She wished she knew what it was about him that even the sound of his voice made a shiver run through her. Sometimes she felt like a silly schoolgirl around him, foolishly impressed by his looks and his charm and his big-man-on-campus walk. “I’m the one who should be asking that question. How are you? Did you see your doctor?”
“First thing this morning. Donovan accompanied me to the clinic.”
Grace laughed. “From your tone, I would guess that Donovan dragged you to the doctor’s office.”
“That’s another way of phrasing it. But either way, I’m fine. My doctor assures me I’ll heal completely. Probably won’t even scar permanently, except for maybe a couple of small spots.”
“So I guess you won’t need that tattoo, after all.”
“Only if you want me to get one.”
She wrinkled her nose, even though he couldn’t see the face she made. “I think we’ve covered this territory already.”
“Right. Just let me know if you change your mind. I was thinking of something along the lines of a skull with a rose between its teeth.”
She remembered the word he’d used when she’d described Bodie’s tattoo. “Charming.”
“It could even have your name printed beneath it.”
“Gee, thanks, but no, thanks. Anyway, the reason I called…”
“You mean it wasn’t just to hear my voice?”
“The reason I called,” she repeated firmly, “was to ask about your car. No one’s come by to collect it yet.”
“There’s no rush. My doctor doesn’t want me to drive for another few days, anyway, because of the meds I’m taking. And I have the Navigator if I need a vehicle for any reason.”
He probably had access to half a dozen vehicles, she thought wryly. Which didn’t answer her question. “So what should I do about the Corvette?”
“Drive it,” he replied. “Keep it a week or so and see if you like having one as much as you thought you would—just for future reference, of course.”
She frowned, torn between the temptation of having his car at her disposal for a few days and suspici
on of his motives for offering it. “What if something happens to it?”
“The car’s insured. Just make sure you don’t hurt yourself. Drive carefully and wear your seat belt. Oh, and don’t touch the exhaust pipe. It gets hot.”
“Very funny,” she muttered as he chuckled at his own witticism.
“Really, Grace, I don’t need the car right now and you enjoy driving it. So why not? I’ll take it back as soon as my arm’s better.”
She wasn’t made of stone. “Okay. Thanks. I’ll be careful with it.”
“I know you will. So how about picking me up for dinner tomorrow night? I’d ask you for tonight, but to tell the truth, my arm’s throbbing like crazy after the doctor messed with it today, so I think I’m just going to crash at my place and catch up on some paperwork.”
“Um—dinner? Tomorrow night?”
“Yes. I’d like to go someplace public to show everyone I’m up and about. I’ve heard there are rumors going around that I practically toasted myself yesterday. That sort of gossip is bad for business.”
It made sense. She, of all people, knew how quickly rumors could get out of hand. “Okay, but let’s not make it anyplace fancy. I’m not in the mood for snooty.”
He chuckled again. “We’ll pick someplace busy and casual. Lots of visibility, plenty of background noise to cover our conversation. We could even have Chloe and Donovan join us and make it a party. How does that sound?”
Very safe. She didn’t quite trust herself to be alone with Bryan at the moment. Not with the memory of his kisses so clear in her mind. “Perfect.”
“So you’ll pick me up around seven?”
“Fine.”