Right With Me - Stacey Lewis Page 0,3

shit with Tabitha started going downhill, so did my talking.

We don’t get the chance to continue. Movement outside my window grabs my attention, and when I turn to face it, I see her walking beside Nick. She’s grinning up at him, her eyes riveted on him, and I almost lose my mind. Ignoring whatever Rex is surely about to say, I’m out of my chair and striding across the room to my door, the only thing I’m able to focus on getting to her before Nick makes more of an impression.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Chapter 4

Hailey

Coming here shouldn’t make me nervous, but it does. Actually, after the weird episode with Mitchell the other day, it’s probably not such a shock that I’m nervous coming here. Obviously, I did something to cause his insane reaction. It’s not often that a man basically runs away from you, but here we are.

I practically sigh in relief when I see Nick standing at the edge of the building talking to one of the other guys wearing a pair of coveralls with “Anderson Automotive Repair” on the back. One thing that’s good about those things--they have their names on the front, just above their hearts. Makes remembering their names when they come in for lunch easy.

As soon as he sees me, Nick’s face lights up. It makes me feel guilty, like I’m taking advantage of him somehow. He’s a nice guy, and with the amount of flirting he’s done with every visit to Patsy’s, he seems to be into me. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’s a day over twenty-five, while I’m...not. At thirty-two, I’m much closer to thirty-five than I am twenty-five, and dating a younger guy doesn’t appeal to me at all. I already have one toddler, thanks.

He jogs up to greet me like a happy puppy. If he had a tail, the thing would be wagging so hard his butt would be moving with it. The thought has me pulling in my lips to stifle my laughter, but I return his exuberant, “Hey,” with a more subdued version of my own.

“So, what exactly is the car doing?”

I wish he hadn’t asked me that again. He asked me at the diner, but I didn’t know how to explain it there either. “I’m not sure,” I tell him with a shrug. “It kinda shakes when I go faster, and sometimes I swear I can hear a tick when the car is running but the radio isn’t on.” That’s something doesn’t happen very often because I love listening to music, and so does Connor.

Nick nods. “Okay. The shaking thing can be a fairly easy fix. It could just be an issue with your tires not being balanced. The ticking is a little trickier, but we’ll take a look.” He looks at me expectantly, but I don’t know what he wants. Finally, a smile tips up one side of his mouth and he holds out his hand. “I need your keys so I can pull it in.” I hand them over, and he looks pointedly across the room. “The waiting room is right over there. I’ll try not to take too long.”

“That would be great,” I assure him with a smile of my own. I need to go get Connor, not that I’m about to tell him about it if I have to.

I’m almost to the waiting area when I feel it. The small hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and it feels like a heavy gaze is locked on my back. It’s him. I don’t know how I know, but I do.

Turning in a small circle, I try to find him, but I don’t see him anywhere in the small room. That’s explained when the waiting room door opens to reveal him standing in the doorway. His shoulders are so broad, they take up the whole space. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had to turn sideways just to enter.

The thought makes me snicker, and his eyes lock on my smiling lips.

Oh damn.

I like having his eyes on me. How stupid is that? After everything Seth put me through, I should be off men for the rest of my life. Instead, all it took was a few hot looks from this man and a couple of minutes smelling his aftershave to have my stomach in knots and my knees weak.

Down Hailey.

“Uh, hey.” I groan inwardly at how idiotic I sound. He’s staring at me like he’s not sure if he