Chapter Three
The bell above the door chimes. I turn in my seat to see the blond-haired guy and the girl with long dark hair stumble through the door, still horsing around with each other. She pulls herself up when she catches me staring, and by god, do I stare. I can’t tear my eyes away from her. Green eyes lock with mine and all air is sucked out of my body, or that’s how it feels anyway. My eyes roam over her slim body and down her long legs before slowly making their way back up. My dick twitches at the thought of them wrapped around my waist. Self-consciously, she tucks her hair behind her ear and finally breaks eye contact when she turns to give their order at the counter. Air expands in my lungs and I can breathe again. Fuck, what was that?
By the time I make my way over to the counter, Peggy has handed Meghan the keys to the apartment. I stand beside the girl—the one he called Storm—and I’m so close I could reach out and touch her. She doesn’t turn to look at me, but she knows I’m there¸ her shoulders rise and fall sharply. The server hands over the order and the girl turns to leave, catching me staring before she heads out the door. Now I’m only half listening to what Peggy is saying.
“Go right ahead. My son, Joe, will help you up with all your stuff.” She nods at the tall guy at the counter who makes a face, but he’s not fooling anyone.
“Max will help too.” Meghan nudges me out of my daydream about a girl with long dark hair and legs that go on for miles.
“Huh, sure, this way,” I answer distracted, not entirely sure what I’ve just agreed to. Joe gets down from his stool and follows me outside onto the sidewalk.
“Nice car.” He nods at my black GTO, letting his eyes roam appreciatively over the bodywork.
“She needs some work.” I shrug, but my mind jumps back to the truck parked outside with Hank’s Auto Shop emblazoned on the side.
Joe’s eyes light up. “You’ve come to the right place. This town is all about cars and racing. Hank’s is the only garage in town. He’s a former racer, and if you want work done on your GTO, it’s the place to go.”
I toss one of Meghan’s bags at him, arching my eyebrow. “Racing?”
“Yeah.” We share a look and something passes between us. God, I sound like such a girl.
“Who was that in the diner? They were driving one of his trucks.” I keep my tone casual. I’m desperate for information but don’t want to give anything away.
“That’s his daughter, Leigh, and her cousin, Aaron—they both work there.”
I nod, storing it away, and for the first time since I hustled Meghan out of town, I feel more positive—like this town might be okay and I’ve found a kindred spirit. Which means I need to convince her to stick around. Joe shifts the heavy bag into one arm and extends his hand.
“Joe. But all my friends call me Causey.” I take his outstretched hand and give it a shake.
“Why Causey?” I pull out another couple of bags and slam down the trunk.
He laughs. “It’s silly really. All to do with cars and Cosworth engines.” Puzzled, I just nod, as if I know what I’m talking about. Sure, I know what a Cosworth engine is, but it still doesn’t explain his nickname.
“So what about the racing?”
“Ah, I’ll have to take you to the quarter mile and see what you’ve got.” He grins.
“The what?”
Laughing, he shakes his head. “You’ll see. We’ll go later.” And with that, he turns and heads around the side of the diner and up the external staircase to unlock the door and I follow him in. Because we have so few belongings Causey and I manage it in one trip. He sets down the heavy bag he was carrying and I do the same.
“I’ll pick you up at eight and you can check out the quarter mile.” He makes for the door and I can’t fight my grin.
“Sure, I’ll see you then.”
Left on my own I wander round opening and closing doors until I find the bedrooms. I choose the smaller of the two, it’s only fair, Meghan needs more space than I do, plus she’s the one paying for it until I get a job. I check out the rest of the space before I grab my bag from the living room. The apartment is compact but enough for Meghan and me. The large living area has a kitchen in one corner with a breakfast bar separating it from the rest of the room, and a hall at the other end leads to two bedrooms and a bathroom. It didn’t take me long to unpack, I only had to hang up my clothes. I’ve learned to travel light; it makes it easier for a quick getaway, as I found out last night. The room is a decent size, with a built-in closet, a set of drawers, nightstand, and a double bed that looks really comfortable about now. Once I finish unpacking, I flop down on my bed and stretch out, tired from the drive but too wired to sleep. The earlier conversation with Causey has me curious; I can’t wait to see the quarter mile he was talking about.