Trucker (The Good Guys #1)(22)

"I was a year ahead of her in school. After graduation, I joined the  military. I knew I would be away for a while …  I was in love with her but  I was scared. Young and stupid. Broke things off and told her not to  wait for me," he sighed. "By the time I realized I'd made a mistake,  she'd moved on-just like I told her to."

"That's so sad." I frowned.

He barked out a humorless laugh. "You're telling me. She still lives in town," he added.

"Really?" I asked, shocked. "Where?"

"Right next door," he tilted his head toward Beverly's house.

"What?!" I gasped. "No way!"

"Yes way," he nodded, regret painting his face.

"You know she's totally single, right?" I asked, pointing at the house next door. "You should do something about that."

"Bah," he made a dismissive sound and waved his hand as if chasing the notion away. "Say, do you like balloon animals?"

It took me a second to catch up with the abrupt change of subject.

So random.

"Sure." I shrugged. "Who doesn't?"

He went inside his house and came back out with a pink balloon. After  blowing it up, he started twisting and turning it until it resembled a  poodle, and handed it to me.

"That's so cool," I said, turning it this way and that, trying to figure out how he did it.

"As much as I'd like to pay you with balloons, I believe I owe you some  money." He pulled out his wallet. "What did Beverly pay you?"

"Thirty."

"Here's thirty-five." He handed me the cash. "I gotta one-up her. That'll really get her goat." He grinned.                       
       
           



       

As I walked down Main Street, I smiled. I'd gained sixty-five dollars, a pink poodle, and two new friends.





TRAVIS

"Hey," I heard Angel say behind me while I was under the hood of an old Buick.

Just the sound of her voice caused my pulse to skyrocket. I turned to  face her as I wiped my hands on my coveralls. "Hey, you. How did the  mowing go?"

"It was a rough start, but Beverly's neighbor helped me figure it out.  Aaaand he had me mow his lawn, too, so I made extra." She beamed as she  rocked on her heels.

I went to kiss her but she held up her hand and took a step back.

"I stink really bad right now," she stated.

She did smell, but I didn't think it was bad. She smelled like sunlight,  summer air, and fresh-cut grass. Her hair was a mess piled on top of  her head and pink tinted her face and shoulders from being in the sun.

Like always, I thought she looked gorgeous.

"I stink, too. We can stink together." I grinned as I picked her up by  the waist. My hands were coated with dark grease and I liked the idea of  leaving my handprints on her.

Her legs automatically made their way around me and linked behind my  back as I brought my lips to hers. She immediately sighed and opened her  mouth to let me slip my tongue past her lips.

Unfortunately, the kiss didn't last long because we heard someone loudly clear their throat.

"None of that in here," Hank said with a hint of amusement as he walked  past us to his office. "Don't want to attract the wrong kind of  business."

When I put Angel down I noticed she was holding something in her hand.

"Is that a balloon animal?" I pointed at the pink object.

She looked at it like she'd forgotten she had it. "Yeah. Ernie,  Beverly's neighbor, made it for me. Neat, huh?" she asked, holding it up  for me to see. Then she reached into her back pocket and handed me  something. "Here. This is for you."

I looked down and counted sixty-five dollars.

"No way." I tried to hand it back but she wouldn't take it. "I'm not taking your money, Angel."

"You've already spent that much on food for me. You have to. I won't  take it back," she said stubbornly. "Please?" she begged as she gazed up  at me.

Shit.

Why did I have such a hard time saying no to her?

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I could tell this was going to  be an issue. There was no way in hell I would take her money when she  needed it so badly.

I decided to placate her-for now-and she let out a sigh of relief when I put the cash in my wallet.

*

That night when we got into bed Angel told me Beverly swore like a  sailor, and I laughed when she told me about their first encounter.  Dropping the F-bomb when you first met someone was a bold move. I guess  when you're that old, you just don't give a fuck.

Nighttime was becoming my favorite time of the day. Sure, I liked lying  next to Angel, liked touching her, but it wasn't about physical contact.

After the lights went out, we talked. We got to know each other. I  learned random details about her. Like the fact that her favorite number  was eleven but she had an irrational fear of the number twenty-three.  And how she hated the color orange because it made her look ‘washed  out'.

It didn't matter how insignificant the detail was-if it was about her, I wanted to know.

We were lying in bed, facing each other as I traced her face with my  finger. I slid the tip of my finger over her brows, down her cheek, and  across her lips.

When I remembered this weekend's plans, I thought I should let her know what was going on.

"So this weekend is the annual Tolson Summer Fest," I said, running my  finger down the length of her nose. "There's a parade on Saturday and  I'm supposed to drive the semi. You want to ride shotgun?"

"You want me to be in a parade? Am I just supposed to wave to everyone?" She did an exaggerated beauty queen wave.

"You get to be the candy-thrower," I told her, amused. "That's a very  important job. Kids are going to love you. And it would be a big help to  Hank," I added, knowing it was going to persuade her. "Even though the  shop is closed for business, the garage doors will be open. Hank and  Colton usually give out discount coupons and free keychains. It's really  good for promoting the business."

Truth was, although we did need a candy-thrower, I really just wanted  people to see Angel riding with me. I wanted everyone to know she was  mine, even if she didn't know it yet.

"And I'll even let you honk my horn." I smirked and waggled my eyebrows.                       
       
           



       

"Oh, I'll honk your horn so hard," she said, her tone completely serious.

I grunted, trying not to laugh. "Baby, I love it when you talk trucker to me."

*

Over the next few days, Angel and I developed a comfortable routine. I  would leave for the shop in the morning, and she made daily visits to  Beverly's. Sometimes she would come back with a new balloon animal, so I  knew she saw Ernie, too.

In the evening, she would cook dinner for Colt and me-it was either  that, or frozen pizzas-and at night we would lie down in bed together  with zero space between us as we talked.

She told me about how Ernie and Beverly were high school sweethearts and how she thought they should get married.

Angel was really cute when she gossiped. Her eyes got really big and her  voice would get hushed as though she was in danger of being overheard.

Besides some hot make-out sessions and a little over-the-clothes touching, nothing more physical happened.

I was both relieved and frustrated by that.

Relieved because I didn't want to jump into anything we might not be ready for.

And frustrated because I was sporting the worst case of blue balls ever.

Thursday afternoon, I got done at the garage early and came home to an  empty apartment. Angel had been losing track of time while she was at  Beverly's lately and it was only two o'clock, so I figured I'd find her  there.

As I walked toward the little white house, I smiled because I could hear their laughter from a block away.

I found Angel and Beverly sitting on the porch, drinking lemonade from  oversized mason jars. The rusty metal overhang kept them shaded from the  sun, but it was still hot as hell outside.

Whether it was from the heat or laughing so hard, Angel's cheeks were  flushed. The sight of her took my breath away. She looked so happy.  She'd made quite the transformation from the lost girl I'd picked up off  the side of the road just seven days ago. I liked to think I had  something to do with that.

"Did you spike the lemonade again, Beverly?" I teased.

"Well, it is thirsty Thursday," she deadpanned.

Angel smirked. "Don't go giving her ideas, Travis."

I stepped up onto the porch and plucked a Swiss Roll off the plate between them.

"I came to get you because my mom wants to take you shopping for a new dress for Saturday," I told Angel around a big bite.

"She wants to take me shopping?" she asked, taken aback.

"Her idea, not mine. I think you always look great." I flashed her the  dimples and she blushed. "You'll be in the parade this weekend," I  reminded her. "It's kind of a big deal around here."