Chapter 2 #2
Electric blue eyes pinned on me. She looked like she wanted to murder me. “Hi?”
“I’m Dallas,” I said.
She scowled. “And I’m Houston?”
“What?”
“Are we not naming cities in Texas?”
Oh. She had no fucking clue who I was.
I made a mental note to give Avery shit about that later. The artist probably thought I was a freak. Well, I was a freak, but only consensually.
Jesus, I needed to get a grip. This was how I knew I needed to get my nose out of my books and date more.
The woman continued to stare at me, her brows still arched as she waited for me to speak again.
I cleared my throat. “Sorry, ma’am. My name is Dallas Whynot, I’m Avery’s brother. You’re the artist visiting, right? She texted me and asked me to give you a ride. Is that okay?”
She relaxed instantly. “Oh. Oh god, Yeah. Sorry. I didn't mean to cause any trouble for anyone. I just drove sixteen hours straight and this car started going out and I think I might be losing it just a little bit.” She released a long exhale. “I called Avery after I realized the auto shop is closed. It’s Friday, though? Is it normal for the mechanic to be off on a Friday?”
I strangled a laugh. This was my fault.
I would be keeping this all to myself because if Austin found out someone actually genuinely needed me while I was off, he’d use it as ammo to keep working himself into an early grave.
“Nope. It’s not normal at all. He’s usually working. Can I grab your bags or anything?”
She studied me a beat longer, and then gave a small, wary nod. “Honestly, that would be great.”
We met by the small car that looked like it’d crawled into the parking lot from the pits of hell. The scent of smoke hung heavy in the air.
“Is this a rental?” I asked.
“Yeah. I should have known better than to rent from that place.”
Great. That would be a Tuesday Dallas problem, then. I stared at the hood for a moment, wondering what had gone wrong, then shook my head—refocusing on her.
My brain stopped working as she stepped up beside me. She was tall. Really fucking tall. Just an inch or so shorter than me.
She pressed the trunk button, and it popped open. I hauled out her suitcase and duffle bag, all while feeling the weight of her scrutinizing gaze on me.
“How do I know you’re not some sort of serial killer?” she asked suspiciously.
She had a point. I’d want Avery to double check everything about someone before getting in the car with a stranger.
Although, admittedly, between Austin and I—Avery had never gotten in a car with a stranger.
At least, not that I was aware of. Between the two of us, we took the cake on being overprotective brothers.
To the point of detriment at times, but I rather be groveling for forgiveness for overstepping to protect my family than have something bad happen.
“I’ll show you my driver’s license with my name, if you want. Or we can call Avery, although she was busy . . .”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh my god. When I called, she said she had two boyfriends?”
“She sure does, and the three of them love each other so much it makes me nauseous.”
Her laugh rang around me like a thousand perfect bells. I smiled with her, enchanted for a moment. It wasn’t like me to immediately want to know a stranger, but damned if I didn’t want to ask her a million questions.
I knew she was the artist, but what kind? Avery had kept that little piece of knowledge a secret. Was she a painter? A sculptor? A photographer? All those questions were on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t get a single one out before she spoke.
“It sucks to see love like that sometimes. It hurts in a weird way. Like you’re so happy for them, but it’s a glaring kind of happiness.” Her brows pulled together, her eyes heating with embarrassment. “Sorry, I don’t even know if you’re single. That was—”
“I am,” I said casually. Or maybe it wasn’t casual at all. I swallowed hard as I pulled the suitcases out of the trunk. Fuck it. I was going to be a little forward. “I should get your name first, though, before I hit on you.”
The blush that bloomed in her cheeks was far too cute. “It’s Madison, but call me Madi. I have to ask. What kind of name is Dallas?”
“A very Texas one.” I did nothing to hide my drawl.
Madi’s smile was contagious as I carried her bags to my truck and piled them on the back seat. I opened the passenger door for her and smiled back.
“Let’s get you to the inn. I’ll make sure the lazy mechanic gets your car taken care of. The residency loft is pretty cool. You’ll be able to see the mountains from one of the windows.”
“What about hitting on me?”
The corner of my mouth tugged. “Let me be a gentleman first.”
Madi smiled as she moved past me. I caught her black cherry scent and pulled my gaze away from her, focusing on a cactus in the dirt a few feet away as she got into the passenger seat.
God help me. I cleared my throat and closed the door gently.
My keys jangled in my hand, got in the driver’s side and turned on the truck.
