13. Travis
13
TRAVIS
T ravis twisted the oil cap back on his truck and closed the hood. Wiping his greasy hands on a rag, he shouted to Beau across three bays of the garage. “Thanks, man.”
Beau jerked his chin in acknowledgment. “Anytime.”
It was much easier to change his oil at the garage than jack his truck up and climb underneath it at home. He already spent a lot of time helping out at the garage. It just made sense to take care of his own vehicle while he was there.
Travis stopped at the deep sink and washed his hands before heading to the break room. The savory scent of cooked meat in the hallway replaced the scent of grease and metal from the garage, leading him toward lunch.
Travis had knocked out his entire to-do list for his off day, and his traitorous thoughts turned to Isabella. He’d barely stopped thinking about her since he dropped her off at Anna’s house.
He could ask Beau if he needed an extra set of hands today, or he could call Matt Benson. He’d probably have some extra things that needed done out at Silver Falls Ranch.
Travis stepped into the kitchen and halted. Gage and Hadley were locked in a close embrace and looking into each other's eyes as if they were hypnotized.
Nope. Travis would get lunch in town before watching the lovey-dovey PDA going on in the break room. He turned on his heels and marched right back out into the hallway.
“Travis! Come back! We’ll keep our hands to ourselves,” Hadley yelled after him.
Tim turned the corner and passed Travis on his way to the break room. “Do I smell pork chops?”
If Tim was around, it was probably safe to say there wouldn’t be any necking going on. The guy was in his early fifties and despite his inconspicuous looks, he loved snooping around and liked eavesdropping. Everyone at the shop knew to hold their secrets close when he was around.
Travis stepped back into the break room. Gage and Hadley had separated, and Tim was loading up a plate with pork chops and green beans.
Beau entered the room and slapped Travis on the back. “Are you staying for lunch?”
“Yeah. You got any work for me this afternoon?” Travis asked.
“Shoot, I could put you to work full-time if you’d let me.”
Travis chuckled. “Tempting, but I already have two jobs. Can’t really commit to a third.”
Beau stopped and narrowed his eyes at Tim. “Didn’t you already eat lunch?”
Tim shrugged. “That was an hour ago, and I didn’t know there’d be pork chops.”
Beau jerked his thumb toward the door. “Get back out there and replace the alternator on that pickup.”
Tim stuffed the last bite of meat into his mouth and stood with his plate. “I’ll get it done,” he said around the food he chewed.
Gage handed Travis a plate. “You okay, man?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Gage studied Travis for a second. “You seem mopey.”
“Mopey? I’m not even sure that’s a word.”
“You were quiet at the gym this morning, and you’re not exactly wearing a friendly face either.”
“Gee. Thanks. You’re so good for my ego.” Travis jerked the plate out of his friend’s hand and stabbed a pork chop with a fork.
“I’m not here to shower you with pretty words,” Gage said as he chose his own pork chop. “Are you sick?”
Travis lowered his plate and glared at Gage. “I’m fine.”
Hadley appeared at his side. It was as if a magician had pulled her out of a hat. “Hi,” she said with a wave. “Here to weigh in on the convo. I agree with Gage. You look mopey.”
“Can’t a guy get his lunch in peace?” Travis asked.
“Is it Bella?” Gage asked.
Hadley gasped. “Bella! Yes, that’s gotta be it. How’s she doing? Wait, is there something going on between you and Bella? Why haven’t I heard about this development?”
Gage stared wide-eyed at his fiancée as she propped a hand on her hip and waited for an explanation. “Um, I didn’t know it was a thing either. Lucky guess.”
“There isn’t anything going on between us,” Travis interjected. “I’m just worried about her.”
“Is she okay?” Hadley asked. “I knew I should have checked on her this morning.”
“She’s fine. It’s just that she still doesn’t have her memories back.”
“Which means she doesn’t have a job or a place to live,” Gage inferred.
“Right. She’s staying with Anna, but I can’t imagine not knowing so much about your life,” Travis said.
“I’ll go visit her,” Hadley said as she pulled out her phone. “I’ll find out if she needs anything from town.”
“You sure that’s all it is?” Gage asked.
Travis pinned Gage with a stare. Hopefully, the guy could decipher the look and back off. Talking about Bella was a recipe for disaster. He didn’t know how he felt about her, and there was a good chance he’d slip up and say something one of them would misinterpret.
“Positive,” Travis said through bared teeth.
“For what it’s worth, I think you and Bella would make the cutest couple,” Hadley said, clutching her hands to her chest. “I mean, she’s so sweet, and she needs a lot of help right now. You’ve been so good to her, and I just love the way you look at her.”
