Page 8 of In Spades

I chuckled and wiped my grease-streaked hands on my jeans. “I can’t imagine you drinking a beer.”

It was either a blush or heat-stroke that stained her cheeks. I hoped it was a blush. Everything about her was drop dead sexy mixed with pure innocence. I was ready to eat it up.

“Like I said,” she laughed, “I’m not fancy.”

“What’s the bar called?” A burger and a beer sounded amazing.

“It’s called Jokers, but there’s no sign outside. Keep going on Highway 101 past the airfield. It’s on the left about a mile up the road. Look for a shack on a gravel lot with a bunch of cars and a neon beer sign in the window.”

“Will you be there tonight?” The words were out before my brain could stop them.

She shook her head. “No, I’ve got, um… I have to go to a thing tonight.”

A truck crunched through the gravel, and Kristin snapped to attention. A man wearing a dress shirt, jeans, and dress shoes hopped out of the driver’s seat. There was a gun holstered on his belt and a shiny badge clipped beside it.

Kristin wrung her hands as the man approached. She didn’t have a ring on her finger. Was that her boyfriend? Brother?

“Please tell me she finally died,” the man said when he got within earshot. “That car is a rolling coffin.”

Kristin shoved her hands in her pockets. “I’m gonna see if Steve can get her running for a few more weeks.”

Well that was just great. Who the hell was Steve? Did she have an endless pool of gentleman callers?

The man gave her a doubtful look. “Kris, I think it’s time to let her go.”

Kristin looked like she’d rather go with the clunker into car heaven than continue this conversation.

“I’m Will,” I said, extending my hand to him. “Nice to meet you.”

He raised his brow, eyes darting between Kristin and me as he shook my hand. “Chase Brannan.”

Looks like I’d be getting my dinner to-go and doing a deep dive on Kristin and Chase.

Chase peered around at the back of the car. “Your tags are still expired. You’re gonna get pulled over.”

She sighed. “Well, if the car can’t be resurrected, at least I won’t have wasted money.” Her tone shifted from distress to resignation.

The head of housekeeping at a prestigious hotel like the Taylor Creek Inn shouldn’t be scrimping by. The desperation in Kristin’s voice left me with more questions than answers.

3

KRISTIN

“So, do you want to tell me what that was about?” Chase asked as he eyed me suspiciously from the driver’s seat.

We were on our way to poker night at Maddie and Luca’s. Chase had graciously offered to lend me his truck. Steve would drag my car to his house to either fix her up or send her to car heaven. More like hell in this case...

I felt bad that Chase would be without his truck, but he insisted. He kept going on about how he loved to drive around in his unmarked cruiser, scaring the shit out of people when they realized they were being tailed by a cop. But I knew he was just trying to make me feel better.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“I’m talking about Dreamboat Willie back there,” Chase shot back, wiggling his eyebrows. “What’s his deal?”

“Um, Will is just a guest at the inn,” I said. “I met him while I was working today. He was leaving about the same time I was and saw me pop the hood. Came over to offer me a ride.”

Chase’s jaw flared, and I rolled my eyes.

Steve and Chase still treated me like the petrified twenty-year-old girl they first met five years ago. They were there when I showed up in the middle of the night to care for my four younger siblings. Both men helped stabilize my world after my parents turned it upside down. Ever since that day, they had done their best to look after me. It was sweet, and I wouldn’t have survived without them. But they could be a bit much at times.

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