One Last Call (13 page)

She held the vase away from her body. “I want to throw them away. Is that childish?”

“Not from where I’m standin’.” Josh relieved her of the vase. He poured the water out on the front lawn and headed for the garbage can in front of the garage. He flipped the lid up and upended the vase until the flowers plopped out into the trash. The vase was still in his hand when he made his way back to her. “Here, keep the vase. Give it to your mom. I’m sure Dad will get around to givin’ her flowers sooner or later.”

“Tell Kenny she likes lilies.”

“I’ll mention it to him. He probably knows. They talk quite a bit.” Josh gave her a sidelong glance. “I caught him takin’ a selfie and textin’ it to her.”

“What? That’s, well, that’s kinda cute, really.”

“In a weird, ‘these are our parents’ sort of way, I guess.” He rolled a shoulder. “I didn’t think he knew how to text, much less know how to take a picture of himself with his phone.”

“Mom has been smiling at her phone a lot now that I think about it. I thought she was looking at cute cat pictures, not selfies from her new boyfriend.”

Speak of the devil, Lucy opened the door, keys in hand and purse over her shoulder, ready to go somewhere.

“Sarah? Oh, hello, Josh. Why are you holding an empty vase?” Lucy set a hand on his forearm and gave him a kind, yet somewhat worried smile. “Honey, it works better if you put flowers in it before you give it to her.”

Josh shook his head, and an amused smirk played at his lips. “It’s not my vase, ma’am.”

“Why do you have it?” Lucy wasn’t quite convinced.

Sarah took the vase from Josh, not sure she wanted to keep it either. “It’s from Richard, Mom. He sent flowers here.”

Lucy’s lips pursed up when she heard Richard’s name. “Where are they?”

“In the trash.”

That news didn’t seem to faze Lucy. “Good. Okay, well, I’m off to run a few errands.”

“Mom, wait. Can I borrow your car?”

“I’m using it right now, Sarah.” She shot a knowing look at Josh. “Josh, could you drop her off where she needs to go? I’m running late.” To Sarah, “Are you feeling any better, sweetie? I still think you need to check out Dr. Anthony. I mean have Dr. Anthony check you out, I mean over.” Lucy waved a dismissive hand. “You know what I mean.”

“I’m fine, Mom.” Sarah had already been checked out. Thoroughly. She tried not to look at Josh. “Do you think you can drop me off at the bar?”

“Oh, no, sorry sweetheart.” Her mom looked longingly at her car. “I’m due to a, well, um, a thing, and I really need to get there.”

“What thing?” Lucy was being strangely vague.

“Oh, a well, you see…” Lucy checked her watch. “Sorry, Sarah, I have to go.”

“Where?”

“I’ll see you later, honey.”

Sarah watched her mom back out of the driveway and head toward town. Josh ran his fingers down her bare arm and took the vase out of her hands. He gave her instant goose bumps.

“Don’t worry. I’m headed back to the garage so I can take you to work.”

“Suds and Spuds is on the other side of town. Isn’t that out of your way?”

“Nope. Wouldn’t matter if it was. You need a ride, and I’m still the guy with the chariot.”

* * * *

Josh would have loved to spend the whole day with Sarah, but he had work to do. He wanted to get the tune-up on Gladys Jenkins’ old Buick finished before closing time. He planned on going to karaoke night tonight at Sarah’s. He couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, but he liked listening to everyone who got in front of the microphone. Some were good singers, like Reed Sutton, and some were downright terrible. Sonny Connelly, owner of the diner, butchered “Piano Man” every time he got up there. The guy still had a hell of a good time while doing it.

Sarah scheduled it once a month, depending on when the latest MMA pay-per-views were on. Josh thought the ladies liked the fights even more than the men did. It was bloody and brutal, but he’d seen little Sophie Sutton stand up and cheer when a guy got choked out. Sarah usually stopped what she was doing to watch a fight or two. The Brandon women were beautiful and bloodthirsty. How hot was that?

He usually met Chris King at the bar. They were the last soldiers standing when it came to love, so they hung out together in the group. Josh and everyone else knew Chris had a thing for Fiona O’Malley. For reasons he wouldn’t discuss, Chris didn’t pursue her. The guy was torturing himself. He watched her like he was on a diet and she was a tasty piece of cake. She watched Chris too when he wasn’t paying attention. If they did make eye contact, Fiona looked at Chris like he was an idiot. He was an idiot. His piece of cake wanted him too, and he wouldn’t go for it.

