Page 44 of Full Throttle

Liam checked the time on his phone. It was only 2:30 p.m. Saying he’d been working all day was a stretch even for Brian, especially when he usually worked well into the evening.

I wonder if she is there.“Damn it.” The desire to see her was strong, and Liam couldn’t seem to control it. That was reason enough for him to go to the hotel instead of Georgia’s. It was most definitely for the best. Two things Liam hated—being out of his element and not being in control. There was no need to complicate further an already complicated situation.

Liam packed up his belongings. On his way out, he locked and closed the door to Brian’s office. For the most part, the garage was quiet as he walked down the stairs. There were only a few construction workers milling about, some maintenance team members, and of course, the newly installed full-time security.

“Shit.” Liam stopped mid-stride. He was on his way to the parking lot when he remembered he didn’t have a car.

“What’s wrong?”

Liam looked up and came face-to-face with the one person he had hoped to avoid.Colby James.How ironic.He couldn’t have scripted it any better. Liam chuckled to himself as he made his way down the stairs. “I’m uh . . . kind of stranded. I don’t have a car.”

He made Colby nervous. She tried to disguise it with a laugh. “That’s actually kind of funny considering where you are.” She looked around the garage. “There are cars everywhere.”

Liam couldn’t agree more. Feeling silly, he used his thumb to scratch the side of his head. “Brian and I rode in together. I forgot that our driver took him over to Georgia’s.”

“Ah. Got it.”

He could only imagine what she was thinking, more than likelyrich people problems. Liam quickly changed the subject as he moved closer to her. “You didn’t go to the restaurant?” Liam asked innocently as if that hadn’t been the burning question on his mind.

Unknowingly, Colby had been doing the same as Liam. She figured he would be at Georgia’s with Brian and had hoped to avoid him at all costs. It was why she had remained at the garage. But no. The spirits were conspiring against her. “I’ll probably head over a little later. I just had a few things I wanted to do around here first.”

Liam glanced at his phone to check the time. “They’ll probably be heading home soon.”

Colby raised a brow. “You don’t know much about small towns, do you?”

There was a slight tilt to his head. “Can’t say that I do.”

“There is literally nothing to do around here. Georgia’s is the spot for all social activity, well, except for that fancy hotel where you’re staying, but people only go there for special occasions and events. That means, if Brian is buying drinks, they’ll be at Georgia’s a few more hours. I’ll get there in just enough time to put in an appearance and leave.”

“Is that what you did last night?”

Colby’s smile faltered. She wasn’t expecting that question. “That was different.”

Liam figured it probably wasn’t but decided not to push. “If you don’t like going to Georgia’s, what do you like to do?”

Colby turned around in a circle and held her arms out wide. “I’m doing it.”

“Here? The garage? It’s where you most want to be?”

“It’s where I feel the most at home. It’s a place where I can be myself. I don’t have to pretend for anyone.”

“Do you do that often?”

“What?”

“Pretend.”

Colby wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to answer truthfully. “I did for a while, but not anymore.”

“Why?” Liam should have left as soon as he realized Colby and he were sharing the same space. But he couldn’t seem to keep his curiosity about her to himself.

Colby placed her hand on her hip. “Is that a real question?”

“Yeah. It is.” Liam genuinely wanted to know.

“Well, let’s see. I just left a career that is predicated on creating the reality you want, where there are alternative facts, and fake news is real. For me, every day was full of pretending. So, I decided to leave it all behind and follow my heart, hoping it would be freeing—even though I knew I’d be running face-first into not just a wall but a concrete box.”

“So, why do it?”

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