it from us? How is that even possible?”
“It’s the advantage of the way we’ve structured this deal,” he said. “You’d keep running the shop. The name and employees stay. The business remains yours, but this way also allows us to skirt the courts insofar as taking your father off the paperwork and getting him the help he needs.”
That didn’t make any sense to me. People didn’t just do stuff like this and rich people definitely didn’t. It sounded more like a gift than an acquisition to me, but what’d I know?
“I’ve actually just started a venture of my own,” I said instead of asking any questions about this so-called deal.
I actually couldn’t believe anyone could use words like that with a straight face and think of it as normal, but I supposed this was what Theo had meant when he’d said we were from different worlds.
“As it stands, I have no interest in going into business with my brother.”
Colin didn’t really react, just nodding like I’d told him something only mildly more interesting than the score of a ballgame he’d already watched, played by teams he didn’t support.
“That’s fine. We were prepared for it as an eventuality. Theo still wants you involved, though.”
“You were prepared for this?”
“Yes,” he said easily, leaning back on the couch and looking around the room again. “He was very specific about it.”
“Why?” I asked, sweeping my gaze across his face, but I didn’t see anything other than mild interest in the wallpaper on the far wall. The wallpaper Theo had helped me choose. “Avery is more than capable of running the shop by himself. Just ask him. He’ll tell you all about it.”
Colin shrugged, slowly bringing his gaze back to mine. Everything about him seemed painfully earnest, like he’d never met a lie he could tell, and yet, given what he did for a living, I suspected it had to be a front. I was completely sure there was a lot more to this guy than met the eye.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “All I know is what Theo told me, and what he told me was to keep the shop in your name.”
“And Avery’s.”
“If you want, sure, but yours has to be included.”
Frustration rolled through me and I clicked my tongue, knowing he probably didn’t have more answers. I wished I could just speak to Theo instead. “Alright. Can you give me a few days? I’ll have to talk to Avery first.”
Colin nodded and drummed out a beat with his fingers on his thighs. “Well, then. I think that’s it for today. Could you possibly point me in the direction of the actual motel, since this isn’t it and I still need someplace to stay tonight?”
“Of course.” I walked him back out to the SUV, then explained the directions as he climbed in.
“Just head back to the main road, take a right, and keep going until you see Quartz Pass coming up ahead. Take the first left and you’ll see the Blossom Ville.
You can’t miss it. Theo did a lot of good work around there. ”
“Thank you,” he said, but he looked utterly confused about something.
As he started opening the door, I grabbed it, needing him to know how serious I was about this. “Don’t mention Theo around Avery.”
Every time I said his name out loud, my heart cracked a little further, and I’d said it so many times since Colin had arrived that it felt a little brittle. Maybe more than brittle. Maybe broken was the more accurate terminology.
“Don’t worry. I’m not planning a suicide mission,” Colin said cheerfully, blissfully unaware of how close I was to tears. “I’ll talk to you soon, Raquel. Thanks for not shooting me on sight.”
I inclined my chin, but just when he reached for the door again, I found myself speaking up without even really meaning to. “Hey, how is he? How is Theo?”
Colin hesitated, swiping his tongue across his lips and shifting in his seat. “He’s been better, if I’m being honest.”
“Is everything okay with his family?” I asked, my heart suddenly pounding. “They’re not, uh, giving him a hard time about any of this?”
“Oh. No. It’s not that.” He paused for a beat, then gave his head a quick, firm shake. “I don’t think it’s that, anyway. He’s just had a rough go of it, but he won’t tell anyone what’s really going on, and of course, Alex is still trying to get him married.”
My hands went cold instantly, the thought of Theo getting married gutting me in ways I couldn’t even begin to describe. “Right. Yeah. Of course.”
Colin shrugged. “It’ll work itself out, though. Whatever it is. Don’t worry about him. I promise you this deal is in good hands. I’ll be at the motel if you have any questions.”
I nodded, but long after he was gone, I was still standing on my porch, just staring at the sun as it sank slowly closer to the horizon.
Even after I went inside, I just kept pacing.
Every time I tried to sit, the scratchy, itchy, burning pain in my chest just got worse, so I stood right back up and went back to pacing.
Hours passed while I tried to work out why the pain inside was suddenly so much worse, but it was like Colin’s visit had inadvertently shaken something loose that I’d been shoving down for way too long.
All the time Theo and I had spent together was rushing through my mind on a loop, more vivid even than it’d been on the day he’d left.
Maybe it was because I’d now had a taste of life without him, only to learn he’d been thinking about me all along. Trying to take care of me from afar. He hadn’t moved on or simply fallen back into his life in Chicago.
Colin had said that Theo was having a rough go of it. Or maybe Colin’s presence had simply made me realize that Quartz Pass wasn’t home anymore if Theo wasn’t in it. I knew that would sound crazy if I said it out loud, but it didn’t feel crazy at all.
In fact, it was the first thing all month that felt right. Honestly, I had no idea what came over me, but the next thing I knew, I made a snap decision and pulled out my phone, terrified and excited all at once.