“You’re taking it across the country with you,” Gabi said. “That’s why you can’t fly.”
Summer gave me a pitying look. “You shouldn’t?—”
Gabi touched Summer’s forearm and curtly shook her head. The wordless look that passed between them convinced me they’d been talking about me and my misfortunes over the past few months, probably in worried tones. Their concern came from a place of love, even if it drove me nuts, so I didn’t chastise them.
“I am not falling apart,” I promised. “I’m just doing things my own way, in my own time. And I’d really appreciate it if you two could support me. Silently, if necessary.”
“We do,” Gabi assured me. “And we will. And now we’ll change the subject. Maybe we should go back to talking about hot guys at the bar, after all.”
Summer grinned at me. “This seems like the perfect time to remind you that the best way to get over the last man?—”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” I said.
“Is to get under the next one,” Gabi, the traitor, said. My friends laughed and clinked their glasses together.
“Behave yourselves,” I said. “Mason’s coming our way.” And shit, he wasn’t alone. Mason’s friend was also walking toward us.
Summer didn’t miss it, of course. “The way Nick’s looking at you, I think he’s coming to meet you. Or maybe eat you.” She nudged me hard in the ribs. “Whatever he says, your answer is yes.”
Yes, yes, yes!my body screamed.Don’t be an idiot, my brain insisted. “Absolutely not,” I told Summer.
I’d fallen for a pretty face and hot body and the arrogance that came with those male attributes seven years ago. I wasn’t about to make the same stupid mistake twice.
CHAPTER 5
NICK
We’d obviously interrupted a private conversation. Gabi casually averted her eyes as we approached. Summer grinned as her gaze wandered down to the unbuttoned top of my shirt. Cara smiled at Mason and pretended she hadn’t noticed me.
“Summer, Gabi, you remember Nick. Cara, I wanted to introduce you to a very good friend of mine, Nick Roman. Nick, Cara Spenser.”
“Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand to me first.
When we shook, her grip was firm and her gaze was steady. It was brief and business-like, and she dropped my hand and eye contact quickly. She had a pretty good poker face, but I made her uncomfortable. I wondered if I reminded her of her ex. Or if she had a general distrust of strange men. Or, shit, if she thought I’d asked Mason to introduce us so I could hit on her.
Mason seemed to pick up on the same vibe, because he spoke quickly. “Nick, here, has a business proposition for you, Cara.”
“Oh?” She smiled at me. Once again, it only reached her lips, not her eyes. “Are you in the market for some art?”
“Not exactly.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “It’s about the drive you’re making.”
She glanced between Mason and me, her smile gone and her eyes slightly narrowed. This wasn’t going well.
“I overheard you mention driving east all by yourself,” Mason said. He held up his hands as if presenting me. “Nick needs to head east as well. I thought this might be a great solution for both of you.”
“Isn’t your car a manual shift?” Summer asked me. “Cara can’t drive a stick shift.”
Cara blushed, which could have meant so many things, so I put it out of my mind. And I didn’t follow up with the obvious question about how Summer knew details about my car. Cara seemed uneasy and I needed to get her on board.
“It is a manual, but I’m happy to split the driving in your car,” I told Cara. “And I’d cover all the costs. Gas, meals, lodging. Separate rooms, of course.” Dumbass. Adding that last bit only insinuated that the thought of a shared room had crossed my mind. “A trip that long can be tough on a car,” I added, still trying to impress her. “I’m pretty handy and I’ll bring my toolbox along, just in case.”
Summer nudged Cara’s ribs. “Hear that? He’s good with his hands.”
I ignored Summer’s innuendo and pretended not to notice Cara’s cheeks turning pink.
“And offering to cover the costs,” Gabi repeated. “That’s a great deal.”
Cara, who’d said approximately ten words to me thus far, remained silent.
