Page 12 of Turn Up The Heat

“He likes you.” Jenna’s eyes sparkled as she waggled her light brown brows at Bellamy.

“That’s crazy.” She stopped in the middle of the carpet, three glasses in hand. “How do you know?” Was she seriously holding her breath?

“Because when I came in to pick you up, he was pretending not to look at you, even though he wastotallylooking at you. And these are amazing, by the way.” Jenna held up another cracker before polishing it off in one bite.

A nervous laugh spilled from Bellamy’s lips. “Thank you. And he wasn’t looking at me,” she countered. Shane had been way more interested in the lone car sitting in the garage than anything else. The only second thought he’d given her had come in the form of eye rolls and cocky smirks, she was sure of it.

Now those, she had caught.

“How do I always miss the good stuff?” Holly pouted. “Hot mechanic guy checking out my bestie on the sly? Seriously, next time, youcan stay here,” she said to Jenna, tossing her auburn hair. “Damn, thesearegood, Bellamy.”

“They’re even better with the spicy mustard on them. Here.” Bellamy passed the jar to her friend with a shake of her head. “And nobodychecked me out.”

“If that’s what you think, then you definitelydidn’t catch him looking at your ass when we left.”

The jaw-dropping look on Bellamy’s face sealed her fate. Both Jenna and Holly were overcome with a fit of giggles that no amount of arguing was going to erase.

“Oh, come on, B. You’ve had the week from hell. Let’s go downstairs and get mani-pedis at the spa, indulge in a decadent dinner, and then you can let me and Holly take you out to drown your troubles. We’re in the mountains. You can get embarrassingly snockered if you want, and there won’t be any witnesses.” She paused to grin. “Well, none that you’ll ever see again, anyway. What do you say?”

Now thatsounded like a plan. “I say yes to all of the above.”

After all, it wasn’t as if anything else could possiblygo wrong.

* * *

“Not a whole lotof people in the Blue Ridge who actuallywantto yank a transmission on their Friday night. Guess you’re just special.”

Shane didn’t have to turn around to know that Jackson Carter was wearing a smartass grin that matched his personality with absolute perfection.

“You say the nicest things.” Shane didn’t even break stride with the wrench in his hand, even though he was far from ignoring his closest friend.

Jackson laughed, sauntering into the garage with a cold wind at his back. “Asshole.”

“Stop. I’m blushing.” Shane cracked a grin, finally swinging his gaze from the underside of the Miata. He’d had it on the lift for a couple hours now, and it was every bit the pain in the ass he’d predicted it would be. But considering the paycheck that would come out of the deal, he really couldn’t bitch.

“So, did you come all the way out here just to blow sunshine up my skirt?” Shane dragged the rolled-up sleeve of his flannel shirt over his brow and eyed Jackson with a smirk.

“Nope. I’m a man on a mission.” Jackson ducked his six-foot-four, I-ate-a-linebacker-for-breakfast-and-went-back-for-seconds frame under the tiny red sports car and lifted his eyes with a frown. “Do I even want to know where you came up with this?”

Shane thought of Bellamy’s fiery green eyes and the way her hips looked in those expensive designer jeans for a long second before answering. “Probably not.”

“Right. So what-say we go grab some beers at the Double Shot? Come on, buddy. I’m buying.”

Shane’s brows popped. “That’s your mission? Are you honestly that hard up for someone to drink with?”

“Matter of fact, I am. Word is Samantha Kane just broke up with Jimmy Bowman.”

“Jesus, is that the girl you’ve had the crush on since sixth grade?” Shane laughed. How anyone could have a thing like that for someone else was beyond him. Casual sex, he understood. Dating, he understood, even though he didn’t really do it. Not a whole ton of options in a town as small as Pine Mountain. But unrequited love? The kind where you withered away for one person and one person only? Where you walked around looking like that ridiculous emoji that had hearts instead of eyes?

Not happening to Shane in a million years.

“If you want to get technical, since December of the fifth grade,” Jackson said. “But anyway, she’s bound to be out tonight, and I’m not going to impress her if I show up alone. I need a wingman, and you, my friend, have special charm. Even if you never use it. What do you say?” Jackson arched a brow toward his blond crew cut and grinned, but something flickered in his stare.

Shane tilted his head at Jackson. “Did Grady put you up to this?”

Shane had called Grady right after Bellamy left the garage to let him know the job had come in, although he’d deliberately fudged the truth about when he planned to pull the transmission out of her car so the old man wouldn’t come back in to work. The shadows under Grady’s eyes lately suggested that being in the garage was wearing on him, and Shane didn’t mind picking up the slack.

Just so long as Grady didn’tknowhe was picking up the slack.

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