Cam
A pair of headlights flooded the forecourt with light as a car pulled in. Ugh. Seriously? The shop was obviously closed, apart from him being there. And the lights being on.
The engine sounded expensive.
But even after Ryder’s bank transfer, it wasn’t as if the shop was rolling in it. The least he could do was book them in.
He shielded his eyes from the light, listening to the engine for clues as to why they were here. Nothing obvious. The driver killed the engine, the headlights.
He dropped his arm. Ah. Looked like someone drove their fancy car into something. Not a huge something, but—
“Teagan?”
She looked stressed but like she was handling it. The way she seemed to be able to handle anything life threw at her. “I need a favor.”
The passenger door opened. Josh Regis climbed out of it. He looked like he’d been buried alive and dug back up again.
Definitely not the cocksure golden boy Cam was used to seeing.
Cam already knew he’d say yes—it was Teagan—but he’d need more information first.
“Right.” He pulled a tarp over the car, shielding it from lookie-loos.
“It’s not as bad as it looks. It’ll take a couple of days to fix.
” But before he did anything? Questions.
“How did you get in a car accident? Why should I help you?” If it was only Teagan they were talking about, it’d be a no-brainer.
He’d start working now. But he was getting those weird couple vibes from them again and even though he knew he’d screwed up his own chances with Teagan, he wasn’t over the moon about seeing them together.
Or particularly happy about aiding and abetting them in whatever it is they were up to.
Which led to his third question. “And why do you want me to keep this secret?”
Teagan shot a look over her shoulder at Josh. He’d hung back when they’d pulled the car into the shop and was lurking at the entrance. Hadn’t said a word. All of it was super weird.
“I can’t tell you,” Teagan said in a rush. “Not because I don’t want to. It’s because it’s not my story to tell.”
Which meant it was Josh’s. He was looking at Teagan in an intense way that was making Cam uncomfortable. Cam lowered his voice. “Are you safe?”
“Yes.”
He believed her. “Is he in trouble?”
“He will be if anyone finds out about this.”
He didn’t like this. Not if Josh was forcing her to beg a favor on his behalf. “Are you asking me for help… or him?”
“I am.” Her answer was solid. “And I wouldn’t be asking you if it wasn’t important.”
He gave his hair a scrub, not sure which way to go. If this really was a favor for Teagan…
“You don’t owe me anything,” Teagan said, reading his mind.
“I kind of do.” Meaning he’d already made his decision. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you.”
“But if it happens again, don’t come to me to bail out your shitty boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” She looked surprised he’d even thought it.
“I’m not.” Josh stepped out of the shadows, looking more the guy Cam was used to seeing. Used to other people sorting out his problems. “I’m just a shitty friend.”
The declaration had a physical effect on Josh, stripped away the bravura and devil-may-care attitude. The guy he was looking at right now seemed genuine. Real. Vulnerable. Like he was carrying too many burdens and was close to getting crushed by the weight of them.
Something Cam could relate to. Still didn’t mean he liked the guy.
“Thank you.” Josh nodded at the car. “For doing this. Whatever it costs, I’ll cover it.”
“It’s a favor for Teagan,” Cam said. They weren’t suddenly besties now. That kind of trust had to be earned.
Josh nodded and stuck out his hand. “I won’t forget this.”
None of them would. But something told him Josh was being sincere. About fixing the car anyway. What happened in the future? Didn’t matter. This was the here and now. He shook his hand. At the end of the day, they were all on the same team.