She pats my shoulder and steps inside. “Good man.”
I take in the jeans hugging her thick ass and lick my lips. Even casually dressed, she makes my blood heat. I lock the door behind her and spin on my heels.
“I have us set up in the office. The first step is to look at them.”
“Wait, you haven’t yet?” she asks, and I hear the surprise in her voice.
“No. This is like a snapshot in time before shit got too real. I didn’t want to go there without you.”
She slips her hands into mine. “I get it. I’m here.”
I keep our hands linked as I guide her through the house to my office.
“Oh, dude, this is amazing. Is that you?”
Following her gaze to a collage of me during my skateboarding circuit years, I laugh. “Oh yeah, I was a professional skateboarder for over ten years.”
“That does not surprise me one bit. How the hell did you end up in the car business?”
“You can only ride that wave for so long. I was missing my family, and Houston, my best friend, was starting up this new venture. I’d already invested money when I decided I wanted to have a more hands-on role as well. He was gracious and invited me in. We built this thing up with hard work, time, and buckets of sweat. He’s got a mind for business ... not so much on the creative spectrum.”
“Which is where you come in.”
“Correct. I also handle some of the day-to-day operation, but that’s the necessary evils.”
“You’re a freaking onion like Shrek.”
“What?” I ask.
“Layers, Ollie. You got a bunch of layers.”
“So does cake, and it tastes a hell of a lot better than an onion.”
She laughs. “I don’t choose the movie quotes. They choose me when the time is right.”
“You’re so weird.”
“Pot meet kettle?” she says. “Since you let me in on your first day back to work, I have to tell you mine was today, too.”
“Oh, on a movie set?”
“I wish. No, it was a bridal party.”
“How did it go?” I ask, searching her face or signs of alarm.
“Better than usual. The girls were a riot, and the bride, Amanda, was adorable. They made me remember why I love this gig so much. When you remind someone who has forgotten about their inner beauty, it’s a magical thing, and in this case, I’m helping them bring their dreams to life. Most women dream of their wedding day their entire lives. Being a part of giving them that fairytale experience is a special thing.”
“I’m going to pretend I get that,” I say.
She laughs. “I appreciate your attempt.”
“It’s so different for dudes.”
“I know. But to be honest, I never dreamt of mine.”
“Were you married?” I ask, interested in the response.
“Almost. We didn’t quite make it down the aisle, but that was a good thing. We fell in love young, and I was blind to his many flaws.”