Always My Girl (The Shaughnessy Brothers) (8 page)

“Oh, really? Why is that?”

“Because that was Jake and he’s on his way here.”

“What?” Aidan cried. “Now?”

Quinn rolled his eyes. “Yup, so you better go fix your hair and make yourself pretty.”

“Screw you.”

But as Aidan walked off, all Quinn could do was laugh.

* * *

Clearly, Anna was a glutton for punishment. She had just finished showing a house and was on her way home. This particular route took her past Quinn’s shop. She hadn’t seen or talked to him since the wedding and…well…she missed him. It wasn’t unusual for them to go a week without seeing or talking to one another, but right now she just really wanted to see him.

Pulling into the parking lot, she noticed Aidan’s car and smiled. It was on her mind to give Zoe a call and now she knew for certain they were back from their honeymoon.

Waving to one of the mechanics, she was immediately told—without asking—that Quinn was over in the restoration building. It was separate from the main shop, out back with its own office and setup. She knew why Quinn set it up that way, and she was excited because if he was back there, it meant he had some new cars to restore. She was almost giddy at the thought of what kind they might be.

Letting herself in, she immediately heard the loud male laughter and knew both Quinn and Aidan were there. A minute later, she heard a voice she’d never heard before. As she stepped into the bay area, Aidan spotted her first.

“Anna!” He walked toward her, his arms open wide. “How are you?” He hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. “Have you spoken to Zoe yet? I know she was dying to tell you all about the trip.”

She hugged him back. “As soon as I saw your car, I made a mental note to give her a call when I get home.” She stepped back and smiled. “Was it wonderful?”

His grin was the only answer she needed.

“So what brings you here?” he asked.

“I was driving by and thought I’d stop in and say hello.” Aidan was looking at her a little funny until Anna started to squirm. “What? What’s wrong?” She looked down at her outfit and wondered if she’d spilled something on herself.

“I still can’t get used to seeing you in career-woman mode. I miss the girl in the blue jeans who makes the world’s greatest burgers.”

Anna blushed. “I’m still the same girl, Aidan,” she said shyly. “But sometimes a girl has to grow up.” She was saved from saying anything else when Quinn walked over with a guy she didn’t recognize.

“Hey, Anna,” Quinn said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Hey,” she said, forcing her own smile while checking out the attractive guy standing beside him. Without waiting for an introduction, she held her hand out. “Hi, I’m Anna. I’m a friend of Aidan and Quinn’s.”

Mr. Tall, Dark, and Muscular gave her a sexy smile and took her hand in his. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jake. Also a friend of Quinn’s.”

“Really?” she said, her smile growing until her cheeks hurt. “Then how come we haven’t met before?”

Jake stepped in closer, shouldering Quinn out of the way. “I have no idea. I used to race cars with Quinn. We met on the circuit.” He still hadn’t let go of her hand. “Do you follow racing, Anna?”

For a minute she almost wanted to pinch herself. Here was an incredibly attractive man—almost too good-looking for his own good—practically flirting with her, and she hadn’t had to lift a finger. Aidan was grinning and Quinn looked ready to spit nails. It was almost as if she had scripted the moment herself!

“Oh, I follow all kinds of sports, Jake.” She quickly racked her brain for racing stats until she remembered something about Jake’s. “You used to drive a Chevy, right? Number thirty-four?”

His smile grew and his grip on her hand tightened before his thumb began to stroke her wrist. “That’s right, darlin’,” he drawled. “I had a lot of good luck with that car.” Then he leaned in close. “And in Quinn’s last season, I beat him by twenty points.”

“It was
two
, Jake,” Quinn corrected. “Two. Not twenty. Every time you tell that story, you embellish.”

Jake stepped back and finally released Anna’s hand. “So what is a lovely woman like you doing in a dirty garage like this?” he asked.

Before she could answer, Quinn spoke. “Dude, what the hell? It’s a brand-new shop and it’s just Anna. She’s been in my shops before.”

Anna shot him an annoyed look. “Oh, I don’t mind coming to the shop. It’s not a big deal. A little engine grease and some exhaust fumes don’t bother me. I actually do some work on my own car.”

“Since when?” Quinn demanded.

She ignored him and focused on Jake. “Of course, I don’t drive anything like these cars.” Looking over at the classic cars, she sighed. “Those are real beauties. Whoever owns them is really lucky.”

Quinn groaned, Aidan chuckled, and Jake stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Anna’s shoulders. “It just so happens I own them.”

“No!” she cried.

He nodded. “I sure do.” Then he led her over to them, leaving Quinn and Aidan behind.

