hand lying on top of the steering wheel and the other on the gear shift, his shaggy brown hair whipping across his forehead from the wind that was blowing in through the cracked windows. My hair was up and not going anywhere, so I didn’t mind the fresh air. I also didn’t mind that he hadn’t bothered to turn the radio on either, in case his preference really was country music.
The twisted ball of trepidation in my stomach eased the farther we drove away from L.A.
See? This wasn’t so bad. I could be in a car with him and be platonic. It wasn’t like I was visualizing what he looked like naked. Wait…dammit, why did I just think of that?
Don’t visualize him naked, don’t visualize him naked. Subject change…
“Oh, by the way,” I said, “I brought a couple of the books you gave me to look through so I could show Mitch. Remind me to give you the rest when we get back.” Yes, good. Focus on work stuff.
“Find anything you like?”
“Actually, it was hard to find anything not to be totally obsessed with. I might need help narrowing it down.”
“That’s what today is for.”
I picked at the sleeve of the coffee cup. “I don’t remember if I said thank you for this. And if I did, thank you again. I thought I had all my ducks in a row a long time ago.”
“Everything happens for a reason, right?”
“I could’ve done without the shady builder stress, but I suppose you’re right.”
“A better way to look at it would be to say you completely lucked out by snagging me.”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “So modest.”
“Say it. ‘Hunter, I’m so lucky you walked through my door.’”
“I am not saying that.”
“You better say it. Don’t make me turn this truck around. Your guests will be drinking those boozy shakes of yours while sitting Indian style on the cold, hard floor.”
“I already said thank you.”
“Ryleigh…” he said with a growl.
Wow… My name sounded pretty hot like that—
Wait, no, no, no. Don’t even go there.
“Fine. I’m the luckiest person in the whole world that Hunter Morgan strolled into my little shop and begged to take over from shitty contractors.”
“You forgot to say how hot you think that Hunter Morgan is.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I muttered.
His grin grew wider. “Thank you.”
“So please tell me how you got to be the best construction worker ever in the world.”
“Second best. My old man’s the first. Has his own business just outside of Chicago and had me and my brothers building cabinets when we were eight.”
I twisted in my seat to face him. “Wait, you’re from Chicago?”
“Born and raised.”
“You don’t sound like it. Well, maybe you have a little bit of an accent, now that you mention it.”
“Means I’ve been here too long.”
“My friend Shayne is from Australia and still sounds like it.”
“I bet her friends back in Oz would beg to differ.”
“True. So what brought you to L.A. in the first place?”
A sad smile twisted his lips. “Followed a girl.”
“Aw, you little sap. What happened? Did she break your heart?”
“How do you know I didn’t do the heartbreaking?”
“Because you wouldn’t still be here. I bet you stayed, licking your wounds and trying to win her back. And then before you knew it, you had life and friends here and going back to Chicago meant starting over.”
He looked over at me before focusing back on the road. “Seems like you’ve got me figured out.”
“Am I close?”
“You’re right about one thing,” he said. “I did stay here.”
“That’s it?”
“Just about.”
“You’re not good at this whole getting to know you, making conversation thing.”
“What else did you want to know?”
What else … I guessed that was his way of shutting down that topic. I was curious about how he’d met Cameron, why they lived together when it was obvious they both did well in their respective businesses, but I didn’t feel right bringing Cameron
The twisted ball of trepidation in my stomach eased the farther we drove away from L.A.
See? This wasn’t so bad. I could be in a car with him and be platonic. It wasn’t like I was visualizing what he looked like naked. Wait…dammit, why did I just think of that?
Don’t visualize him naked, don’t visualize him naked. Subject change…
“Oh, by the way,” I said, “I brought a couple of the books you gave me to look through so I could show Mitch. Remind me to give you the rest when we get back.” Yes, good. Focus on work stuff.
“Find anything you like?”
“Actually, it was hard to find anything not to be totally obsessed with. I might need help narrowing it down.”
“That’s what today is for.”
I picked at the sleeve of the coffee cup. “I don’t remember if I said thank you for this. And if I did, thank you again. I thought I had all my ducks in a row a long time ago.”
“Everything happens for a reason, right?”
“I could’ve done without the shady builder stress, but I suppose you’re right.”
“A better way to look at it would be to say you completely lucked out by snagging me.”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “So modest.”
“Say it. ‘Hunter, I’m so lucky you walked through my door.’”
“I am not saying that.”
“You better say it. Don’t make me turn this truck around. Your guests will be drinking those boozy shakes of yours while sitting Indian style on the cold, hard floor.”
“I already said thank you.”
“Ryleigh…” he said with a growl.
Wow… My name sounded pretty hot like that—
Wait, no, no, no. Don’t even go there.
“Fine. I’m the luckiest person in the whole world that Hunter Morgan strolled into my little shop and begged to take over from shitty contractors.”
“You forgot to say how hot you think that Hunter Morgan is.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I muttered.
His grin grew wider. “Thank you.”
“So please tell me how you got to be the best construction worker ever in the world.”
“Second best. My old man’s the first. Has his own business just outside of Chicago and had me and my brothers building cabinets when we were eight.”
I twisted in my seat to face him. “Wait, you’re from Chicago?”
“Born and raised.”
“You don’t sound like it. Well, maybe you have a little bit of an accent, now that you mention it.”
“Means I’ve been here too long.”
“My friend Shayne is from Australia and still sounds like it.”
“I bet her friends back in Oz would beg to differ.”
“True. So what brought you to L.A. in the first place?”
A sad smile twisted his lips. “Followed a girl.”
“Aw, you little sap. What happened? Did she break your heart?”
“How do you know I didn’t do the heartbreaking?”
“Because you wouldn’t still be here. I bet you stayed, licking your wounds and trying to win her back. And then before you knew it, you had life and friends here and going back to Chicago meant starting over.”
He looked over at me before focusing back on the road. “Seems like you’ve got me figured out.”
“Am I close?”
“You’re right about one thing,” he said. “I did stay here.”
“That’s it?”
“Just about.”
“You’re not good at this whole getting to know you, making conversation thing.”
“What else did you want to know?”
What else … I guessed that was his way of shutting down that topic. I was curious about how he’d met Cameron, why they lived together when it was obvious they both did well in their respective businesses, but I didn’t feel right bringing Cameron
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