Sawyer, Rita - Her Mr. Wrong [What Are Friends For 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) (2 page)

Chapter Two

Amy knew she talked a good game, but unlike her friends, following through on her taunts usually took her a bit longer. Not because she needed to work up the nerve, but because with four overprotective older brothers and a nosy father, she had a hell of a time keeping anything from them. It hadn’t been as hard when she was younger. They had all been too involved in their own lives to pry into hers, which gave her the freedom to get into plenty of mischief with her friends. But lately things had changed. All of a sudden, they were watching every move she made. She got the feeling they all thought something was coming, and they weren’t happy about it.

They were right to be worried. Lainey’s wedding-day dare had given Amy and their four other friends six months to find a guy and have a mindless, sex-filled affair. One month had already passed, and only one of them had done it. Dianne hadn’t had much of choice, since Gage had blackmailed her into dating him for a week. She hadn’t wanted to do it, but now she was happily walking around with a hefty rock on the third finger of her left hand.

Now there were only four of them left. Sadie, Jillian, Karen, and herself. She wasn’t going to be the only one who didn’t complete the dare. The thing was, she didn’t want to be the last one, either. She figured it was going to come down to her and Karen in the end. For her, there was the obstacle of getting around her family. Karen’s issue was a lot bigger. As a teacher over at the junior high school, she had to be careful. If her students’ parents got wind of her having a wild affair, there would be a few that would have conniptions. Amy figured that gave her a slight advantage.

Not enough of one, she thought as she reached for another slice of pizza. She tried to focus on the movie she’d put in the DVD player, but she couldn’t remember who was supposed to be in love with who. She bit into the pizza and leaned back against the couch cushions with a sigh. Wednesdays were so boring. Her brothers and father all bowled in a league, which meant she was the only one left to answer any after-hours calls that came in. What it really meant was since they were all out, they wanted her to stay home. She went along with it because she knew they needed this time to be together without worrying about her.

Since it was rare to get a call after eight o’clock on a weeknight, Amy practically leapt off the couch when the company cell phone rang. She scooped it up and pressed the connect button.

“Dooley Towing and Service,” Amy chirped cheerfully.

“Hi, is Amy available?” a woman asked.

“I’m Amy.”

“Terrific.” Amy could hear the relief in the woman’s voice. “My name is Jenny. My car broke down, and Jace Cannon told me to give you a call.”

For a brief second, Amy wondered what this woman’s connection was to her best friend’s husband. Then she pushed the question away and slid into business mode. She asked a few questions and took the woman’s information. Amy explained it would take her about twenty minutes to get there. It would have been less, but she had to run down to the shop and pick up a truck first. With the press of a button, she shut the TV off. She grabbed a piece of pizza and headed out the door.

* * * *

Slade should have just been happy and relieved that he was available when his sister needed him, and normally he would have been. However, this time he wasn’t above using the situation to his advantage. Since he and Jace had just finished dinner when Jenny called, they drove straight over. He knew his sister must be freaking out about getting home to her boys, so once they got to her, he’d asked Jace to take her and her melting groceries home. Of course that meant he’d finally get a second chance at charming Amy, this time, alone.

He stepped back and looked at the sturdy, maroon minivan. It was a solid, decent-looking car. Okay, the interior could use a good cleaning, but with two active boys, whose car wouldn’t? Still, the car would probably be fine if they gave the motor the overhaul it needed. Slade knew his sister’s independent streak would make her refuse to let him take care of it for her. Hell, she flipped out when he snuck a slight raise into her paycheck. Their argument had gotten so heated, he’d done something he never had to do before. He issued her a really harsh ultimatum. Either she took the raise, or she was fired. He knew it had backed her into a corner, but he refused to see her or his nephews struggle. It wasn’t going to happen, not while he was around.

In the end, his sister had taken the raise because she needed the job more than she needed to fight with him. She swore she was going to use the money to start a college fund for the boys with the money. Slade spoiled her retort when he told her it wasn’t necessary because he already had a substantial one in place for both of them. She’d stared at him for a few minutes before she burst into tears and stormed out of his office.

Slade hadn’t expected that to be the end of it. So when his nephew Conner told him that his mom promised to take him and his brother on vacation during the school break, he’d been shocked. Slade thought it was a great idea. They all needed a break from their everyday routine. He planned on waiting until he found out a little more about the trip she was planning, and then he’d make a few minor adjustments. She’d never have to know he was behind the upgrades, and even if she did suspect it, there’d be no way for her to prove it.

He grinned as he leaned against the side of the minivan, indifferent to the fact he was getting dust and grime on the back of his expensive suit. His smile grew when he saw the big, blue truck with “Dooley’s Towing” written on the side, turn into the parking lot. He pushed off of the car and waited for Amy to climb out of the truck.

