Hannah stopped him. “Absolutely not. I’ll do this.”
“Okay. I’ll go work on your car and see if I can get it started.”
“Thanks.”
Once he figured out what the issue was, he ended up having to go to the auto parts shop to buy a starter. Installation took a couple of hours, but after that Hannah’s car fired up just fine. He took the car for a short drive, parked and turned it off and on again several times, and everything seemed to be working okay. Satisfied that he’d solved the problem, he went inside to wash his hands.
Hannah was doing paperwork at the kitchen table.
“Paying bills?” he asked as he finished drying his hands.
She looked up at him with a grimace. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“An evil necessity for all of us.”
“True. How’s the car working?”
“Like new. Or at least your starter is new.”
“What do I owe you for the parts?”
“Nothing.”
She shook her head. “That’s not how this works, Kal. What do I owe you?”
He rolled his eyes, but he understood why, so even though it cost less than twenty bucks, he dug the receipt out of his pocket. She looked at it and pulled out her wallet and paid him cash.
“Thanks.”
“No, thank you.”
“When was your last oil change?”
“About two weeks ago.”
His lips curved. “Good for you.”
“Hey, she’s gotta last me, so I do my best to take care of her.”
“While I was under the hood I checked everything out, and it all looks like it’s in working order, so I think you’ll be good to go for a while.”
“That’s a relief. Thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you doing this for me.”
“No problem. I’m gonna head out.”
She got up and walked around to stand next to him. “I thought maybe you’d stay. We have the place to ourselves for the day.”
The offer was tempting. Way too tempting. “I’d like to, but I didn’t sleep last night since we were on scene all night. I’m dead tired.”
“Oh, of course,” she said. “You want to sleep and I made you work. I’m sorry.”
He wrapped his arm around her. “What I want is you. What I need is sleep. Two different things.”
She laughed and laid her palm on his chest. “There’ll be other opportunities for us. Go get some rest.”
He appreciated that she understood and wasn’t making a big deal out of him leaving. He brushed his lips across hers for a kiss that was all too brief, but he knew if he went in deeper, he’d never leave. And then he’d end up even more tired. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay. Thanks again.”
She walked him outside to his truck and waited while he climbed in. For a brief few seconds there he had second thoughts about leaving. But then he put his truck in gear and backed out of the driveway.
Damn common sense. Where had that ever gotten him?
Just into a great career with the future he wanted. Getting his head on straight and having goals for his future meant everything to him. And right now he was exhausted and knew he needed sleep more than anything. Even more than he needed Hannah.
He yawned and turned onto the highway, headed for home. For his bed. Where he’d sleep alone.
This time.
CHAPTER 15
HANNAH’S LAST APPOINTMENT OF THE DAY ENDED AT four, which meant she could get out of the salon early. Oliver had soccer practice, but he was carpooling with Jeff, and Becca offered to take the boys for tacos afterward and hold a playdate at her house. She told Hannah the boys would do homework after school, and Hannah agreed. Her mom was leaving right from work to go to dinner with her book club. A free night was a rare occurrence.
She stopped at the grocery store and then headed home. After she put everything away, she got out her phone and texted Kal.
What are you doing today?
It took him about twenty minutes to reply to her text.
Mowing the lawn. You still at work?
She smiled and replied: Just got off. How about dinner? I’m cooking.
He answered with: Sounds great.
After they agreed on a time, she began prepping the lasagna she had planned to make. Once it was in the oven, she went into her bedroom to change clothes. After a long day at the hair salon, she felt like she was covered in hair and hair color, even though she knew she wasn’t. Still, she’d feel better after a shower, so she got in to wash off, then put on a sleeveless