There wasn’t anything Josh could do, so he had to stay out of it.

Josh had his own love life to work on now. He’d driven a clearly reluctant Sarah to the Suds and Spuds. She’d been quiet the entire ride across town, staring at the passing scenery of shops and storefronts. He figured she was lost in thought, trying to come up with an excuse for what happened in the truck earlier. Josh had a pretty good idea that Sarah would fortify her defenses and try to put some distance between them. She could try, but he wasn’t going to let that happen.

As soon as she was out of the truck, Sarah thanked him and rummaged in her purse for her keys. He asked to see her phone and typed his number in her contacts list. She didn’t look happy about it. She didn’t delete it either. Josh told her to text or call if she needed him for a ride or whatever. Then he pulled her to him and stole a kiss before she could protest. When they parted, the smoldering look in her emerald green eyes made him want to drag her back in the truck for round two.

Jesus.
A thoroughly kissed Sarah was a sight to behold. Josh managed to let her go with a, “Later, sunshine.” He spent the ride back to the garage in a loved-up daze. He was surprised he hadn’t wrecked his truck thinking about Sarah’s pink-tinged cheeks and shiny, kiss-swollen lips.

“Anythin’ change in the last ten seconds?”

His dad caught him checking his phone again. “You’re one to talk. That phone hasn’t left your hand in the last half hour.”

Kenny laughed. “Pot meet kettle, huh?” They both set their phones on their Snap-on roll-around tool chests at the same time. His dad leaned over Sarah’s car. “Can’t figure out why anyone would try to hurt Sarah. She’s sweet like her mama.”

He worked on removing Sarah’s power steering pump while Josh replaced spark plugs. A few moments later, Kenny called out to Josh. “You think her ex-husband had anythin’ to do with it?”

Josh flicked a short glance at his phone to see if it was lit up. No luck yet. “I don’t know. Somethin’s not right there. Sarah said they weren’t on speakin’ terms and now he sends her flowers and calls her his wife. Sounds creepy to me.”

He thought he caught the flash of a wedding ring on the ex’s left hand this morning. Josh knew for certain that Sarah didn’t wear any rings. He’d already checked. Besides, he would have felt something when she had her fingers tunneled in his hair, gripping it, holding on while he explored her everywhere.

“What does Sarah think?”

If their truck interlude was any indication, she had no interest in her ex-husband. Josh was still walking on wobbly knees after touching her so intimately. He wanted to do it again and again.

“Son? Back to earth. What does Sarah think?”

“Sarah thinks he’s up to somethin’. So do I. Her ex is still livin’ with the woman he cheated on her with. He has to be nuts if he thinks she’ll take him back.”

“That man treated her poorly. He never deserved her.”

“And I do? I treated her poorly too.”

“You did what you had to do. You didn’t cheat on her, did you?” Kenny looked him in the eye, gauging his honesty.

“No, but I left her.” That was the biggest regret of his life.

Kenny nodded at the truth of it. They both knew Josh couldn’t rewind the past. “Did you tell her about your headaches?”

Josh shrugged. “I told her I had a few twinges here and there and that I was okay.”

“Twinges, my ass! Why didn’t you tell Sarah how bad they get?”

He got back to work on the spark plugs. “I’ve already confessed enough for one day. She got all teary-eyed when I told her about the accident. I don’t want her to feel sorry for me, and I’m not gonna play the pity card to win her over.”

“If you plan on gettin’ serious with her, she needs to know what’s goin’ on. You might be walkin’ around just fine now, but you’re still healin’, Josh.”

Josh knew that better than anyone. “I’m fine. And I don’t get headaches every other day. Sometimes, I go a week without anythin’ happenin’.”
When I’m lucky.

“You gonna tell her about the nightmares?”

Sarah didn’t need to know exactly how screwed up he was yet. Josh was still working on maintaining their tentative truce. “Everyone gets nightmares, Dad.”

Kenny narrowed his eyes at Josh’s offhand remark. “I don’t give a damn about
everyone.
”

Josh and his dad had reconciled years ago. He’d always known that his dad cared about him. It took him a few years to man up and appreciate that for what it was worth. This was the part of family that he was telling Sarah about. He needed the connection.

“For right now, it’s all good. Anythin’ happens, I’ll deal with it then.” He nodded toward Sarah’s Mini Cooper. “I’m more worried about someone tryin’ somethin’ else to hurt her.”