Her feet hit the ground with a thud, and his gaze was drawn to the black boots she had on. He slowly dragged his gaze up her body, over the jeans that hugged her slight curves, but were far from tight. The navy blue work shirt was a few sizes too big and tied at her waist. He could just make out the slim, strapped T-shirt she had on under it. The shirt was open at the top, exposing her throat. When he finally reached her eyes—the icy, bluish-green color intrigued him—he winked at her. The glare she gave him would have scared a lesser man, but he’d been getting looks like that from his sister for years.

Okay, not just like that, because hers struck something in him he couldn’t ignore. This little pixie had spirit. She didn’t look like the girl he’d danced with, but her appearance didn’t change the way he felt. It just proved the attraction went beyond looks.

“Your name isn’t Jenny.” She tossed her head in the direction of the minivan, and he watched her long, black ponytail sway. “And I’m willing to bet big money that isn’t your car.”

He nodded, loving that she got right into it. “You’re right. It belongs to my sister.”

She tilted her head, adding a rise of her eyebrows to her glare. “Okay, where is she?”

“I asked Jace to drive her home.” The narrowing of her eyes and the quirk of her lips hinted she might not believe him. “Her little boys and the babysitter would worry if she didn’t come home soon.”

“Oh.” Amy glanced at her clipboard. “She didn’t mention where she wanted me to bring the car.”

“I’d like you to take it to your garage and find out what’s wrong with it.” He knew it be a problem for his sister, but she’d just have to get over it.

“Is that what your sister wants?” she asked.

Damn, he just knew when she met his sister they were going to be good friends. “She will after I tell her I’ve done it.”

“Right.” She jotted something down on the paperwork. “I have her phone number. I’ll call her tomorrow and discuss it with her. If she wants it brought to her house, it’ll be free of charge.”

“No. I’d rather handle this myself.” He pulled a business card out of his wallet and handed it to her.

She glanced at it before she stuck it under the metal holder on her clipboard. If she was impressed by his title, it didn’t show. Most women got a calculating look in their eyes when they saw he was Slade Jacobs, owner of Jacobs Racing and Design. He figured they were wondering exactly what that meant, along with what his net worth was.

“I’ll still need to call her and let her know you requested the car go to our garage.”

“I understand.” He nodded, impressed with her integrity.

“So where’s your car?”

“Actually, I’m kind of stranded. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind giving me a lift.”

“Sure,” she agreed, but sighed heavily as she walked away.

Slade stood back and watched her work. For such a tiny woman, she handled the equipment as if it was no problem. She lowered the truck bed to the ground. It only took her a few minutes to hook the van up and winch it onto the truck. She had it loaded, secured, and the bed back in place in less than ten minutes. Slade followed her to the cab of the truck and reached for the driver’s door. She let out growl as he opened it for her.

She grabbed the door and said, “Get in the truck before I leave you here.”

Slade laughed, but he did as he was told. By the time he made his way around the hood and stepped up into the truck, she already had it running. She drove to the exit of the parking lot.

He waited for her to pull out into the road, but she just stared at him. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m waiting for you to tell me where to take you.” She spoke to him like she would a child.

“I’ll go to the garage with you so I can make sure the car gets there safely.” That glare hit him again. “I’ll call Jace and ask him to meet us there.”

She groaned and drove out of the lot. Slade fished his cell phone out of his pocket. First he called his sister and told her the car was being dropped off at the garage, and a company car for her to use until it was repaired would be delivered in the morning. She wasn’t happy, but she agreed. They stopped at a red light. He handed the phone to Amy so she could verify the arrangement for herself. When he was done, he called Jace.

“Are you still in one piece?” Jace asked, without even saying hello.

“So far. Amy’s giving me a lift to her garage. Can you pick me up there?” He hoped Jace would take his sweet time getting there.

“Sure, but I’ll need to run home and check in with Lainey first. It’s my turn to walk the puppy.”

“No problem. I’m sure there’s some paperwork I’ll need to do. Tell Lainey I said hi.” He hung up and looked over at Amy, noticing her cheeks were a bit pink. “Jace needs to check in at home, but he’ll come and get me as soon as he can.”

* * * *

Not soon enough.
“I’m sure he will.”

Amy just hoped it was before her father and brothers came back. Explaining the strange car at the shop would be easy. Having to explain a sexy man sitting in the office would be a lot harder. She considered calling Lainey to see if she could rush her husband along, but she didn’t want any of them thinking she was afraid of being alone with Slade. Her friends would read way too much into it. She pulled up to the chain-link gate and hit the button on the remote strapped to her visor. The gate clanged and clunked with loud squeaks as it slid open.