“Sally?”
She’d let it slip out, but what the heck? It wasn’t a sin to love a car. “Yeah. That’s what I call her. I’ve had her a long time and she’s always gotten me where I wanted to go. Until now.”
“So you weren’t aiming to come to Forever?”
She didn’t care if everyone in the room was staring at her. Just as long as Grant and his two sexy friends kept on staring, too. “Sorry. No. I’m on a country-wide trip of exploration.”
“You’re doing a road trip by yourself? Just you? All alone?”
Damn, but Grant’s so hot I’m surprised he’s not burning a hole in the floor. Her gaze shifted to the other men. Make that three holes.
“Sure. Why not? Are you saying I shouldn’t because I’m a woman?” She prided herself on self-reliance. Her parents had raised her to be a strong woman and she liked to think that she’d made them proud by becoming independent and resourceful.
The crook of his mouth said he thought exactly that but wasn’t foolish enough to admit it.
Sexy and smart. The perfect combination.
Lance and Duncan were just as sexy with their faded jeans, denim shirts, and cowboy hats. And she was willing to bet that they were just as smart as Grant.
“It’s a self-exploration, too. I decided I needed to live a little before finally doing what I’ve always wanted to do. You know what they say about writers taking their life experiences and putting them down on paper.”
“So you want to write the Great American Novel, huh?”
She was hit in the gut with the force of his presence and knew, without understanding the why of it, that he would hold an important place in her life’s story. “Yeah. Although, how great it will be remains to be seen. But yes. I want to write books.”
She’d never told anyone that. Never even voiced the dream to her parents. So why had she told him?
“What kind of books?”
She jumped her focus to Lance. “Paranormal romances.”
Her response amused him. Yet she didn’t get the impression that he was laughing at her. Instead, she thought he liked the idea.
“You mean like when the beautiful woman falls in love with the vampire? That kind of thing?”
“Yes and no. I prefer werewolves over vampires.”
All three of them perked up as though her answer had made them happy.
“At least that’s what I was doing before I got sidelined with car problems.”
“Well, if Brig can’t fix it—”
“Then no one can. Yeah, so I’ve been told. You wouldn’t happen to have a car rental place around here, would you?” Not that she could leave Sally behind. Yet if the time had come to let Sally rest for good, she had to have a car. Any car.
While Lance’s and Duncan’s smiles were engaging and made her want to cover their mouths with hers, Grant’s soft smile made her think of nights in dark rooms and hands skimming over her body.
Oh, mamma.
“Nope. We don’t have much need for rental cars around these parts. You’re stuck here until Brig can work his magic.”
“We’re trying to figure something out in the meantime.”
She’d barely noticed that Milly was still around. Then again, with three incredible men fixated on her, she doubted Milly would blame her for forgetting about her. What woman would?
“What are you thinking, Milly?” If she couldn’t rent a car and couldn’t get her car repaired, then that didn’t leave any other option.
“I don’t know.” Milly kept glancing at the men, then at her. “But it’s best that she’s not here any longer than she has to be.”
“No, Milly. What’s best is that she stay.”
She hadn’t expected that. It was apparent from the men’s expressions that they meant business. She didn’t know why, but at the moment, she wasn’t sure she cared. To have them arguing for her to stay gave her a warm glow she hadn’t felt in a long time. Too long. If they were around, staying in Forever for a couple of days didn’t sound so bad. Hell, it sounded damn good.
“You keep saying that, Milly.” She caught yet another telling, silent exchange between Milly and the men. “What’s the deal, anyway? You act like everyone’s going to change into zombies at sundown.”
When they didn’t laugh along with her, she paused and rethought the idea of sticking around. Maybe she should listen to Milly and get out of town. Small towns were notorious for odd goings-on.
“Let her stay at your place.” Duncan tipped his head at the other two men, encouraging them to go along. “I mean, your old place out back.”