“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it.”
They exchanged smiles in the harsh glow of the barn’s stark outside lights, and then she started toward her car.
Matt glanced at the Mercedes and realized he’d never really given it a close look. “When did you start driving cars like this, anyway? What happened to ‘they’re gonna bury me in a Chevy’?”
Dara turned and laughed. “The gas prices in California, for one thing.”
“It’s a nice car.” He scrutinized its every sleek angle and curve. “You sure could’ve done worse.”
“That’s what I figured. If I had to give up my truck, I was at least going to get something that looked good. And…” She shrugged, lowering her gaze a bit. “I don’t know. I guess when Jon and I started actually making a grownup living, we decided we liked having a few grownup things, too. When I realized I could afford a car like this, I thought I’d take it for a test drive.” She trailed her finger over the edge of the side mirror. “What can I say? I was hooked.”
“Yeah, I know how that goes.”
“Do you?” She peered at him over the white roof. “So Mr. Ford-or-Nothing strayed from his roots too?”
Matt’s cheeks burned. “You could say that. And not just the truck either. I sold all but one of my cars before I left Chicago, but I had—”
“All your cars?” She arched an eyebrow. “Did you have a fleet or something?”
“I kind of got caught up in that whole ‘grownup’ thing too. And I like sports cars.” He chuckled. “It was a bit of a milestone for me, the day I couldn’t decide between two Ferraris and realized I could have both.”
Her eyes widened. “So did you buy both?”
“And a third one for good measure.”
“Wow.” She laughed. “Boys and their toys?”
Matt laughed softly. “Says the girl driving a Mercedes.”
“Fair point. It does kind of stick out like a sore thumb here, doesn’t it?”
Matt shrugged. “Just needs a little mud on the tires, that’s all.”
“I think that voids the warranty.”
“True. Well, if you want to see one that sticks out, you should see mine.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded. “I still have one of the Ferraris. And now that the weather’s getting nice, I can take it out a bit more.”
“Only take it out with the top down?”
“Of course. That’s actually the only way I can drive it anymore.”
She furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”
“Because it…” He paused. “It’s weird how the brain works. The thing is, I commuted in different cars, but they all had leather interior. Eventually, it got to the point that any time I was driving anywhere, it was to work. Or a meeting. Or dinner with clients. And after a while, being in a car that smelled like leather made my blood pressure go nuts.”
“But what about your saddles?”
“Different kind of leather. Different kind of smell.”
“True. They don’t quite smell the same.”
“Yep. And it’s getting better. At least I can smell coffee without gagging again.”
Dara’s eyes widened. “You couldn’t… Coffee?”
“For about three months, I’d get heartburn just taking a whiff of it.” He shuddered at the memory. “Obviously I got over that.”
“Good. Life without coffee, though. That’s just not life worth living.”
“Right?” He paused. “Well, it’s my own damned fault for letting things get to that point. I was a fucking wreck last year.”
“Why didn’t you get out sooner?”
“I thought about it. Hell, we all did. We could’ve throttled back after the first few years, but when the money started coming in as fast as it did, we wanted to see how far we could take it. So we just kept at it, and everything kept growing, and the money kept on coming—”
“And then you woke up one day on the verge of a heart attack.”
Matt nodded. “You know it’s bad when you’re pacing in a hospital, hoping like hell your buddy pulls through, but also thinking ‘that could be me’. Especially after your doctor’s been dogging you for a year because it really could be you.”
“Jesus. And your business partner, the one who did have the heart attack…” She lifted her eyebrows. “Was he… Did he…”
“Survive?”
She nodded, cringing slightly.
“By the skin of his teeth. And as soon as he was back on his feet—”