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Authors: Tina Wainscott
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gestured toward the property lines.
Peter watched, too, nervously jingling the change in his pocket. “I want them to buy and I don’t want them to buy.” He looked at Raleigh. “Because I want you to end up with the garage. I know you’ll keep my baby the way it is.”
“I’ll focus more on high-performance cars and customization.” Raleigh wasn’t going to lie. “And take care of our regulars as much as I can. I need to do more than just fix cars, Peter. I want to make them fly.” He thought of the Mustang he’d tested the day before. The way his heart rate had risen along with the RPMs. How the roar of the engine and the precise handling had filled him with satisfaction.
Peter shook his head, a rough laugh coming from his throat. “Dreams. I remember having dreams once.” His smile faded. “But here I stayed, for thirty years. And now, finally, this town is growing enough that I can sell for a good price and retire. I wish you could buy it from me. You play the lottery?”
“I may have some money coming in. Nancy left me half of her property.”
“What? That’s what the lawyer wanted with you? And you didn’t tell me until now?” Peter’s thick mustache twitched with his ire.
“You were gone for the day. And I wasn’t going to take it.”
“What? Are you frickin’ crazy?”
“It didn’t feel right. I’m taking that money out of Mia’s hands, as it turns out. She and I both inherited the house. But she’s insisting.” He shook his head. “Still doesn’t feel right.”
“Don’t be a stooge. Take the money. You were good to Nancy. That was a hell of a thing for her to do.”
Raleigh wondered, though, if it was all about the money. She’d been trying to get him and Mia to communicate for years. She studied his face whenever she shared some tidbit about her life or showed him a picture. A silly romantic, she thought he and Mia could pick up where they’d left off. As though what they had seven years ago could be preserved the same way her jams or green beans were.
“It
was
a hell of a thing,” Raleigh agreed. “I can’t make an official offer, because I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get the house ready and sell it. Plus, her father might contest the will, which could drag on for years.” The bastard would do it just to spite him, but the fact that it would affect his daughter, too, might deter him.
He still couldn’t believe he might have money. Still wasn’t comfortable with it. Nobody had given him anything this huge, other than Peter’s giving him his job back when he got out of jail. And Mia with her belief in him. Those were big enough gifts, but this was a couple of hundred thousand dollars. “I can put in an offer with a contingency, but that wouldn’t be fair to you.”
“Me, I don’t care about waiting another few months. But the wife knows about those guys coming in, and she’d probably divorce me if they make an offer and I turn it down.” Once the men had pulled out of the lot, Peter let out a loud sigh and stepped back. “Get to work. Mrs. Cranston needs her car back first thing in the morning.”
Raleigh didn’t want to have to work late at the day job. Not tonight. He finished the tranny, then met his Hardcore Edge customer who’d come for the Corvette. The man hadn’t been happy to find his baby parked out back—no security fence, a tin roof the only protection against the elements. But he was really happy when they took it for a drive, if the string of orgasmic sounds coming from him had been any indication.
Raleigh had thought about Pax’s offer of using the track as they roared down the abandoned strip of road. Sonofabitch knew the temptation it would be, having the offer and the key in hand. Almost as big a temptation as working with Mia on the house.
He finished an hour early and ran home to clean up. The two-bedroom cabin with its little front porch was a bit too “cozy,” but it was his. He’d been living on the
Peter watched, too, nervously jingling the change in his pocket. “I want them to buy and I don’t want them to buy.” He looked at Raleigh. “Because I want you to end up with the garage. I know you’ll keep my baby the way it is.”
“I’ll focus more on high-performance cars and customization.” Raleigh wasn’t going to lie. “And take care of our regulars as much as I can. I need to do more than just fix cars, Peter. I want to make them fly.” He thought of the Mustang he’d tested the day before. The way his heart rate had risen along with the RPMs. How the roar of the engine and the precise handling had filled him with satisfaction.
Peter shook his head, a rough laugh coming from his throat. “Dreams. I remember having dreams once.” His smile faded. “But here I stayed, for thirty years. And now, finally, this town is growing enough that I can sell for a good price and retire. I wish you could buy it from me. You play the lottery?”
“I may have some money coming in. Nancy left me half of her property.”
“What? That’s what the lawyer wanted with you? And you didn’t tell me until now?” Peter’s thick mustache twitched with his ire.
“You were gone for the day. And I wasn’t going to take it.”
“What? Are you frickin’ crazy?”
“It didn’t feel right. I’m taking that money out of Mia’s hands, as it turns out. She and I both inherited the house. But she’s insisting.” He shook his head. “Still doesn’t feel right.”
“Don’t be a stooge. Take the money. You were good to Nancy. That was a hell of a thing for her to do.”
Raleigh wondered, though, if it was all about the money. She’d been trying to get him and Mia to communicate for years. She studied his face whenever she shared some tidbit about her life or showed him a picture. A silly romantic, she thought he and Mia could pick up where they’d left off. As though what they had seven years ago could be preserved the same way her jams or green beans were.
“It
was
a hell of a thing,” Raleigh agreed. “I can’t make an official offer, because I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get the house ready and sell it. Plus, her father might contest the will, which could drag on for years.” The bastard would do it just to spite him, but the fact that it would affect his daughter, too, might deter him.
He still couldn’t believe he might have money. Still wasn’t comfortable with it. Nobody had given him anything this huge, other than Peter’s giving him his job back when he got out of jail. And Mia with her belief in him. Those were big enough gifts, but this was a couple of hundred thousand dollars. “I can put in an offer with a contingency, but that wouldn’t be fair to you.”
“Me, I don’t care about waiting another few months. But the wife knows about those guys coming in, and she’d probably divorce me if they make an offer and I turn it down.” Once the men had pulled out of the lot, Peter let out a loud sigh and stepped back. “Get to work. Mrs. Cranston needs her car back first thing in the morning.”
Raleigh didn’t want to have to work late at the day job. Not tonight. He finished the tranny, then met his Hardcore Edge customer who’d come for the Corvette. The man hadn’t been happy to find his baby parked out back—no security fence, a tin roof the only protection against the elements. But he was really happy when they took it for a drive, if the string of orgasmic sounds coming from him had been any indication.
Raleigh had thought about Pax’s offer of using the track as they roared down the abandoned strip of road. Sonofabitch knew the temptation it would be, having the offer and the key in hand. Almost as big a temptation as working with Mia on the house.
He finished an hour early and ran home to clean up. The two-bedroom cabin with its little front porch was a bit too “cozy,” but it was his. He’d been living on the
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