Blitz (Blast Brothers #3) - Sabrina Stark Page 0,115

make it an annual thing and expand it to other regions of the country.

Blast Tools had even created a brand-new job position – director of festival outreach.

They'd filled this position almost immediately with someone who had a real passion for the project. And that person's name?

Mina Lipinski.

But you knew that already, didn't you?

And yet, you might be surprised to hear that it took me a little while to accept the offer – not because I wasn't eager for such a great opportunity, but rather because I was sleeping with the boss, and didn't want any special favors.

But then, I'd been informed by all three brothers that there was nobody else they wanted for the job, because there was nobody on Earth who cared for the endeavor as much as I did.

They were definitely right about that.

In the end, I'd signed on the dotted line and considered myself beyond lucky, especially when Chase pulled me close, right there in Mason's office, and whispered into my ear, "It's a good thing you signed, because you're not going anywhere."

He was right about that.

Thanks to the incredible job offer, I no longer had to move away to have a career that used my degree. On top of that, I was actually being paid to support something near and dear to my heart.

In spite of my new job, I was still living with my parents and chipping in with expenses whenever they let me, which wasn't nearly often enough, even if they did seem happier than ever with the arrangement.

Maybe I should have gotten my own place, but the truth was, I was gone so often that it really didn't matter where I was technically living.

In spite of the address on my driver's license, I was spending most of my nights with the guy I loved – a guy who made me laugh, made me smile, and now, made me want to elbow him in the ribs, when he looked at me and said, "But I'm still pissed about the sunroof thing."

It had been an ongoing joke ever since I'd confessed to Chase that during our argument in the car, I'd deliberately taunted him with the noise from my own defective sunroof.

Immature?

Probably.

But hey, a girl couldn’t be sweet all the time, could she?

These days, the sunroof wasn't a factor, because the Malibu was long gone, replaced by a cute little sports car – a gift from Chase for my most-recent birthday.

When I'd objected to such an extravagant gift, he'd claimed it was for his own benefit, not mine, because he refused to be further traumatized by my sunroof.

Yeah, right.

It would take a lot more than that to traumatize a guy like Chase Blastoviak. And besides, he was the one who usually drove us whenever we went someplace.

Still, I couldn't resist teasing him. "But you're forgetting, it was the sunroof that brought us together."

"How so?"

"Well, you remember the first time you drove me home, right?"

"Yeah?'

"Well, you wouldn’t have done that if the sunroof had opened like I wanted." I paused for dramatic effect. "Which means we never would have gotten together in the first place."

"Forget that," he said. "I would've fallen for you, anyway."

It was just what I wanted to hear, because I felt exactly the same way. "Good thing," I teased, "because I'd hate to be just another girl chasing after you."

He pulled me tighter against his side. "Trust me, the last thing you are is just another girl."

His words warmed my heart like they always did, especially because I did trust him. In spite of his wild past, he'd been the most loyal, wonderful boyfriend I'd ever had.

And the hottest.

Go figure.

As we continued walking along the festival midway, he pointed off in the distance. "Hey, look."

When I looked to where he pointed, I saw the barn – yes, that barn, where we'd gotten to know each other intimately all those months ago.

Tonight, the barn was seeing a lot more action – meaning the family-friendly kind, not the other kind – with festival goers lined up for a traditional hayride.

With a grin, Chase asked, "So, how about it? Wanna take a ride?"

I laughed. "Seriously?"

"Sure, why not?"

It did sound like fun. With a wistful smile, I said, "I haven't been on one of those in years."

"And me never," he said. "So come on, let's go."

Hey, I was game if he was.

Our timing was perfect. By the time we reached the barn area, a new group of riders was already climbing into the big, wooden wagon for