A fine man. But you move at a damn snail’s pace and it’s painful to sit back and watch.”
Straightening, he stared at his father as if he’d lost his mind.
Malcolm Sr. continued, “Dani is a beautiful woman who looks at you like you hung the moon and if you don’t get up off your ass and show her some attention, some other guy will. How would you like that?”
“Did you hit your head today or something?” he asked incredulously. “Dani’s had quite a few boyfriends since she’s worked here. Why would her dating someone bother me?”
The look his father gave him in response told him just how little he believed him. The truth was, it would kill him if Dani found someone and got serious with him, but…that didn’t mean he was the right guy for her either. He didn’t have the best dating record. So much of his time and energy was spent working and he knew he could get consumed with a restoration. More than once he’d been dumped simply because he seemed to care more about the cars than the girls.
He didn’t want to do that to Dani. She deserved better.
“Think about it.” And with a huff of annoyance, Malcolm’s father walked away.
Damn. Raking a hand through his hair, Malcolm let out a long breath. He hated how well his father knew him and hated even more that he was in this position. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint Dani–not only because he genuinely cared about her, but because she really was an important part of the business. He thought he was doing the right thing by not pursuing her–the business always had to come first–but was he really doing the right thing?
It took him less than a second to answer that. Of course he was doing the right thing. Hadn’t he watched his old man ruin three marriages because of his obsession with cars? And wasn’t he following right in his footsteps? It was in his blood–his love of working on cars and bringing them back to life! When he wasn’t working on a car, he was thinking about the cars he hoped to restore or going to car shows to see the work other classic car enthusiasts had done. As much as it meant he didn’t have much of a social life–or a private one–he was content.
Well…mostly content.
“Hey,” Dani said with a smile as she approached. “You ready to hit the road?” She looked so excited and hopeful and…beautiful. Dark hair pulled up into a ponytail, big green eyes, and the pinkest, glossiest lips he’d ever seen.
He was starting to sweat.
“Uh, yeah.” Raking a hand through his hair, Malcolm knew he couldn’t procrastinate any longer. They had a schedule to keep. Stepping aside, he opened the passenger door for her and watched as she climbed up. Today Dani had on a pair of black skinny jeans and a snug pastel pink t-shirt.
I’m not going to survive this…
Once she was settled, he slammed the door shut and walked around to the driver’s side like he was walking to his own execution. On his way around, he double-checked the Corvette and made sure it was secure, and when he climbed into the cab, he stopped and froze.
“How long was I out there?” he cried, looking around in horror. Snacks were littering the center console and drinks in every available cup holder. Dani’s shoes were off, her feet were resting on the dashboard, and she was singing along to some awful pop song on the radio.
“Oh, sorry,” she said sheepishly, reaching out to lower the volume. “When you didn’t climb in right away, I thought I had a few minutes with Taylor.”
“Taylor?”
She nodded, smiling. “Taylor Swift. That’s who was just singing. I love that song.”
“Yeah, can’t say I’m a fan,” he murmured, buckling himself in. “I guess we should talk about rules.”
“Rules?” Her smile faded. “Seriously?”
“Dad and I normally do these things together and…quietly.” Hell, he couldn’t even force himself to look at her.
“Ooohhh,” she said after a minute. “Got it. Sorry.” Bending forward, she reached into her oversized purse and pulled out a pair of earbuds. “No worries. I’ll keep my music to myself. And I promise not to be too much of a bother.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“No, no, no…I get it,” she said right before making a zipping motion over her lips and popping her earbuds in. He was about to put the truck in reverse when she pulled the buds out