"I did," I said. "Wasn't impressed."
"They're good people. You must have caught them on a bad day."
"Maybe. I did like Molly. And Duke wasn't terrible."
"It's a shame what they've been through."
She turned to walk away, but I was intrigued.
"Wait . . . What have they been through?"
Opal stopped and turned back to face me, her eyes full of sadness. "Their momma ran out on them when they were just babies. And their daddy may as well have. He really tried, but the man just couldn't put down the bottle."
"That's terrible."
"Those boys had to grow up real fast. Taking care of Molly, running the family business. It was a lot to handle, but they've done the best they could."
My heart clenched as I thought about younger versions of Luke and Duke trying to take care of Molly.
Opal gave me a smile. "Anyway, I didn't mean to bring down your evening. Just thought you might want to give them a fair shake before you wrote them off. And their full names are Lucas and Daniel," she added. "Luke and Duke are just nicknames they picked up along the way."
Chapter Three
Luke
"Morning, Wayne," I said as I stepped inside the repair shop bright and early Monday morning, greeting the old bastard with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. I knew he was about to screw me on the price of a new hose for the Chevy. Damn truck had been in my family for two generations now, and was showing her age.
"Where ya been?" he asked, pulling his head out from under the hood of a fancy foreign car. "I've had your part waiting since Friday."
Sleek lines, perfect curves . . . the car had to be Charlotte's. The brazen little minx had been on my mind since my run-in with her yesterday. Wanting to avoid a repeat performance, I came to the garage early to pick up my part. Didn't peg her as an early riser.
"I got tied up with a leak in one of the drums," I told him. "The entire place was a mess before we found it. Took me and Duke all weekend to get it cleaned up."
"That's a damn shame," Wayne said. "I hate it when good liquor gets spilled."
"You and me both."
It was more about the dollars that were spilled than anything. Duke and I were so close to being in the black that we could practically taste the profits. It would be a nice change since our father had done his best to run Wilder Whiskey into the ground.
"Whatcha got here?" I asked, walking over to take a peek under the hood. I thought I knew the answer, but damn it if I didn't ask.
What was it about this girl that had me so curious? I knew enough about her to know that I didn't particularly enjoy her company, but I hadn't been able to shake those blue eyes from my head. Or the sweet curve of her ass as she walked down the sidewalks I'd practically worn out over the years.
It's because she's shiny and new, dumbass.
Charlotte was the first fresh blood we'd had in this town in a long time. My ex-girlfriend was the last, and I always hoped she would stay that way. The last thing I needed was a repeat performance of that shit show. I knew for damn sure I couldn't handle it.
"Something I never thought I'd see in this place." He moved over to give me room and pointed at the engine. "You know anything about Audis?"
"I know they cost way too much," I said with a smirk. "A hundred grand, I think." I tried to recall exactly what Charlotte had spouted off at What the Cluck.
"Well, shit," Wayne said. "I'd better put on some gloves." He wiped one of his greasy hands down the front of his overalls.
"It was actually a hundred twenty thousand," an all-too-familiar sarcastic voice offered. "If you want to be specific."
"I'd say you paid too much," I said, turning to find the early riser.
Charlotte stood there in a simple white T-shirt, ripped-up denim jeans, and Converse tennis shoes. At first glance, it almost looked like she fit in here in our small town, but I had a pretty good idea that her outfit cost more than the Chevy part I was here to pick up.
"Good thing I didn't pay for it," she said with a smirk.
"I figured."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She crossed her arms across her body, inadvertently shoving a pretty spectacular set of tits up even more than they already perkily sat. The deep vee of her T-shirt wasn't hiding much, and I was appreciative of that.
I looked over at Wayne. He was pretty appreciative of the view too.
"Are you saying that I couldn't buy myself a car like that?" The steam rolling off her was just as sexy as the cleavage.