Travis held up a hand. “Stop right there. There are no hearts in my eyes, and no one is getting together.”
Hadley crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re absolutely no fun today, and that’s how I know you’re feeding us a bunch of crap.”
Travis took his plate and found a seat at the table. Hadley was on a roll, and there was no stopping her now. “Bella has a million things to worry about. A boyfriend isn’t one of them.”
“Or so we think,” Gage added.
Hadley swatted Gage’s arm. “Stop raining on my parade.”
“I thought this was Travis’s parade,” Gage said.
Travis looked around the break room. “No parade here.”
Hadley rounded on him, placing her hands flat on the table as she leaned toward him. “You deserve happiness. I get that you’ve been burned before, but this could be your chance with your one true love.”
Travis couldn’t hide the grin that stretched over his mouth. “Are you serious? How did we get from strangers to one true love?”
“Totally serious. Bella deserves to be loved too. Whether she remembers her life or not, she could start something new and amazing with you.”
“Wow. Amazing is a stretch, don’t you think?” Travis asked.
“No!” Hadley slapped a hand on the table. “I’m serious. You owe it to yourself to see what there could be with this woman.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell my therapist you signed off on the romance with the emotionally unavailable mystery woman,” Travis said.
Hadley glared at him. “I’m not giving up,” she said with enough finality to shake Travis’s resolve.
Only a little. Not enough to make him forget the dozens of factors playing against Hadley’s matchmaking schemes.
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind,” Travis said as he cut into his pork chop.
Beau sank into the seat beside Travis. “Leave the guy alone. He said he’s not interested.”
“But–”
Beau held up a hand. “I know. You really want him to be interested, but maybe let both of them have some time to get to know each other.”
Travis pointed at Beau. “What he said.”
Hadley pointed a stern finger at Travis. “Don’t eat. That food hasn’t been blessed yet.”
Travis lowered his fork. He’d been so distracted by Hadley’s planning that he forgot. “Sorry.”
They bowed their heads and Beau said the blessing. He even added in a prayer for Bella, which Travis appreciated. He wasn’t the only one praying for her, and for some reason no one was trying to set Beau up with the new woman in town.
As soon as the prayer was over, Hadley clapped her hands. “Well, I have to run. Enjoy your dead pig.”
She made a mad dash for the door, but Gage wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him.
“You’re not getting away without a kiss,” Gage whispered.
Beau choked on his food and fell into a coughing fit.
“It’s nice that you’re in love, but could you do it somewhere else?” Travis asked.
“I’m leaving, and you’ll all be sad when I’m gone,” Hadley said as she wrapped her arms around Gage’s neck and pulled him in for a big kiss.
Ugh. Love was so complicated. On the one hand, it was nice to see his friends happy and starting families. On the other, he wanted to stab his eyes out with a rusty butter knife.
Hadley rushed out with a hand waving above her head. “Bye, babes!”
Gage sat down at the table with a smile on his face.
“Dude, you scare me,” Beau said.
“Look the other way,” Gage said without lifting his attention from his plate.
Beau turned to Travis and pointed his fork at him. “You, don’t let Hadley pressure you into doing things you don’t want to do.”
Travis tilted his head. Beau was his age, but he had an air of confidence that made people listen to him. “Thanks, Dad.”
Beau turned back to the food in front of him. “Hadley is scary. Make your own calls about Bella.”
“Thanks for that. I like her. She’s great, but she doesn’t even know who she is.”
“So how can you know who she is?” Gage supplied.
“Exactly.”
At least, that made sense to someone other than just him, so it was the excuse of the day. He’d think of a new one tomorrow.
Gage gestured with his hand while he finished chewing. “You need to decide for yourself if you’re ready to get back out there and put your heart on the line again.”
Travis tapped his fork against the paper plate. “When did you become a romantic?”
Gage shrugged. “When Hadley started reading all those sappy romance novels. She likes to tell me about them, and I just like hearing her talk about the things she loves. Sorry she’s trying to set you up, but she just really likes seeing people in love.”
Travis shared a look with Beau before turning back to Gage. “Seriously, who are you?”
Gage huffed and picked up his empty plate. “Shut up and wait till you get a girlfriend.”
For all the bad Travis had experienced in relationships, Gage and Hadley were showing him the side he didn’t know existed. Those two had each other’s backs one hundred percent.
Anything less than that kind of care and commitment wouldn’t be worth the trouble. It made it easy to know who he didn’t want to spend his time with.
Then there was Bella. He did want to be with her. He liked spending time with her and talking. He wanted to get to know her and make new memories together.
Shoot. He liked her. He liked her a lot, and it didn’t matter that he didn’t want to be ready. Feelings were already sparking, and he was powerless to stop them.