Lighthouse Way (Huckleberry Bay 1)

“I don’t have you here to distract me anymore.”

“Aw, you miss me.”

Zeke smirks and then shrugs one shoulder. “It’s not the same without you.”

This is the perfect segue into why I video called my best friend today.

“Well, then, how about this? Why don’t you quit the drama club there and move here to Huckleberry Bay? You can be the co-owner of the garage I want to open, and restore cars with me.”

His brows draw together as he frowns. “You want me to move in with you?”

“No, smartass. You can’t live here. But you can live in town. You liked it here. You said so yourself.”

He looks like he wants to be even more of a smartass, but then he thinks twice. “A garage, huh?”

“Yeah. A garage. And I already have a customer.”

I tell him about Luna’s Ford and watch as Zeke’s pupils dilate.

“You’re fucking kidding me.”

“I’m not, no. It’s a honey of a car, and we can make it purr like a kitten.”

“Hell, yes, we can. That’s like finding a needle in a haystack. A once in a lifetime find. Any gearhead would give their eyeteeth to work on that car.”

“Then move here and go into business with me.”

The truth is, I could do it alone, but I’ve been working on cars with Zeke for close to two decades. It would feel weird not to have him be a part of it. And, yeah, I miss him.

“It’s damn tempting, man.”

“Okay, give it some thought and let me know. I’m going to look at a building for sale tomorrow. It’s on the edge of town. If it’s in good condition, it might be the ticket. I want to be up and running before the holidays.”

Zeke’s eyebrows wing up. “That’s damn fast, Wolfe. You need equipment, tools—”

“I can get it. I know people.”

“You’re rich,” Zeke replies dryly. “That doesn’t hurt.”

“That, too.” I grin at him. “Come on. You know you want to.”

“Yeah, it’s damn tempting,” he says again. “Give me a couple of days to figure some stuff out, and I’ll get back to you.”

“Great.”

We end the call, but a knock sounds on my door before I can do anything else.

The doorbell doesn’t work.

When I open it, Luna and June grin back at me.

“Hey,” Luna says and holds a yellow plate in the air with a bright smile on her gorgeous face. “I know I’m late, but I brought welcome-home carrot cake.”

“My favorite.”

She smiles, her cheeks flushing with pleasure, and I can’t help the fleeting picture in my head of me making her blush just like that in very different ways.

That’s new when it comes to thinking about Luna, but this isn’t the little girl I used to play with as a kid.

The woman before me is gorgeous.

And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think of her so often it surprises me.

“I’m glad it’s still your favorite,” she says. “It would suck if you were suddenly allergic or something. June thought she’d come with me and take a look around your house.”

“Come on in.” I step back and usher the women inside, taking the cake out of Luna’s hands, my hand brushing over hers as I do. She bites her lip as her eyes meet mine, and I offer her a wink.

Yeah, she’s damn beautiful.

“I’ve only seen the outside,” June begins as she pulls a measuring tape off her belt and measures the doorway that leads into the kitchen. I have no idea why, but I’m not the construction expert here. “This place needs a lot of work, Wolfe.”

“Don’t I know it?” I set the cake on the kitchen counter and sigh as we all look around. The paint, once a bright yellow, is dull. My mother hung a strip of floral wallpaper to border the ceiling in the mid-1990s, and it’s begun to peel and hang down in places.

The Formica countertops have chips. The sink has a slow drain and plenty of stains.

And I still haven’t gotten around to putting the cabinet door back on its hinges.

“The foundation is crumbling,” she continues as she walks around, taking everything in. “The siding is warped and falling off, likely from the elements. I’m sure the roof needs to be replaced.”

“Based on the water damage in the guest bedroom, I’d say you’re right.”

“Why did you let it just sit here?” June demands and turns to me with her hands on her hips, her green eyes blazing with the temper that comes with that riot of red hair. “Without even having a management company hired to keep an eye on things.”

I blow out a breath and lean against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest. “I knew I’d have to come and take care of their things eventually,” I confess. “And have the house fixed up. Part of me thought I should just go ahead and sell it.”