“Do you trust them?”
“With my life,” he replied without hesitation.
“In that case, please bring it in. I want to know what’s so damn important and whether we can use it against him.” One way or another, she was going to make Dennis pay. He’d crossed a line when he assaulted Joe, and now she was going to teach him a lesson that he would never forget.
Joe tucked the card into his new wallet and put the wallet in his back pocket. Then his gaze flicked up to hers, and the heat in his eyes made her tingle in all the right places. “I had plans for tonight, but they’re going to have to wait until my ribs heal a bit.”
Unable to resist, she scooted closer. “What kind of plans?”
A low rumble rose from his throat as he leaned in to kiss her. It was hot and intense, with lots of tongue, and it ended way too soon.
“I made a list and checked it twice, but if I do any of it in my current state, I’ll probably end up in the emergency room.”
“That’s okay. We’ll have plenty of time for that later.”
She changed their dinner order from pickup to delivery and queued up the Christmas movie. Careful not to jostle Joe’s ribs, she nestled against him, comforted by the warmth of his body and weight of his arm around her shoulders.
As the Griswold family trudged through the snow, Fiona’s heart swelled with emotions she was no longer afraid of acknowledging. Joe had come to mean so much more to her than just the hot neighbor downstairs. He made her happy, turned her on, and gave her hope for the future.
For the life of her, she couldn’t say when it happened, but somewhere along the line, she’d fallen in love with Joseph Pinto.
Chapter 20
“So,whatdoyouthink?”
Pinto watched as Navarre inspected the Mustang’s interior through the opened passenger-side door.
To protect the vehicle from the elements over the Christmas holiday—and to make sure it didn’t get vandalized any more than it already had—Austin had allowed him to park the car inside the warehouse portion of the Six Points building. After today, he’d need to find a new place for it, because Wade needed the room to work on one of the company vehicles.
Navarre straightened, his thumbs hooked in the belt loops of his black cargo pants. “Well, your dash is cracked, the stereo’s gone, the front seats are trashed, one of the airbags is missing, the rear windshield is completely shattered, your driver’s side taillight is broken, and I think a cat pissed on the back seat.”
That explained the smell. He’d been wondering where the hell it came from. It was so bad that even during the short drive to work on Christmas Eve, he’d had to roll the windows down. “Is it worth fixing?”
He really wanted the answer to be yes. He loved that fucking car. But because of its age, he hadn’t insured it for comp and collision, which meant he was on the hook for all of the repairs.
Navarre ran a hand through his sandy-brown hair and scratched the back of his neck. If anyone could fix it, it was him. A classic car enthusiast, he spent his spare time restoring old clunkers to their former glory. His most recent project, an early 70s Plymouth Barracuda, had looked as though it was held together by duct tape and chewing gum when he bought it at the auction house last year. Now it looked like something out of aFast and Furiousmovie.
“Sure, it’s worth fixing. She’s mechanically sound; most of the damage is cosmetic. I’ll make a few calls to the scrapyards. This make and model has a habit of wrapping itself around trees at a high rate of speed. It shouldn’t be hard to find enough parts to restore the interior. While you’re at it, you might as well replace the back seat, ’cause I don’t think you’re getting that smell out any other way.” Navarre moved to the front of the car and dropped the hood. “The only thing you might want to order brand new is the airbag; I wouldn’t recommend fucking around with one from the scrapyard.”
“How much will that cost?” Pinto asked.
“I don’t know,” Navarre said with a shrug. “I’ll have to look into it. All I can say is it’s usually not cheap. If you order the part, I can do the install. That’ll save you some bucks.”
Okay, that didn’t sound too bad. He had some money saved up, not as much as he’d like, but it might be enough to cover the costs. If not, his credit card was going to get a workout. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
“Don’t thank me until she’s good as new. And you’re helping with the repairs.”
“Fair enough.” He was better at patching up people than cars, but he was willing to learn whatever he needed to know to get the job done. “When can you start?”
“That depends on how soon I can get my hands on the parts. I’ll check around this afternoon and let you know what I find. In the meantime, what are you doing for wheels?”
Pinto gestured to the Mustang. “You’re looking at it.”
Navarre stared at him as though he’d just sprouted wings and a tail. “No offense, but your car reeks.”
“No argument there, but rental cars cost money that’s not in my budget. If you’ve got a better idea, I’m open to suggestion.” At this point, he was willing to try anything to keep his eyes from watering while driving.
Arms crossed, Navarre nodded in acknowledgment. “If you’re not going to use it, we can yank the back seat now and chuck it in the Dumpster. That ought to cut down on the smell.”
