Tempting Rowan(19)

“Thanks,” I told him, slipping out of the car.

I headed into the shop through the open garage door. “Hello?” I called out, looking around. The place looked deserted. “Hello?” I ventured further into the shop.

“Hey!” Trent called from somewhere in front of me. “I’ll be there in a second!”

I stopped where I was and waited for him. I looked around and found the garage to be oddly neat and tidy. Don’t get me wrong, it was a repair shop so there were plenty of tools and the occasional grease spot on the ground, but it looked nicer than most. Trace had done a good job with the place. I remembered what a dump it had looked like before.

“Here’s your keys,” Trent grinned, appearing in front of me. He dangled them in front of my face, but when I went to grab them he lifted them too high for my reach. “Not so fast,” he wiggled a finger in front of my face.

“What do you want?” I rolled my eyes, a disgusted breath whizzing past my lips.

“Well,” he clutched my car keys in his fist, “since I was a good guy and stood over my brother all day to make sure he got this fixed for you, I think I deserve to be rewarded.”

“Rewarded, huh?” I raised a brow in disbelief.

“Mhmm,” he nodded, smiling crookedly. “Go to dinner with me.”

“Yeah, um, no. I don’t have time. I have to get home to take care of Tristan and Ivy, which means no time for dinner. Now, please, give me my keys,” I held my hand out.

“Fine. Say no. Crush my dreams,” he wiped away a pretend tear.

“I think you’ll live,” I rolled my eyes again, taking the keys from him. “How come you didn’t fix it?” I questioned.

He smirked. “I would have, but my talents are more useful elsewhere.”

“Talents?”

He shrugged. “Okay, that’s a lie. I’m not very talented, at least when it comes to cars, Trace has got me beat there. All I can do is change oil and rotate tires. I assure you, though, I’m extremely talented in many other ways and if you’d like me to show you I’d be more than happy.” He smirked, his tongue flicking out to moisten his lips.

“Uh…no thanks,” I shook my head. “I don’t need a demonstration.”

“Aw, too bad,” he bit his bottom lip.

I shook my head. I really needed to stop being distracted by Trenton. “How much do I owe you guys?”

“I already paid him,” Trent shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Why would you do that?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“Because I wanted to,” he answered simply.

“Did you think for a second that maybe I didn’t want your help?” My temperature was rising as anger filled me. “I don’t need you to take care of me.”

“Think of it as a friend doing a friend a favor,” he shrugged casually. “Don’t worry about it.”

I don’t think Trent understood how guilty I felt. I knew he had the money to blow, but that didn’t matter to me. I didn’t like being seen as a damsel in distress. This princess could take care of herself.

I didn’t have time to stand there and argue with him, so I found myself saying, “Fine, but don’t do it again.”

He smiled triumphantly. “Your car’s parked out front to your right,” he said, backing away. I couldn’t tell if he was angry that I’d turned him down or what. “And Rowan?”

“Yeah?” I turned back to face him.

“This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”





chapter four

I tucked Tristan and Ivy into bed, kissing each of their foreheads. I closed the door behind me and set about cleaning the kitchen. I was supposed to pick up Tatum in thirty minutes, so we could hopefully get some homework done. I didn’t know what went on at Tatum’s house, but I got the impression that her parent’s didn’t get along at all.

I hated leaving the kids once I got home, but they’d be asleep and never know I was even gone. If they woke up and needed me, I wouldn’t be here, and that worried me. Only my mom was home, who was currently passed out in her bed, the floor littered with various bottles of alcohol. I had no idea where Jim was, or if he was even coming home.

Once the kitchen was wiped down and the dishes were clean, I checked to see if the kids had fallen asleep. Both were snoozing peacefully and I knew I could make my escape.

As much as I hated to leave them, I needed to get out of the house more. My mom had been unbearable when I arrived home and didn’t shut up until she passed out. I needed to get away from this toxic environment for a while. It was killing me, but I wasn’t ready to escape yet.