Madi’s gaze roamed around the cabin and I suddenly became self-conscious of all the random stuff I had in here, like the One Piece bobblehead on the dashboard that definitely looked like a little crazy guy if you didn’t know anime.
Or the random packs of gum that had helped me quit my secret smoking habit a couple years ago.
Or the scent of car grease from the tools that always lived on the floorboard in the back.
“An anime nerd,” she commented.
“Guilty,” I chuckled. “Glad you at least know.”
“Who doesn’t know One Piece?”
“In a town this small? Almost no one except me and Avery. And I guess Austin, although he always refused to watch anime with us. He’s our older brother.
On the occasion that Avery and I had an alliance against him, we’d force him to watch with us.
Or use our voting power to convince our parents to let us put it on so there was no escaping. ”
“A democracy, I see.”
“Yep. A very liberal one too.”
Madi grinned as I pulled onto Main Street. “Uh-huh. So you’re not the gun-slinging type of Texan?”
“No,” I chuckled. “More like the book-slinging Texan. Does that surprise you?”
“You know, I think after seeing the One Piece bobblehead and hearing you talk, it doesn’t.” She leaned forward, her eyes on the little houses we passed by. “Are you close with your brother and sister?”
“I am,” I said. “We have our moments, but I love them. They’re my family.”
I caught Madi nodding out of the corner of my eye, although her expression had melted into something that was almost wistful.
“Do you have any?” I asked.
“Any what?”
“Siblings.”
“Oh.” Her expression told me it was a touchy subject, but she nodded reluctantly. “Two sisters. But they’re a lot younger than me. I feel like we live in two different worlds. My parents had me as the trial run, then the two of them nine years later.”
“So they got to fuck up with you first.”
“Yep. They did a great job.” Sarcasm dripped from her tone, but then she shook her head. “Sorry. It was a long drive. Tell me about Whynot. What do you do for fun here?”
“Tip longhorns.”
She gasped. “What? Is that even a thing?”
“No,” I laughed, enjoying her assumptions about Texas a little too much. “Not at all.”
Sunlight crested the tops of the buildings on Main Street as I parked in front of Whynot Stay. The blue two-story hotel was a beacon amongst the desert tones.
“We have festivals and stuff,” I said as I looked over at her.
Her lashes looked like they’d been dipped in ink.
I drank in every part of her face, trying to act like I didn’t want to know everything about her right here and now.
“And there’s actually a lot of really cute shops.
You can also go hiking, although I’d recommend taking someone with you or at least letting someone know if you’re going and when you expect to be home. ”
“Oh jeez. I can tell you have a little sister.”
My smile softened. “Yeah. Sorry. I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”
Her laugh was harsh and thin. “I promise you, I absolutely do not. My life is falling apart, but I appreciate your confidence. This is the hotel, right?”
“Yeah. The only one in town.”
“Is there something going on? There are so many people up and about already.”
That was probably the bride’s doing. I glanced past Madi to the courtyard that wrapped around the entirety of the hotel. Folks were already setting up the aisles in the back, white chiffon ribbons blowing in the breeze.
“Weddings are held here sometimes,” I explained. “It’s a tiny hotel, but it gets a lot of foot traffic. It’s one of the better venues in Whynot.”
“It’s so cute.”
I had to agree. Austin and Avery had got the creative gene, and Austin’s revealed itself in the way he revitalized places like the hotel.
When our father died, he took over everything and focused on how to liven up the town we’d known our entire lives.
It became his coping mechanism, for better or worse.
Madi’s shoulders deflated. “Thank you for bringing me over here. I realize now I could have just walked, but I was stressing about being in a new place and the car and it’s been a bad time. A really bad, bad time. I think I need a full day of sleep and food.”
“The hotel has great food in the restaurant that’s attached. The peach pancakes are a favorite, but they also have breakfast tacos, and a lot of other things too,” I said. “They’ll get you fed. Do you want my number in case something else comes up?”
Madi looked over at me with a dreamy smile.
Were my hands actually sweaty?
“You know what? Sure,” she said. “It wouldn't hurt to have a cute friend here. In case I need another rescue.”
“Cute friend, huh?” I smiled to myself. “I’m available anytime.”
Madi rattled off her phone number and I added it quickly, saving her contact before sending her a message. She nodded when it came through. “Got it.”
I fully blushed as I watched her add my name as Mr. Knight in Shining Armor.
I cleared my throat. “Great. Let’s get you checked in.”