It took a full minute before Quinn could find his voice. “What the hell just happened here?”

Aidan was practically wiping tears from his eyes from laughter. “I think your friend just swooped in here and swept Anna off her feet.”

“No,” Quinn said firmly, defiantly. “No way. Anna doesn’t go for that type.”

“What? The tall, dark, good-looking, and successful type?” Aidan teased.

Quinn glared at him. “Are we talking her type or yours?” He shook his head in disgust. “Anna is not impressed with that kind of stuff. She’s been around drivers before and it never made a difference.”

“I’m sure there’s a big difference between the way they treat someone they meet while on the track and off.” He nodded in Jake and Anna’s direction. “There’s no distractions here, and if you ask me, she definitely seemed…impressed.”

Quinn shook his head. “Uh-uh. No way. She’s just being nice. There’s no way Anna would go out with a guy like Jake.”

“How much you wanna bet?”

Just then, Anna let out a very feminine giggle that echoed off the shop’s walls. And suddenly, Quinn wasn’t so sure about anything.

“Look at you…all glowy.”

“I know.”

“How were the Mayan ruins?”

“I have no idea.”

“How were the beaches?”

“Not a clue.”

Anna sighed and threw her head back in disgust. “You know, it’s as if this were the first time you and Aidan had sex! You went to Mexico for a week, and you’re telling me you didn’t leave the room?”

Zoe giggled. “I know it sounds crazy, but…we had our own little villa and just enjoyed staying in our cocoon.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Don’t be hatin’,” Zoe said, standing and going to the kitchen to get them each another drink. “The thought of playing tourist just wasn’t appealing.”

“Okay, let’s just leave it at that. I don’t need to know all the details of what the two of you were doing in your cocoon.”

“Don’t worry. I wasn’t going to share.”

“Thank you.”

Sitting back down on the sofa, Zoe curled her legs up under her. “So what about you? What’s been going on this last week? Aidan said he saw you yesterday at Quinn’s shop.”

“Yeah, I was just driving by and decided to stop and say hello.”

“Uh-huh. Right.”

“What? I did!”

Zoe gave an exaggerated wink. “Okay. I also heard there was a very good-looking race-car driver there who seemed a little smitten with you.”

“Did Aidan honestly describe Jake as good-looking and use the word
smitten
?”

“Okay, maybe I’m putting my own spin on it but the results are the same. So? Spill it! Did he ask you out?”

Anna nodded. “Well, he wanted to take me to dinner last night but I turned him down.”

“But…why? Did you already have plans?”

“No…not exactly.”

“Okay, now you really have to spill it. I know that look on your face. You’re up to something.”

Anna explained her plan to get Quinn to notice her. “So you see, it’s perfect. Here’s this amazing guy and I didn’t have to do a thing!”

“Um, I hate to point out the obvious, but the only way to make Quinn jealous because you’re out with some guy is to actually go
out
with said guy. You just said you didn’t.”

“No, but I will. He called me last night just to talk, and then again today.”

Zoe let out a little squeal. “Anna, that’s great! So when are you going out? Tonight? Where is he taking you?”

“Yeah…um…no. We’re not going out tonight either.”

Zoe sagged in her seat. “Okay, you’ve lost me. Why aren’t you going out with him?”

“I don’t know. I can’t seem to get excited about saying yes. I figure with a guy like him, it’s all about the ego. He’s going to keep calling until I say yes. So maybe by next weekend, I’ll finally be able to make myself go.”

“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. Why would you want to go out with someone you clearly don’t have any interest in?”

“No one else is asking me out!” she cried. “Do you think I like this? Do you think I like sitting around pining for a guy who has zero interest in me?”

“Oh, sweetie,” Zoe began, “I know it’s hard and I’m sorry. I just don’t want to see you do something you really don’t want to just because you think it
might
make Quinn sit up and take notice. You know there’s no guarantee of that, right?”

Unfortunately, Anna refused to think that way. At least she had until just that minute. “I guess I thought if I made myself into his perfect woman…”

Reaching out, Zoe put her hand on top of Anna’s and squeezed. “If he doesn’t love you for who you are, then you need to move on. It will never work if you’re trying to be someone you’re not.”

“I have to admit, I started doing the online stuff and researching car repairs as a way to impress Quinn, but as it turns out, it’s not so bad.” She shrugged. “It’s a lot like cooking—with the right tools, you can do almost anything.”

Zoe gave her a small smile. “You need to be doing these things for you. You should be choosing classes and hobbies based on your interests, not Quinn’s.”

