Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 153946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 153946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
“What did you say to him, Kingston?” Chick asked. “He looks worse now than he did before.”
“He’s bitchy because his girl’s spending the day somewhere else. He was probably hoping for sex in the office.”
I gave him a dirty look. He wasn’t wrong, but I’d rather be crushed under a hydraulic lift than air out my problems to a bunch of gossipy busybodies. Or tell them we’d already lived out that particular fantasy weeks ago.
“Wade knows her driving lessons are more important than revving his engine,” Chick said.
“Damn straight,” Rick agreed before taking a swig of his beer. “Plus, the last thing a man needs is for the woman he’s into to see him crying like a baby over the loss of his favorite toy.”
I hadn’t cried. And I’d worked on that car for Sam, not my own gratification. “Fuck off.”
“He’s been leaning into his inner grouch for days now,” Chick said, peeling the label off the sparkling water he’d brought along.
“You haven’t seen my grouchy side yet,” I warned him.
“We all have,” Kingston countered. “Because there’s nothing inner about it.”
Chick snickered and took a drink. “From what I hear, I doubt it could be any louder than his frisky side. It’s a good thing I brought my headphones on this visit.”
Rick leaned his forearms on the table, studying me with renewed interest. “That escalated quickly. Gene was practicing a ‘before you mess with August’ speech for our next get-together, but Morgan told him he was too late.”
“It’s none of his business. Or yours.”
“She’s Morgan’s sister,” Rick said as if that settled the argument. “That makes it all of our business.”
“Her grown-ass sister doesn’t need anyone warning boys off of her porch with a gun.”
“Thank you, Kingston,” Chick said.
“I do own a lot of guns,” Rick added casually.
I was aware. And according to Gene, no one was a better shot.
“That took a dark turn,” Chick said with amusement instead of trepidation. He’d learn.
“He also has a speech for August,” Rick continued, volunteering more information than he had in the last six hours. “But hers is more about why she needs to let him pick the theme.”
That wiped all traces of a smile off Chick’s face. “Is that why he brought her to the track today? To talk her into something? That’s not the deal.”
Kingston sent Rick a piercing look. “Not that I want to side with him, but I’ve got some tape I can roll back that shows all of you agreeing to letting them get a say.”
“A final say,” Chick corrected.
I nodded. “That’s what I heard.”
“Et tu, man?” Rick shook his head at me. “Bernie mentioned something to Lucy about a girlie wrap. You know we don’t do that artsy shit for Lemons.”
“Inexplicable and ridiculous, but not artsy?” Kingston verified dryly. “Yes, we’re all aware of the team’s modus operandi.”
“Why is everybody speaking Latin now?” Dalton asked with a small grin on his face.
I tried to reserve judgment. “A wrap, huh?”
“Wade hates those,” Rick said smugly. “We’ve been using his paint-and-body pals for years.”
“Well, that’s a shame, because I already ordered a rush job due to the time crunch. I wanted to have it on hand when you all agreed. What’s your email, Wade?” When I told him, Chick tapped on his phone for a minute. “Sent. August spent two days and every minute she wasn’t going over my edits working on the design in Photoshop.”
“She didn’t mention it to me.”
He raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Spend a lot of time talking when you’re together lately, do you?”
“Not recently, and I’m staring at one of the reasons why.” When Rick whistled low, I sighed. “I’m only saying she’s been busy.”
“I’m not offended, and you’re not wrong. She’s got a lot going on right now. Including the work she’s been doing for free,” he added pointedly.
As if I didn’t realize she might have more time to spend with me if I hadn’t asked for her help. Yes, I was an idiot.
You’re still in bed together every night. That’s what you asked for. That’s all that matters.
Maybe it was just me. She hadn’t complained about not seeing me enough. She hadn’t complained about anything.
It worried me a little. She used to snipe at me all the time, back when I was acting like an asshole. Was this that honeymoon phase I’d heard people talk about? Or was she so laid back because she’d be leaving soon and wasn’t worried about where things were going?
Was I overthinking it? Hell yes.
“You ordered the wrap without the team’s approval.”
Chick was unimpressed with Rick’s intimidating look. “If you say no, I’ll have wasted a few bucks on a worthy cause. But you won’t, and you can go back to following your leader’s vision for the next race. Though you clearly wanted to go another way.”
“Not that way.”