“No, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry that you had to go through that. I’m sorry that Lisa thought that it would be all right to act like that and make you feel that way.” He was rubbing her back, holding her. “Why don’t we take a shower and get dressed? I’d like to take you out for breakfast. Your car is fixed, and it’s at my shop. I had a friend of mine tow it in and change your tire. I had him put four new tires on. The others didn’t look like they’d last too much longer. We can pick up your car on the way back from breakfast. Sound good?”
She nodded. “You didn’t have to do all of that. My dad said that he would take care of it today. I’ll pay you back for the tires and everything. It will just take me a while. I kind of wiped out my savings coming back here for the wedding.”
“I already talked to your dad and told him it was done. He had enough on his plate with your sister’s wedding. As for paying me back, I thought that we could work that out.”
She hesitated. “What exactly do you have planned?”
“Well, I thought maybe you’d come to work for me. I own a nice auto shop, Jackson’s Auto.”
She nodded. “Yes, I remember your uncle owned it when we were kids.”
“Yeah, he retired a few years back, and I bought his shop. I have been doing all the shop work, as the only mechanic on staff. I am also doing the bookkeeping and office work. I know that’s what you do in Atlanta, and I could use someone like you.”
“Wait. You know that I work in an office in Atlanta?” she asked, surprised. “How did you find that out?”
“Yeah, well.” He cleared his throat nervously. “Your mom told me when I asked her where you went, you know, after you found Jenna and Jake.” He could feel his ears and cheeks heat. “I just want to give you options, baby. I don’t know if you are happy in Atlanta, but I was thinking maybe you could be happy here too—with me.” Drew didn’t know what else to say—he seemed to be screwing up every time he opened his mouth.
“I think we should go to breakfast and get my car,” she said quietly. “We can talk about the job offer later. I just need time to process everything,” she said. He couldn’t help but feel like some of the closeness they had come to experience over the past 24 hours was gone. He wished that he could take back the whole morning and start over, with Karlie in his bed—naked. He’d just have to find a way to salvage the rest of the weekend because letting her go back to Atlanta was out of the question.
Chapter Five
Karlie felt the irrational need to run. That seemed to be her go-to way of handling her emotions now, and she had never been that way. When she was a kid, she always thought of herself as strong and capable. Now, whenever something bad happened, like this morning, she just wanted to tuck her tail and run. Karlie wanted to break that habit but didn’t know where to start. She figured staying and having breakfast with Drew was a good beginning—a good new plan.
As for his job offer, she wasn’t quite sure what to do with that. She saw the pity in Drew’s eyes when she told him how she felt about Lisa. Karlie couldn’t stand to think that he pitied her. A part of her wanted to stay and work for him. She wanted to be with Drew for more than the weekend because she was falling for him—she knew that much. She wanted to believe that he was falling for her, too. He told Lisa that he was with her now, but had that been just a ploy to get rid of the needy, screechy woman? She still couldn’t forget the hurt that she saw in the other woman’s eyes. She’d been Lisa—rejected, kicked to the curb, unwanted. It wasn’t a matter of believing Drew—she knew he was telling the truth and that he and Lisa were not together,but that didn’t mean that Lisa was on the same page. Lisa might believe that she and Drew were still together, even going to the wedding with each other. Karlie couldn’t help but feel bad for Lisa, even when a little voice in her head told her that Lisa was trouble. Watching Lisa walk out Drew’s door, she could have sworn that the woman looked more determined than mad or hurt when she left. Lisa could be trouble, and Karlie planned to watch her back.
∞
As Drew pulled up to the church, Karlie felt a little sick. She knew today wouldn’t be easy, but facing everyone made her nauseous.
“You okay, baby? You look a little green,” Drew playfully said. If only he knew how green she felt, he wouldn’t be making a joke at her expense. Karlie didn’t want to go into that church, but she knew that if she didn’t, she’d regret being a coward.
