“One dinner. Please. I need someone who knows the area to show me around. You’d be doing me a huge favor.”
She couldn’t get over the hint of disloyalty. “You’re the enemy.”
He stepped around her door and crouched so they were eye level. “I’m not a bad guy, Perrin. I swear it. You can trust me.”
Those four words struck like a bolt of lightning. Realizing he’d grabbed hold of her hand, she jerked it away. “I don’t even know you.”
“So, get to know me. I’m an open book.”
She scowled. “No man’s an open book.”
“I am. Anything you ask me, I swear I’ll give you an honest answer. I’m willing to work with you here, but you have to trust me—”
“I don’t trust anyone.”
“That can’t be true.”
She pursed her lips. She trusted Maggie and kind of trusted a few others but not completely. Never with her whole heart. “I trust my sister.”
“Okay.” He smiled. “I like a challenge.”
“This isn’t a challenge. I just want you out of my life and off my land.”
“Technically—”
“Don’t.”
He chuckled. “One tour, followed by a harmless dinner. My treat as a thank-you for the tour.”
It was a mistake, but if by chance she could still buy the land, she had to do everything in her power. “Fine. But it’s not a date and I don’t trust you, so don’t try any funny business. You got me?”
“Deal.”
Chapter 3
Perrin told Maggie she needed the night off. Ryan would cover the bar, a perk to running a family business.
She waited outside of O’Malley’s for Gage at four o’clock as promised. His dark Mercedes pulled into the lot with a stream of patrons slipping out of work early, hoping to hit the happy hour special.
As soon as the car stopped, she rounded the vehicle and climbed in. He half leaned out of the door, expecting to open hers but moving too slow. Didn’t matter. This wasn’t a date.
“Do you have enough room?”
She glanced at the console, which looked more like a cockpit than a car. Sleek black leather and shiny wood veneer, met with digital dials and screens. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”
She ignored his stare and looked out the windshield. Chuckling, he pulled onto Main Street.
She hadn’t expected to put much thought into their outing, but her property was at risk. So she woke up in the middle of the night to do a quick two hour search of possible properties for sale in Jasper Falls.
The car moved with incredible smoothness. “We probably should have taken my car.”
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“No, but this car’s really low. The properties I plan to show you are on old country roads.”
“I don’t mind getting a little dirty.”
She spared him a sidelong glance, sensing some kind of double meaning, but his expression remained blank and his focus glued to the road.
“Turn right at the light.”
He appeared completely at ease. Between the rich scent of his cologne slowly seeping into her lungs and the warming seats, she was being lulled into a somewhat pleasant mood, which wasn’t part of her plan.
She scowled at the fancy door handle. As he turned the vehicle, she gasped. “What the hell was that?”
“The seat hugs you as it turns.”
“No way.”
“It’s a nice feature.”
“Do you always rent luxury cars?”
“I like Mercedes. Nothing else handles as nice.”
“Clearly you’ve never driven a fifty-seven Ford pickup.”
“I’m afraid not, but I do have a Model A Ford Cross. Does that count for something?”
Her eyes narrowed. “No, you don’t.”
He shrugged. “I like acquiring rare collectables.”
“You have a Model A Ford? What year?”
“Nineteen twenty-eight.”
“Holy shit.” She looked back at the road. “Turn left.” She hated that he owned something that made him more interesting. She supposed he owned lots of interesting treasures, being that he was basically a millionaire. “Why do you live in Texas?”
“It’s where our headquarters is located.”
“So once you set up a store, you leave?”
“I leave the second the paperwork’s signed. King’s is a franchise. There’s a selection process. Our HR team will vet the applicants and choose someone for the start-up. Once it’s built, we send out a team to train the employees, and from there, it’s just a matter of following the formula.”
She hated how cold and faceless the whole thing seemed. “Well, our hardware guys offer free coffee and crumb cake every morning.”
“Crumb cake? I don’t know if we can compete with that.”
“Don’t be smug. The road gets bumpy ahead. You might want to slow down. Your car’s low.”
“You don’t seem confident in my driving.”
“You’re driving has nothing to do with it. It’s the terrain. We get a ton of snow up here, and the plows tear up the back roads.”
“You worry a lot.”
Her mouth opened to argue, but her worlds were cut off as the car jostled and Gage cursed. “Told you.”
“Damn.” He pulled over by the trees. “I’ll only be a second.” He climbed out of the car and inspected the tire. A moment later he was back in the car. “Don’t worry. I have AAA.”