“It’s a ’65,” he said, putting the key in the ignition. Actually, it wasn’t, but he couldn’t resist testing her. One glance told him she was eyeballing every last detail. “You’re staring at my stick shift.”
“Do you have a problem with that?” she asked fake-sweetly.
He gave an epic grin. “No, because I happen to have a very fine stick.” What was it about her that made him want to spar with her right back?
“Some of these old cars don’t have the original chrome gear shafts. This one is really beautiful. Shiny.” Her gaze caressed the control panel. “Are you sure this is a ’65?”
“What makes you think it isn’t?” he asked nonchalantly. She couldn’t possibly know the technicalities of this answer. Could she?
“Well,” she said, “it has vertical front fender vents that look like gills.”
“Which is what all ’65 ’vettes have.”
“And ’66s,” she added. He looked over in disbelief. “But the fact that the word Corvette on the hood emblem is centered over Sting Ray definitively makes it a ’66.”
He shook his head, incredulous. “How’d you know that?” His friends didn’t even know that. In fact, he wouldn’t have, either, unless he’d gone to a vintage-car show last fall. Geez.
She shrugged and went silent, staring at the dashboard.
Curiosity got the best of him. “What are you—like, a vintage car lover or something?”
She gave him a wary look. “My dad used to love old cars. We used to pore over car magazines together. And every fall, we went to the classic-car show at the fairgrounds. He always wanted to own one, but of course they were too expensive. So instead he promised he’d teach me how to drive a stick.”
“You never learned how to drive a stick?”
“Not the kind on a car.”
He let out a snort. She was funny; he’d give her that. With a biting humor that she pulled out…when she wanted to keep people away.
It didn’t seem like Tessa Montgomery allowed people to get too close.
Which was fine with him, because this was a business arrangement. He reminded himself of that as he started the car, which practically purred.
He couldn’t resist digging a little deeper. “So why didn’t he teach you?”
“When I was seventeen, he helped me buy a used Chevy Astro with a standard transmission. We made a date to practice on that big hill near the apple orchards. But…” She swallowed and looked out at the bakery like it was the most interesting building on the street. “But he had a heart attack. So…we never made it. But I have great memories, and it’s still on my bucket list.”
Without thinking, he touched her arm, which was smooth and warm. She startled a little and looked over at him. In that brief moment he saw the same pain reflected back that he knew far too well himself.
His mom had never lived to see him leave for college. Or graduate high school. Or watch Gia grow up. They’d passed so many milestones without her.
Suddenly he found himself clearing his throat. “I’m sorry.” Then he busied himself with grabbing a pair of sunglasses from the visor and putting them on. “So,” he continued, “my appointment with Indira is at one.”
He kept talking before she could shut him down. “Tessa, I’ve been thinking a lot about this.” He hadn’t slept, going over and over it in his mind. “I know my dad would loosen up and give me some freedom with my ideas if I was married. And so would your mom. We could make this work. And once we got our businesses headed down the right tracks, we’d both be free, no strings attached. I don’t see a downside. This really is win-win.”
She turned and looked him in the eye. Her gaze was clear, resolute, and determined. “I get all that.” She paused before continuing. “But for right now, can you show me how this thing rides?”
“Sure. As long as we have a deal.”
“Only for one reason,” she said with a broad smile. A nice smile. One that made him, for some reason, smile right back despite himself.
“And that would be?”
She smoothed her hand over the creamy leather seat. “I’m in love with your car.”
He laughed and threw the car in reverse. In love with his car, but she still hated his guts. He guessed he’d take that compromise. For now.
Chapter Seven
A few minutes later, Tessa found herself standing in front of a large, vinyl-sided ranch with Leo and Indira Mehta, owner of Blossom Glen Realty and a regular customer at the bakery.
How Tessa went from surrendering to Leo’s plan to standing here in someone’s driveway, about twenty minutes from downtown, was practically beyond comprehension. It was like she couldn’t even recognize her life anymore. And that was super scary but also sort of…exciting.
She couldn’t let that same weird, addictive energy that flew fast between Leo and her when they sparred make her forget the seriousness of this proposition.
“Thanks for meeting us here, Indira,” Leo said, shaking her hand, as pleasant as always.
“My pleasure,” she said. “Glad to see you’re back in town for good, Leo.” Her gaze darted back and forth between the two of them. “Oh hi, Tessa. Are you two looking together?”
“No,” Tessa said adamantly.
“Yes,” Leo said at the same time.
“What a cute couple,” Indira said, unfortunately taking the situation the wrong way. “So I think I know what’s going on here. You’re on the down low because of your families’ feud, right? I totally get it. And you can trust me. I won’t say a word.”
Before Tessa could set her straight, Indira pushed the door open and stepped back, giving her spiel. “Okay, kids, this is a seventies ranch that needs some updating. It’s not as old as the homes in the Blossom District, but it’s bigger than a lot of those, so I thought it might be worth a look. And of course it’s farther out from town, but there’s more yard. You can definitely put your own stamp on it.”
“That’s code for needs a lot of work,” Tessa whispered.
“How do you know that?” Leo asked.
“Experience,” she hedged. Did years of binge-watching House Hunters count as experience?
They shuffled through several large rooms. “Why does it smell like mayonnaise?” Tessa asked as they entered the kitchen. She tried not to gag. That was enough for her to cross it completely off the list. But Leo whipped out his tape measure and began measuring the lurid, navy blue–stained cabinets. The kitchen was dark and ancient, with tile countertops with dirt in the grout lines. She gave him a thumbs-down sign behind Indira’s back.