Page 57 of Mustang Summer

Arguing would be pointless.This was her teenage years all over again.

She rubbed her eyes, not because she was tired, but because guilt suddenly became an anvil hanging off her neck.

She hadn’t wanted to hurt an old man’s feelings and she’d sunk her dad because of it.No ’68 Shelby, no hundred thousand dollars.Teaching Bill a lesson had seemed so much clearer before she’d met Don Milton.

A shudder of horror shook her shoulders and she dropped her hands.She couldn’t believe what just happened.Bill settled into his chair for a long afternoon of watching golf and hiding from his self-inflicted problems.

Spend all her time with him or Gage, huh?The timing worked out well.She could let Brock know that she would go with him to pick up the Shelby.“I’ll be out of town next week for Jesse’s sentencing.I’ll take a few extra days, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

Bill paused with the remote aimed at the TV.Was he going to agree?“Yeah, that might be good.Stay out of town for a bit and with your brother’s legal troubles, Milton won’t go near Moore.”

Back in the kitchen, she started the griddle.She couldn’t bring herself to waste an entire batch of batter.Money was going to be tight for a while.While she cooked, she figured out ways to bring in extra money with her fledgling graphic design business.Accepting a paycheck from Alvarez Automotive meant she would be taking Don Milton’s strings-attached money.

She rolled her neck and sighed at the grease-stained ceiling.Those stains represented her mom’s years taking care of all of them.She hadn’t worked outside the home, but relied on Bill to bring in the dough while she made her own dough.

Josie thought back to what her dad had said about the first time he’d borrowed money.She hadn’t known they’d been in such trouble.Just like she hadn’t seen the signs of how sick her mom had been.

Figured.Her mom had carried her head high and her shoulders back even when Bill stayed out late and came home with his shirt tails hanging out and his fly half open.She’d brushed her tears away and chided Josie and Jesse to never mind.

So they hadn’t.She and her brother had gone on their merry way and look where the blinders had gotten them.Jesse in jail and Josie fearing for physical safety.

By the time breakfast was finished, she’d formulated her plan.She would work all weekend on her website and come up with a marketing plan and if Brock would let her stay for a few days, she could get some work done before they brought the Shelby home and she endured her brother’s sentencing.

Bill had told her not to worry about it, so fine, she wouldn’t.He’d do his thing and she’d do hers, and there’d be no trouble between them.

Chapter11

Brock was under the hood of Dillon’s Chevy Silverado when the scuff of shoes on the floor distracted him.He pushed up to find Josie walking toward him.

The glossy black of her hair shone under his shop lights and her simple pink top complemented the natural flush in her cheeks.He hadn’t been imagining things.She was as stunning as he remembered.

“Hey,” he greeted and wiped his hands off.

She inclined her head toward the engine.“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I hope.Just checking it over while the oil drains.Once I’m done, I’ll drive it back and trade it out for my pickup.”

Her smile broadened.“Will he be okay driving a Ford for a day?”

“He bitches about it every time.”

She pulled him down for a kiss.All thoughts of oil schedules faded when their lips met and his libido reminded him that it had been days since he’d held her.

He wanted to mold her into his body, but his hands weren’t clean, so he finished the kiss and went straight for the sink.

“I don’t want to ruin your clothes.”

“Maybe I should take them off.It’s better to let the oil drain for longer.”

He flipped off the water off and stalked back to her.Her hands were at her—what did women call those short pants?He didn’t care because her words had been serious.

Out of principle, he couldn’t take her in Dillon’s truck.The shop counter was grimy.His body was dying for her, but the house might as well be miles away.The Mustangs he was finishing in the garage didn’t belong to him.

She must’ve read into his body language and how his gaze touched every surface.“I have a blanket in my car.It’s a beautiful day out.”

He swallowed and nodded.It took a minute for her to retrieve the blanket and for him to find a shaded spot to spread it out.The secluded location would keep them protected from anyone who decided to stop by.

Josie didn’t waste time.She stripped down and the antsy feeling of the last several days left him in seconds.She was back.The days had seemed long and the nights empty with her gone.He’d climbed the fucking walls.

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