|
He knocked briskly on the door.
“Anyone here?” He stuck his head in.
Zoë sat at the desk, fingers poised at the
keyboard. Big brown eyes stared at him.
“Zane,” she said. “What are you doing
here?” Her gaze darted left then right before staring back at him.
“Have a minute?”
“Sure. Just shut the door so I don’t hear
that—never mind, leave it open. What can I do for you?”
He left the door cracked an inch then sat
opposite her. She had on a ball cap with Duncan’s Garage on it along with
another shapeless pair of coveralls. Still, her thick lashes framed her
eyes in sultry manner.
He shifted on the seat, screeching that
thought to a swift halt. She watched him, a bit of nervousness in her
expression. Why is she nervous around me?
“First, thank you for fixing my truck.”
She shrugged. “It’s a garage, it’s what we
do.”
“Now, about payment. And why are you
shaking your head?”
“Because it was on the house.”
“No.”
Her gaze hardened. “This isn’t up for
negotiation. Duncan’s Garage is not charging you.” There existed no room
in her tone for discussion on the matter.
“Dinner as a thank you?” He tried to grin
but it felt rusty.
Her expression closed down and her eyes
turned arctic. “I don’t need to do favors just to get a meal.”
He furrowed his brow. “Now, hang on, Zoë.
That wasn’t my intent at all.”
She put her hands flat on the desk. “Just
because your brothers and mine scare off most men, I’m not a charity case
and I don’t need the great war hero Zane Kendrick to do me any favors.”
Her gaze gave him frostbite and her lush lips were pressed in a tight
line.
Wait. Why am I thinking of her mouth as
lush?
“I don’t need your sympathy any more than I
need theirs. Get out.” She fairly ended on a scream.
Zane rose partly when she shot up from her
chair. She stomped by him muttering something along the lines of skewering
all men.
Thomas entered the room after she vacated
it, laughing. “I see you weren’t spared her wrath.”
“I don’t know what I did.”
Thomas sat behind the desk. “You spoke to
her. She’s been moody. We caught her at The Roadside with some guys we
didn’t approve of.”
“We?”
Thomas grinned. “My brothers and I were out
with yours.”
Zane nodded, clarity sinking in. |
