Read Online Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories (The Flirts! Collection) by Lisa Scott - Free Book Online

that might have been a bad idea. I tried watching TV and I tried cleaning. But home alone with just my thoughts, I could think of nothing but the attacker—and Tony.
    Remembering that he said he’d skipped lunch the day before, I decided to bring him something to eat. It was the least I could do. Beer and nachos seemed like a pretty lame thank-you looking back on it the next day.
    I drove to the plaza, now filled with cars and customers. Still, my heart sped up and my eyes swept the area for anyone out of place. Four men knelt on the roof of the oil-change shop, swinging hammers in the hot sun. I noticed Tony’s dark hair brushing his shoulders and smiled. I parked next to his pickup, and Winston’s head popped out the side window, his tongue lolling off to the side.
    “Hi, boy,” I said, patting his head. He nudged me with his wet nose.
    One of the guys elbowed Tony, who stopped working and looked down at me. I was hoping for a smile from him, but he looked entirely confused.
    I heard some good-natured jeering from the other guys as he climbed down the ladder.
    “It’s a lot easier that way, isn’t it?” I teased.
    “But not as fast as jumping. Looking for some more bad guys to take down?” He planted his hands on his hips and grinned.
    “I wanted to see how you were feeling today. And to bring you this.” I held up a brown paper bag packed with a tuna sandwich, a banana, and a few Oreos. “You said you skipped lunch yesterday.”
    He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “I can’t believe you remembered that after everything that happened.” He took the bag from me. “Thanks. How are you today? I was thinking about you last night.”
    “You were?” My throat tightened and I set my fingers on my neck.
    “I was hoping you had someone to go home to, someone to be with. I think it would’ve been scary for you to be alone.” He fixed his gaze on me.
    I shook my head. “No, it was just me. I live alone. And you’re right. It was a horrible night. I called in sick today.”
    He held up the bag. “This is really nice of you.”
    An older guy climbed down off the roof and walked over. “Tony, take a lunch break. That’s an order.” He clapped Tony on the back. “He’s a good kid. Not surprised what he did for you last night. I knew something was wrong when I saw how slow he was moving today. We forced the story out of him. I was hoping it was something a little more enjoyable though.” He winked at Tony and went back to the ladder.
    “That’s my uncle.”
    “So you really are hurting today.” I reached for his arm and squeezed. “I’m sorry. Why don’t we go over to Brookdale Park and sit in the shade? You need a break.”
    He looked back at the building. “It’s better than sitting here in front of these jokers.”
    “I’ll drive.”
    “Did you notice how sweaty and dirty I am? I’m not fit to ride in a Beamer. Besides, Winston wouldn’t allow it. If you don’t mind the serious downgrade in transportation, I’ll drive.” He held open the door for me
    An old bedspread covered the front seat, dusted with dog hair. Empty water bottles littered the passenger-seat floor, but I squeezed in next to the dog and a big cooler, knowing this was exactly how I wanted to spend my afternoon—in a dirty truck with the ex-convict who saved my life.
    We spread his truck blanket on the ground under a tree and Tony cracked open a cooler full of drinks. He finished an entire bottle of iced tea in one long gulp and smacked his lips together. “Never knew manual labor would leave you so thirsty.”
    There was so much I wanted to ask him about his past, but I didn’t want to pry.
    “Did you reschedule your blind date?” he asked.
    I leaned back against the tree. “No. My sister called this morning and told me the guy was canceling our plans to see Aerosmith this weekend. He thinks I should have come to the bar to meet him anyway. But the good news is, she’s never setting me up on another blind