Page 47 of Two Wrongs

I lift my head so I can look her in the eyes. Just as I fear, they’re filling with tears. “So that’s it then? That’s all we get?” she asks.

Wiping an errant tear away, I try to smile at her. “I don’t see how we could have more. But, please don’t worry about that now. I promise, when it’s time for you to go it’ll be so you can have a better life.”

“And what about you?” Wren whispers.

Unable to stop myself, I kiss her softly. “I’ll have my memories of you, and that is more than I ever could have hoped for.”

19

Wren

“I don’t think this is a great idea. I can go ask Donovan for more hours at the bar,” I argue with him as he pulls me through the doors of his garage.

“You will not turn to that overgrown frat boy for help,” he growls.

Now that I know how possessive he can be over me I let his attitude toward Donovan slide. A little. “It’s my job. I want to ask him for more hours to cover what I’m losing from the insurance agency, not asking him to let me stay with him while my place is getting fumigated.”

Griffin growls, which would have had me running a few weeks ago. “He wants you. I saw how he was looking at you the other night.”

My forehead creases as I try and think of what he might be talking about. “What are you talking about?” I ask when I draw a blank.

“He walked you to your car, and lingered a while,” Griffin accuses.

I start to laugh, finally remembering what night he is referring to. “You mean the night he sent me home early instead of me staying to help close so he could have the bar alone with Bess?”

He rubs his hand against his cheek, and his callouses scratch against his always present stubble. “Him and Bess?”

I shrug. Truthfully, I was shocked to learn those two were hooking up as well, but I’m not going to let Griffin know that I’d also thought Donovan was flirting with me a couple times. Donovan is just a natural flirt. I don’t think he’s even aware he’s doing it.

“That discussion you witnessed, that was me giving him some advice on how to move things along with Bess.”

He raises an eyebrow. “This I’ve got to hear. What advice did you give him?”

My face heats. My advice that night was mostly based on how easily Griffin had me under his spell.

“Why are you blushing?” Griffin confused is adorable.

“I told him to sex her into agreeing to go out on a real date,” I mutter.

Griffin puts his hand behind his ear. “What was that? You have to speak up, I’m not as young as you, remember?”

I slap his chest. I like playful Griffin much more than the asshole version. “You heard me fine.”

“So the waitress and the bartender are banging after hours. That sounds like a porn I watched once,” he says laughing.

“With Bess, anything is possible.” I roll my eyes, and make a mental note to call her.

“I didn’t see you becoming friends with her. She’s such a ball buster, and you’re—“

“A doormat?” I cut in.

“Sweet,” he contradicts.

“Stop distracting me with your crazy. I really don’t think it’s a good idea for me to work in your shop. What am I even going to do?” What I knew about cars couldn’t fill a paragraph.

“The shop is hemorrhaging money after what Liam did. The first thing I need is to sort out the books once and for all. Then I need to audit my suppliers and orders for the last year and see if there are alternatives with equal or better quality. Liam was on to something by buying cheaper parts, unfortunately they were not even worth what he paid for them. If we can’t bring in money that way we’ll need to look at other shops around the area and see what they’re charging. I like to come in less than they do, but that might not be possible to maintain anymore,” he explains.

I wish I had a notebook so I could write it all down, but I would remember. I’ve always been good at remembering what I heard almost word for word. It’s part of how I managed to snag a full-ride scholarship to Central Valley University.

---