“I have another two weeks of the auto-mechanic thing, so—”

“Anna.”

The reality of the whole situation was finally starting to sink in. Zoe wasn’t saying anything Anna hadn’t heard before—from her parents, her brother, and, if she were honest, herself. Looking up at Zoe, tears filled her eyes. “I just don’t know how to move on. He’s been such a huge part of my life for so damn long and I’ve been in love with him almost since the beginning. How do I just stop?”

“I wish I knew, Anna. I really do. Maybe you need to, you know, step away from the situation for a while and try dating.”

“I guess I can still go out with Jake.”

Zoe shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“It’s still too close. No doubt Quinn’s name will come up in conversation, and that’s just going to keep you in this place. That’s the last thing you need.”

“I don’t know. Maybe. But I have a feeling I’m not going to quit hearing from him until I at least meet him for a drink or dinner.”

Zoe frowned. “Okay. So go for something short, like a drink, and then tell him you’re not interested. Hopefully he’ll take you at your word and move on.”

Now Anna sagged down on the sofa. “Why does this have to be so damn hard? Why can’t I just meet someone and fall in love and be happy?”

Once again, Zoe squeezed her hand. “Because you keep putting yourself in Quinn’s path. You need to make a clean break—no stopping by the shop, no baking cookies or bringing him food…none of it.”

“Damn. How am I supposed to do that?”

“Cold turkey. Trust me. I think it’s the only way.”

“But—”

“Go on the date with Jake. Maybe go out with your new coworkers and see if you like anyone there. Just…no Shaughnessys.”

“But you’re a Shaughnessy,” Anna said with a slight pout.

“Okay, let me clarify—no
Quinn
Shaughnessy. Deal?”

It pained her to do it, but she agreed. “Deal.”

* * *

Ten minutes into her date with Jake, Anna was already regretting it. On the surface, Jake Tanner was the complete package. After a little while, however, she began to realize he was also a complete tool.

The man talked about nothing but himself. His career. His cars. His conquests—yes, the man even talked about all the women who threw themselves at him. Anna knew she certainly wasn’t going to be one of them. Jake had pursued her. Relentlessly. Since she’d talked to Zoe, he’d continued to call every day until she said yes.

It wasn’t as if Anna was a stranger to dating. She had an okay dating life, even with her stupid crush on Quinn, but this date was definitely one of her worst. Looking around the bar he had suggested they meet at, Anna wondered if the bathroom window was big enough for her to climb out of.

Jake had gone to the bar to get their drinks, and when Anna saw him heading back toward her, she thought she was going to be sick.

Placing the drink down in front of her, Jake sat down and smiled. “So tell me, Anna, how do you like selling real estate?”

Wow. A question about her. Color her surprised. “You know, it’s not so bad. I’ve only been doing it for about six months.”

“And what did you do before that?”

“I managed a pub in town,” she said and noticed the bored look on Jake’s face. “I started out waitressing and tending bar every now and again, but then took over managing it and even did most of the cooking.”

“Great,” he said, but his eyes didn’t meet hers. He nodded toward her drink. “You should try it. See if you like it.”

She looked at him oddly. “It’s just a Malibu and pineapple. They’re pretty hard to screw up.”

He gave her a weak smile. “Is there a big housing market here? I mean, it’s a pretty small town. Do you have to travel a lot to get listings?”

And we’re back to me. Impressive.
“I do have several listings in surrounding towns, but there are plenty of vacation rentals here that keep me busy, and I’m branching out into the commercial sector.”

“Really? Like what? Shopping centers?”

She shook her head. “Right now I’m working on a project for a large resort. The property was originally zoned for a subdivision, but it fell through—before I started working in the industry—and now we’re looking to build a luxury resort on the land.”

“Very nice.”

They were quiet for a minute and Anna realized she should probably ask something about his life. Again. Not that she really wanted to know, but clearly he didn’t engage in conversation unless it was about him.

“So…what have you been doing since you retired from racing?” Clearly it was the right thing to ask because he immediately started talking. Taking a sip of her drink, Anna looked around the bar and wished someone she knew would come in and save her. It would be rude of her to just get up and say she wanted to leave and that she had no interest in seeing him again. One drink. She’d have this one drink and then tell him.

“…I have a vacation home in Maui I love to visit…”

Her head felt funny. She looked at Jake and could see his lips moving but couldn’t quite focus on what he was saying. The music and voices around her suddenly seemed like one long hum.

“…my private jet can get us there in a couple of hours if you’d like…”

“Excuse me,” Anna forced herself to say, and before Jake could say another word, she ran for the ladies’ room, certain she was going to be sick.

