“What do you mean Luke’s taken care of it?”
It was Shirleen’s turn to go silent. Then she muttered, “Uh-oh.”
“You say he’s there?” I asked.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Can you please put him on the phone?”
“Maybe you need to deep breathe,” Shirleen advised.
“Please put him on the phone.”
She sighed and put me on hold.
For some reason, of all the shit that had gone down between Luke and I, this was something I could not allow. I’d let him be a pretty pushy, tough guy, macho man with me but I could pay my own goddamned way.
“Yeah?” Luke said.
“It’s Ava,” I told him, sounding snippy.
“I know, beautiful,” he replied, sounding like he was smiling.
I ignored the melty feeling in my belly at his calling me “beautiful” when he sounded like he was smiling. I liked it even before I knew he meant it in every way it could mean. It was way better than “babe”.
“Did you pay for the repairs on my Range Rover?” I asked him.
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Why not?” he answered.
I felt my hold on my temper slip. “Luke, it’s my car.”
“Ava, you’re my woman.”
I ignored the melty feeling that gave me too. “So?”
“So you’re my woman, I take care of you.”
“Luke –”
“This isn’t up for discussion.”
“It sure as hell is!”
“I’m thinkin’, as payback for the hickey, I want you in that pink teddy thing tonight.”
Was he for real?
“Luke!”
“Later.”
Disconnect.
Argh!