Nashville 1 - Ready to Reach (13 page)
Her eyes widened. “If you could please give me your company’s name.” She kept her gaze on the notepad in her hand, pen poised in midair.
“Better yet,” he said, his voice softer now, “how about if I just pay you for the damage? We could make a reasonable estimate, and if it’s more, you can get in touch with me later.”
“I’d prefer to keep this within the law.”
“I wasn’t suggesting anything illegal, just—”
“Convenient. You’re interested in convenience.” She nodded impatiently. “All right. We’ll do it your way.”
“Sounds reasonable enough.” He turned and made his way back to the Ferrari, deliberately taking his time. Reaching for the wallet inside the glove compartment, he pulled out a wad of cash and counted out several large bills. That ought to do it. He doubted the whole car was worth that much.
Favoring his right leg, he ambled back to the woman’s car and leaned inside to hand her the money along with a few insurance papers. “It’s all there. With a toll-free number. I don’t imagine you’ll need it, though. This should cover it.”
The woman glanced down at the money and shook her head.
“I made what I thought was a generous guess,” he said. “If it’s too much, keep the rest for your trouble.”
“Fine,” she said, looking suddenly angry. With surprising strength, she yanked the door closed, leaving him staring at her through the window.
He took a hasty step back and then grimaced when a pain shot through his leg. Suddenly he realized he hadn’t told her he’d disconnect the two cars himself. It would need to be done carefully, just right in order to—
He reached out to pound on the window just as she fired the old clunker, jerked it into gear and surged forward.
Speechless, Will stood there watching as she floored the heap and roared through the intersection at a speed that couldn’t possibly be described as a snail’s pace.
RITA
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Award-winning author Inglath Cooper was born in Virginia. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in English. She fell in love with books as soon as she learned how to read. “My mom read to us before bed, and I think that’s how I started to love stories. It was like a little mini-vacation we looked forward to every night before going to sleep. I think I eventually read most of the books in my elementary school library.”
That love for books translated into a natural love for writing and a desire to create stories that other readers could get lost in, just as she had gotten lost in her favorite books. Her stories focus on the dynamics of relationships, those between a man and a woman, mother and daughter, sisters, friends. They most often take place in small Virginia towns very much like the one where she grew up and are peopled with characters who reflect those values and traditions.
“There’s something about small-town life that’s just part of who I am. I’ve had the desire to live in other places, wondered what it would be like to be a true Manhattanite, but the thing I know I would miss is the familiarity of faces everywhere I go. There’s a lot to be said for going in the grocery store and seeing ten people you know!”
Inglath Cooper is an avid supporter of companion animal rescue and is a volunteer and donor for the Franklin County Humane Society. She and her family have fostered many dogs and cats who have gone on to be adopted by other families. “The rewards are endless. It’s an eye-opening moment to realize that what one person throws away can fill another person’s life with love and joy.”
You can follow Inglath on Facebook at
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