Once she was safely ensconced in a stall, she fished in her purse for her phone. The screen was blurry, and she did her best to get her eyes to focus and find Bobby’s number. She hit “call,” and it went directly to voice mail. “Damn,” she muttered and scrolled again, hitting “call” and praying someone would answer.

* * *

“I’m telling you, Zoe, if my brother hadn’t found you first, I would have married you.”

Zoe laughed out loud. “Good one, Quinn, but I highly doubt it.”

“It’s true!” he said, slapping his hand on the dining room table for emphasis. “Your cooking is amazing. Can I have dinner with you guys every night?”

“See?” Aidan said. “The way to a man’s heart truly is through his stomach.”

“Leave my brother,” Quinn said, his blue eyes big and pleading. “We can run away together. I’ll get us a house with the world’s biggest kitchen.”

Tears of laughter streamed down Zoe’s cheeks. “As flattering as it is that you only want me for my mastery of Irish cuisine, I’m afraid I’ll have to pass”—she walked over and kissed Aidan soundly on the lips—“because your brother here owns my heart.”

“Well damn,” Quinn said with a pout. “All of the good ones are taken.”

Zoe was just about to speak when her cell phone rang. “Excuse me,” she said with a smile as she picked up the phone.

“Uh-oh, this can’t be good if you’re calling me already,” she said as a greeting. “Are you home or on your way there?”

“Z…Zoe?” Anna’s voice was small and weak.

“Anna? Sweetie, what’s the matter? Are you all right?” Both Aidan and Quinn stopped talking and turned toward Zoe.

“I…I don’t feel right.”

“Did you eat something bad? Are you sick?”

“Drink,” she said. “Only one sip.”

“Did you watch the bartender? Do you think something’s wrong with the drink?”

“Jake…gone for a while. He got the drinks.”

“Okay, okay. Tell me where you are, Anna. Tell me and I’ll be right there to get you.”

“I’m in the bathroom. Don’t want to go back out there.”

“Good. That’s good. Stay in there until I get there. But I need to know the name of the restaurant you’re at.”

“Tavern…something tavern.”

Zoe placed her hand over the phone and looked at Aidan frantically. “Where is the tavern? Some place around here with the word
tavern
in it.”

Both brothers jumped up. Quinn demanded, “What’s going on?”

“Something’s wrong with Anna. I need to go pick her up.”

“No,” Anna mumbled. “Don’t send Aidan. Don’t tell anyone. Just you. You come and get me. I’m so embarrassed, Zoe. Please.”

“Okay, don’t worry. I’m on my way. Stay on the phone with me, Anna.”

“Can’t,” she said. “I…I think I’m going to be sick.” And then the phone went dead.

“Damn it,” Zoe said as she ran across the room and grabbed her purse.

“What’s going on?” Aidan asked.

“Anna…” she began and then looked at Quinn and hesitated. And then it didn’t matter. “She’s out with Jake Tanner and…I don’t know. She said she took a sip of her drink and now she doesn’t feel right. She’s in a bathroom stall at this tavern place and I need to go get her.”

“Son of a
bitch
,” Quinn cursed as he kicked his chair out from behind him. “Not again.”

“What?” Zoe asked. “What do you mean by that?” She grabbed Quinn’s arm as he walked out of the kitchen but he didn’t stop.

“We’re going with you,” Aidan said, opening the front door.

“She’s scared and sick and embarrassed, Aidan. She doesn’t want an audience.”

Quinn called over his shoulder as he went right out to his car, “Well, that’s too damn bad.”

His car was out of the driveway by the time Aidan and Zoe got into theirs.

* * *

Anna’s head was spinning. Someone knocked on the stall door and asked if she was okay, and she merely mumbled her response. A few minutes later, someone else came and said her date was worried about her.

“I want to go home,” she whispered and wished Zoe would get there and help her leave.

After a few minutes, she forced herself to do the one thing she hated more than anything—throw up. If there was something bad in her system, she wanted it gone. Once she was done, she slowly got to her feet, and when the room stopped spinning, she left the stall.

Her reflection nearly made her scream. She rinsed out her mouth and was about to leave the ladies’ room when two women walked in.

“Don’t go out there!” one of them cried. “There’s a fight going on.”

“Did you see him? I mean, he just came into the bar and walked right up to that guy and punched him in the face!”

“I think I recognized the guy in the booth. He’s a race-car driver. You know…from NASCAR.”

Oh no
. Anna quickly made her away around the two women and pulled the door open—and ran directly into Zoe.