Emma wrinkled her nose in disgust. “That’s nasty. Really?”
He chuckled. “Come on, Emma. Seriously, what’s wrong?”
She nodded in the direction of his bike. “After everything that happened, you still ride a motorcycle?” Condemnation filled her voice more than she’d intended. “Sorry, but you know what I mean. I wouldn’t have ridden one again.”
Marty shifted his weight from one shoe to the other as his humor disappeared. Guilt peppered Emma over ruining his good mood.
He shrugged. “Trust me, that was tempting. And I’ll admit I don’t drive it into the city—just here in town.” His gaze connected with hers for several heartbeats. “I guess I didn’t want it to beat me.”
Emma could respect that. Though she had to admit that he was much braver than she would’ve been in the same situation. “Good for you.” She meant it, and hoped her tone relayed that.
He studied her for another minute before nodding with satisfaction. After a quick glance around the parking lot, he said, “Did you walk to work today?” Then his gaze traveled down to her bare legs.
She should have worn pants like normal. Emma willed herself not to blush under his surveillance. “My mom’s car wouldn’t start this morning, so she dropped me off and took mine to work.”
“If you need a ride home, let me know.”
It was a kind offer, but Emma couldn’t help but look pointedly at his motorcycle. She pressed her lips together to try to keep her mirth at bay. “I appreciate that, but she’ll pick me up when I’m done here.” Nope. Riding on a motorcycle with him wasn’t going to happen.
“You don’t trust me?” Marty was baiting her, and if the crinkles at the corners of his eyes said anything, he was enjoying every minute of it.
Emma nodded toward the helmet under his arm. “You don’t even have two helmets.” He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. “Even if you did, I would ne—”
Marty had the gall to press a single finger to her lips to keep her from talking. “Never say never.” With a twinkle in his eye, he strode past her. “By the way, the shorts are working for you.”
Emma watched the building swallow him and took a steadying breath. Her cheeks burned. She should have stuck to jeans. How was it one man could conjure such a convoluted mix of emotions in the span of five minutes?
* * *
Marty could nearly feelEmma’s stare as she entered the gym behind him. Complimenting her on the shorts was probably too much, but he was serious about them working for her. She ought to show her legs off more often.
Yeah, and he ought to hold his tongue more often, too. Then again, there was something about her that made him want to talk to her. Tease her. He’d prefer to make her smile, but she was adorable when she became agitated, too.
He chuckled to himself and headed for the back room where employees could stash personal effects and nearly ran into Caleb. “Sorry, man. Guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
Caleb clapped him on the shoulder. “No worries. I’m happy you made it. Between you and Emma running late, I was starting to worry. Is she here yet?”
“Yeah, she got here the same time I did. Her mom’s car didn’t start, and Emma had to loan hers.”
Caleb nodded. “They live in the same house. I guess her mom’s car has been giving them trouble for a while.”
Marty wanted to ask more questions about that situation but held back. It wasn’t his business, and he certainly didn’t want it to seem like he was gossiping behind Emma’s back. Instead, he stored his helmet and headed back up front.
Emma was at the counter, her cell phone to her ear and eyebrows drawn together.
“Okay. And that includes having it towed?” Silence. “Right. Yeah, I guess let’s arrange for it to be picked up on Friday. Thanks.” She sighed and slipped the phone into her back pocket before she noticed him.
Marty leaned against the counter. “They didn’t have an opening until Friday?” He was certain he could find a mechanic that could get them in before then. It was only Tuesday.
She shook her head. “It’s not that.” From her pursed lips to the way she was fidgeting with a pencil, he gathered she was trying to decide how much to say. “We can’t afford it until Friday when we have some money coming in.”
Marty hated that. It was hard for him to imagine having to wait to have his vehicle fixed like that. For better or worse, the substantial trust his grandfather had left him provided for everything Marty needed. “What’s wrong with the car?”
“Look, don’t worry about it. We’ll get it sorted out.”
She had to be one of the most stubborn women he’d ever known. He resisted the urge to tell her as much. “I’m not worried about it. I happen to know quite a bit about cars and thought I could help.” People were coming in now, which meant both he and Emma were about to be busy. “I’ll catch you at lunch?”
Emma didn’t respond before turning to address someone who had a question.