“We finally got a sheriff who knows his ass from a hole in the ground, so I’m thinkin’ Seth will do all he can to catch whoever messed with Sarah’s car.” Kenny leaned over the ruined power steering pump, loosening the mount bolts. “Think you can keep an eye out for her without pissin’ her off?”

“Yeah, I’ll be keepin’ an eye on her. That I can promise.” Josh couldn’t help grinning. “I can’t guarantee not pissin’ her off.”

His dad gave him a crooked smile. “Yeah, you’ll have that.”

Kenny’s cell phone rumbled against the lid on his tool chest. It vibrated in jittery little bursts of movement while his dad stared at it. He peeked over at Josh.

Josh gave a playful groan. “Go on and answer it. Never keep a lady waitin’.”

“I s’pose you finally smartened up and learned that yourself?” Kenny wiped his hand on a rag and snatched up his phone. He looked like a kid at Christmas when he saw who was texting him. Had to be Lucy.

“I guess that blow to the head knocked some sense into me.”

“Glad somethin’ did. You knew she wasn’t gonna wait around forever, Josh.”

“She wasn’t waitin’ for me.”

“Sarah was waitin’ for you, boy. She just didn’t know it.”

“So, are you sayin’ it was fate?”

“Couldn’t say. Maybe. Who the hell knows? Listen, I’m gonna offer you some advice.”

Josh waited for some fatherly words of wisdom. All he got was, “For the love of God, son, don’t screw it up.”

SARAH
was trying to remember why she’d ever hired that waitress, Kelly. Sure, she was beautiful, with a model-perfect body and long, wavy blonde hair. She also had big boobs which helped her get big tips. Sarah was betting those big boobs of hers were going to tip her over soon if she didn’t get them out of Josh’s face. The music wasn’t that loud. Kelly didn’t need to lean over and get cleavage to chin with him. There was also not a damn thing wrong with the woman’s hearing.

“That chick’s had some work done. If you look closely you can see her dark roots too.” Her sister, Sophie, was sitting on a padded stool across the shellacked oak bar from Sarah and providing commentary. She tore her gaze from boobapalooza to talk to Sophie.

“She’s a good waitress.” That’s right.
That
was why she’d hired her. It was hard to remember through the green fog of jealousy taking over her brain. It was sweet of her sister to downplay Kelly’s looks for her sake. They both knew better.

“She’s good at flirting.” Sophie took a sip of her amaretto sour and watched the exchange with Sarah.

Josh, looking yummy in a black T-shirt and well-worn jeans, was slouched back in his chair with that good ol’ boy grin on his face. Kelly leaned in and whispered something in his ear. He lost his smile for a second before laughing.

What the hell is so damned funny?

“She probably told him she was a natural blonde.” Sophie had a secret snarky side that she only showed to Sarah and her best friend, Tracy. Usually, it was when she felt someone had done something wrong or mean to someone else.

Sarah laughed at her sister’s jab. “Personally, I don’t care to find out.”

“Neither does Josh by the look on his face. If you ask me, he’s trying to be polite. If he leans back any farther, he’s going to be on the floor.” Sophie nodded, agreeing with herself. “He’s not attracted to her. Besides, you
do
have the natural blonde thing going for you.”

“So do you. Does Reed care?”

Sophie blushed a rosy shade of red. “Um, it’s never come up. I mean, he
knows
I am, because well…you know.” She cleared her throat. “Reed’s never said anything about it.”

Sarah had seen enough of Kelly hitting on Josh. She shifted her full attention to her sister. “You know, Soph, I should charge you full price for those potato skins.”

Sophie held her appetizer aloft, halfway to her mouth. “What? Why?”

Sarah made sure her other bartender, Ally, was on the far side of the bar before she answered. “When were you going to tell me Josh lived above the bakery?”

“Oh!” Sophie took a delicate sip of her drink. “Didn’t I tell you? I’m sure I did. Come to think of it, I’m positive I did.”

Sarah narrowed her eyes at her sister.
“Sis, you’re a terrible liar.”

Sophie’s grin was unrepentant. “I know.”

“So, spill it.” Sarah tugged the plate of food away from her sister.

Sophie pulled it back toward herself and took an enormous bite of her crispy bacon and melted cheddar cheese laden potato for extra measure. Once she took her time chewing and taking another sip of her cocktail, she stopped procrastinating. “Okay, so he moved in a few months ago. The place has been empty for a while so it’s a good thing someone rented it, considering that brand-new ceiling and the beautiful carpet Ben installed, it would be a shame…”