“Could we just go back to your house and hang out some more?” She even batted her eyelashes for good measure. After a rocky start, the day with Drew was amazing. They had gone to breakfast in a little neighboring town and then walked the small Main Street, window shopping. It was blissful, not having to worry about what the rest of the day held for her. Drew even bought her a little charm necklace with her initial and his. He told her it was his version of carving their initials in a tree. He was so wonderful, making sure she wasn’t worried about her sister’s wedding. She really could get used to him taking care of her if she wasn’t careful. Each minute that she spent with him made it harder to even think about returning to Atlanta. She did have his job offer to consider. To be truthful, she was worriedthat if she worked for Drew and he dumped her, she’d be left with nothing—again.
Drew laughed and leaned in for a quick kiss. “No, baby, I have to go in there and be Jake’s best man. If I can stand up for that ass, I have every confidence that you can sit and watch the ass marry your sister.”
She smiled at his new name for Jake. She loved that Drew seemed to stand by her, no questions asked. Hell, he’d done more than stand by her; he supported her and even stood up for her when even her parents hadn’t. That meant more to her than anything.
“Well,” she said, squaring her shoulders, “let’s get in there and watch my sister marry her ass.”
∞
The church was packed, but all Drew could think about was Karlie. He had to find the groomsmen and get into place. They had cut it close on time, but he hadn’t wanted to give up any of his alone time with Karlie. After Lisa’s intrusion, their morning was almost unsalvageable. He couldn’t believe that he was so stupid the way he just blurted out his job offer. He had a big, elaborate plan to take her to dinner and ask her to move in with him. If her argument had been not having a job, he planned to beg her to work for him. He really could use someone with her skills at his shop. It would be a win-win for him. He already knew that he was falling in love with her; he just needed time for her to feel the same way.
“Baby, I have to find the other groomsmen. Where would you like to sit?” He started to usher her into the church, his hand onthe small of her back. He could feel her spine stiffen as she stood at the back of the church, taking in all her friends and family. The church was nice, with lots of flowers, and it smelled good, but it was all a little frou-frou for his taste. When he got married, he wanted something nice but simple. This wedding had a whole lot of pink and way too many suits. He straightened his black tie, a little nervous himself. “It’s going to be okay, Karlie,” he said. “We’ll watch your sister marry her ass. And then, we’ll skip out. I think I may have a stomachache, and you may need to take care of me.” He smiled his wolfish grin, bobbing his eyebrows at her.
“Um, I’ll just sit in the back here. That way, I won’t feel their stares.” She shrugged and slid into the pew closest to the exit. God, he wished he could sit with her, hold her, reassure her. He sat down next to her, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. She looked at him, surprised. “Don’t you have best man things to do?” She was adorable. Nagging, but adorable.
“No, I have a minute,” he lied. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” He rubbed his thumb down her cheek. Her skin was so soft, he felt like he shouldn’t be touching her with his rough, calloused fingers. But each time he touched her, she lit up for him. How could he keep his hands to himself?
“I’ll be fine, Drew. I will sit right here, and when this whole circus is over, we can sneak away.” She tried to sound reassuring, but he could tell that she wanted to be just about anywhere else but sitting in the back of the church. He tipped her mouth up to meet him and sealed his lips over hers, taking his time kissing her. He licked into her mouth, and she moaned. “Oh fuck,” she said, pulling away from the kiss. She closed her eyes, an adorable attempt at not having to look at everyone who was watching them.
“Baby, it’s okay. Open your eyes and look at me,” he ordered.
She shook her head. “No, I’m too embarrassed,” she whispered. He chuckled. She made him so damn happy, even in a room full of busybodies; she made him laugh.
“How about you just trust me? I swear it’s not that bad.” With his promise, she cracked open one eye and squinted at him, daring a peek around the church. “See baby,” he whispered, tucking her hair back behind her ear, “not too horrible, right?” She opened both eyes and surveyed the church. Only a few people were staring at them, her mom being one of them.
“Before we get into trouble, in church no less, I'd better go find all the guys.” He leaned in for one more quick kiss and left her in the pew. He felt like he was abandoning Karlie when she needed him most. And a quick look back at her told him that he might be right.
