I shouldn’t have interrupted. Maybe you’re one of those annoying dog-with-a-bone reporters. You get slammed up against the wall often by the people you write about?”
“Writing the truth about a crook is hardly harassment.” She was so sick of journalists being considered the bad guy for doing their jobs. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind . . .” She pulled the door so that it bumped against his arm.
He stepped back and raised his hands.
She slammed the door and started the truck, but before she could back out, the passenger door opened and Noah Lassiter and all his muscles plopped into the seat next to her. “You probably should have locked that,” he said with a grin.
She jammed the truck back into park. “What are you doing?”
“I wasn’t done talking to you.”
“I wasn’t harassing that guy. He’s a dick.”
His green eyes twinkled as he glanced at the sign above the entrance. “Yep, that’s his name.”
“I meant the other kind.”
He tilted his head, amused. “I know. I’m just wondering why you were trying to bargain with someone who’s such a dick.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Try me.”
“I’d rather go home.”
“So a guy pins you to the wall by the throat and you just give up?”
“Are you making fun of me?”
“A little.”
“Well, stop.”
“It just kind of makes me laugh when little people like you try to take on guys like Dick.”
“ Little people?” She couldn’t help but bristle. Apparently, the guy had a big-city attitude.
“I meant in stature. Would you prefer ‘small’?” He looked her over, an appreciative glint in his eye. “You’re too well-proportioned to be called skinny.”
Her face started to burn. She should have been irked at the once-over, but she was more irked at the pleasure that arced through her that he’d noticed. God, she was an idiot. “Whatever.”
“He has to have at least a hundred pounds on you.”
“I had my knee well-positioned.”
“I had my eye on your knee, and it looked shaky to me.”
He had that right, which just made her all the more surly. “What’s your point? I have somewhere to be.”
“My point is that if I hadn’t happened by, you’d probably be on the floor of that guy’s office puking your guts up.”
“I already said I appreciate what you did. Thank you, again. Now please get out.”
He grinned. “My charm appears to be failing me.”
She snorted. “Charm. Right.”
He settled back in the seat and propped his elbow on the console between the seats. “So where to now?”
She shot a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. “Excuse me?”
“You obviously need a guardian angel, and I happen to be free. So let’s go. I’m game for anything. How about the beach? I haven’t been there yet. Perhaps you could give me a tour.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Okay, you decide. Like I said, I’m free.”
“Don’t you have a car here?”
“I’ll pick it up later.”
She studied him for a long moment. What the hell did he want from her?
He arched an inquisitive brow. “So what’d your mom have to say when you asked her about her sister?”
Ah. Rolling her eyes, she put the truck in drive. Maybe she could drop him in the middle of nowhere. “How do you know I asked her already?”
“You don’t strike me as the kind to sit on vital information. You want answers and you want them now. Am I right?”
She shrugged as she pulled into traffic on Lake Avalon’s main thoroughfare. “Maybe.”
“So what’d she say?”
She almost told him her mother tried to slap the crap out of her and had a mini-meltdown in her head before her father intervened. But that would probably make him all the more determined to dissect her screwed-up family. “She denied it.”
“Hmm. What do you suppose she’s hiding?”
“Maybe she’s not hiding anything. Maybe she simply doesn’t have a sister.” Rena could be anybody, really. A cat.
“Are you calling my friend, your cousin , a
“Writing the truth about a crook is hardly harassment.” She was so sick of journalists being considered the bad guy for doing their jobs. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind . . .” She pulled the door so that it bumped against his arm.
He stepped back and raised his hands.
She slammed the door and started the truck, but before she could back out, the passenger door opened and Noah Lassiter and all his muscles plopped into the seat next to her. “You probably should have locked that,” he said with a grin.
She jammed the truck back into park. “What are you doing?”
“I wasn’t done talking to you.”
“I wasn’t harassing that guy. He’s a dick.”
His green eyes twinkled as he glanced at the sign above the entrance. “Yep, that’s his name.”
“I meant the other kind.”
He tilted his head, amused. “I know. I’m just wondering why you were trying to bargain with someone who’s such a dick.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Try me.”
“I’d rather go home.”
“So a guy pins you to the wall by the throat and you just give up?”
“Are you making fun of me?”
“A little.”
“Well, stop.”
“It just kind of makes me laugh when little people like you try to take on guys like Dick.”
“ Little people?” She couldn’t help but bristle. Apparently, the guy had a big-city attitude.
“I meant in stature. Would you prefer ‘small’?” He looked her over, an appreciative glint in his eye. “You’re too well-proportioned to be called skinny.”
Her face started to burn. She should have been irked at the once-over, but she was more irked at the pleasure that arced through her that he’d noticed. God, she was an idiot. “Whatever.”
“He has to have at least a hundred pounds on you.”
“I had my knee well-positioned.”
“I had my eye on your knee, and it looked shaky to me.”
He had that right, which just made her all the more surly. “What’s your point? I have somewhere to be.”
“My point is that if I hadn’t happened by, you’d probably be on the floor of that guy’s office puking your guts up.”
“I already said I appreciate what you did. Thank you, again. Now please get out.”
He grinned. “My charm appears to be failing me.”
She snorted. “Charm. Right.”
He settled back in the seat and propped his elbow on the console between the seats. “So where to now?”
She shot a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. “Excuse me?”
“You obviously need a guardian angel, and I happen to be free. So let’s go. I’m game for anything. How about the beach? I haven’t been there yet. Perhaps you could give me a tour.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Okay, you decide. Like I said, I’m free.”
“Don’t you have a car here?”
“I’ll pick it up later.”
She studied him for a long moment. What the hell did he want from her?
He arched an inquisitive brow. “So what’d your mom have to say when you asked her about her sister?”
Ah. Rolling her eyes, she put the truck in drive. Maybe she could drop him in the middle of nowhere. “How do you know I asked her already?”
“You don’t strike me as the kind to sit on vital information. You want answers and you want them now. Am I right?”
She shrugged as she pulled into traffic on Lake Avalon’s main thoroughfare. “Maybe.”
“So what’d she say?”
She almost told him her mother tried to slap the crap out of her and had a mini-meltdown in her head before her father intervened. But that would probably make him all the more determined to dissect her screwed-up family. “She denied it.”
“Hmm. What do you suppose she’s hiding?”
“Maybe she’s not hiding anything. Maybe she simply doesn’t have a sister.” Rena could be anybody, really. A cat.
“Are you calling my friend, your cousin , a
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