Page 19 of Love Bank
I looked away from her hand and back at her face, seeing her eyes promising all kinds of things. Before I could respond, Titus nudged her hard and she took her hand off my arm to keep from falling over.
“Watch it, Titus!”
“Sorry, Lia. Just thought I saw a spider.”
Amelia turned back to me and rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “I swear. He’s some hotshot contractor, but a little spider will freak him right out.”
Someone sat down next to me on my other side, drawing my attention away from Amelia. A brunette with shoulder-length hair and a tepid smile.
“Hi, Bain. I’m Lenora. If you ever need a lift, I’m your gal.”
I quirked my head to the side. “A lift?”
Her smile grew. “Yeah. I’m the only Uber driver in all of Auburn Hill.” She leaned in a little closer, though I got the feeling she wasn’t flirting with me. Not like Amelia. “I have seen some things that’d make your hair curl.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Whoa, we wouldn’t want that.”
“Don’t worry. I’m getting my marketing degree online. I won’t be a driver for hire forever.” She scowled, looking off over my ear like she was lost in thought. Then her gaze came back to mine and she smiled so bright I forgot the sun had already set. “Anyway, if you need a ride or a tour of the surrounding areas, give me a call.”
“Will do. Thanks for that. I might take you up on that if I ever get a day off. Been a hell week getting the prison open.”
A short woman with curves and enough sass to rock them bumped Lenora.
“Don’t be hogging the new guy, Lenora. Give us all a chance, would ya?”
Mmm. I liked that level of confidence and liked the way her hips undulated as she shifted there in the sand.
“Jesus. Give the guy some breathing room, huh?” Rip muttered loud enough for all to hear sitting in a low chair not far from us.
The new girl rolled her eyes and frowned with an impressive amount of attitude. In fact, if the fire wasn’t already lit and burning high, she could have started an inferno with that expression of hers. Rip might be a nice guy, but damn, this girl didn’t like him one bit.
She ditched the fierce scowl and reached out her hand. I was all too happy to grip her firmly, feeling her soft skin and wondering if she was that soft everywhere.
“I’m Hazel. Nice to meet you, Bain.”
“Hazel. That’s a pretty name. Fits you just fine.” I hadn’t let go of her hand yet and if the night went the way I hoped, maybe I wouldn’t have to.
“Bejesus,” Rip muttered again, hopping up to put another log on the fire.
Hazel swiped her free hand through the air. “Don’t mind him. He’s always grumpy. Has been since high school. It’s like he went through puberty and got stuck in the moody stage and never grew out of it.”
“So, where you from, city boy?” Amelia fired her question at me, splitting my attention between the three ladies surrounding me. Damn, this was exactly what I needed to turn my week around.
“Just north of here. San Jose.” I took a healthy sip of the beer, realizing I hadn’t had this much fun in quite a while.
“Aha! I knew you were from The City. Those jeans are just a little too stiff, if you know what I mean.” Amelia winked at me while Titus scoffed behind her.
“He looks fine, Lia. Leave the guy alone.”
I looked down at my legs stretched out in the sand. “Yeah, what’s wrong with my jeans?”
Hazel jumped back into the conversation, edging a little closer to my side. “When you live in the country long enough, you can just tell. It’s like when someone from outside of California comes to visit and they call it Cali. You just know they’re from out of state.”
A loud cheer from the other side of the fire pit drew our attention.
“I knew I shouldn’t have let my little brother bring his friends.” Lenora shook her head.
We all watched a young couple split away from the group on foot and meander out into the dark, finally disappearing into the hillside.
