“Hell, yes!” My reply came out louder than I’d planned and my voice echoed off the hard brick walls and concrete floor. I cleared my throat and tried for a more normal volume. “It’s Sally, right?”
He walked over so he was standing opposite me, the car in between us. “It’s not very imaginative, but why mess with something that works? It suits her.”
“It does,” I agreed. “Where do you find cars like this?” I was genuinely interested.
“When I found Sal she was a rusted heap in an old guy’s garage. I restored her.”
“Wow.” I shook my head and continued to take in all the details of ‘Sal.’ The interior matched the exterior, which was nothing short of seriously cool. Scarlett would really love this car too. It had vintage sophistication written all over it. And if cars had personalities, this car and I clicked. She appeared sturdy and reliable, but looked like fun too. “Do you take her out much?”
“Not as much as I’d like. The occasional wedding and that sort of thing.”
“Wedding?” Tentatively I reached out and ran a finger across the top of the door.
“Yeah, I hire her out for weddings and other special occasions.”
I turned my attention back to him and realized he was focused on me, not the car. “Really? That’s awesome. I would definitely prefer to get married in something like this instead of the standard boring wedding cars. I’m surprised you let anyone else drive though.”
“Rarely. I’m paid to drive as well. Dress up in the suit, the full kit.”
I couldn’t help myself and grinned.
“What?” He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.
I pointed to my head. “Do you wear the chauffeur’s hat too?”
He looked at me for a long moment and then broke out into a wide grin too. I reached out and gripped the door without thinking about it, then quickly removed my hands. What was it about this man’s smiles? It was like the clouds parting and the sun coming out.
He was still grinning at me. “No, I don’t wear the hat, Cate. It would ruin my hair.”
I laughed, because I wouldn’t want to ruin his fabulous hair either. I tried not to contemplate the image of Dave in a tux too much, so I stepped back from Sal and turned to the bright red Corvette. “I don’t need to know what you were thinking when you bought this one.”
He walked around Sal and came to stand beside me. “What’s that?”
“Oh come on, like you don’t know?”
“Enlighten me.” His lips were twitching.
“I dare say it had something to do with picking up chicks, am I right?” Call me immature, but I wasn’t ready to say ‘sex machine’ out loud in front of him.
“Interesting train of thought, Cate, but I don’t pick up chicks.”
“Women then.”
We were flirting. Were we flirting? Self-consciously I looked down at my business suit to remind myself why I was here.
“I don’t pick up women either.”
“Well, you could. If you wanted.” And that had sounded like an invitation. Averting my gaze, I walked around the Corvette so I could see Layla. “I love her too. Original Minis are awesome. Do you hire her out?”
“Nah. She’s my track car.”
I turned back to him. “You race?”
“Track days mostly.”
“You and Max should definitely talk,” I blurted without thinking.
He gave me a questioning look. “My good friend’s fiancé. He raced track cars when he lived in the UK. He’d really appreciate your collection. In fact, I don’t know why they haven’t considered an option like this for their wedding. Your cars would suit them way more than whatever Christa’s mother-in-law is insisting they hire.”
Whoops. I’d said too much.
“Not sure I want to get involved in that one,” he said, turning and walking over to the workbench, which ran the full width of the garage. “But here. Take this card. I’m part of a classic car hire company. There’s a few of us who offer our cars out to the public. Your friends can go to the website if they’re interested.”
“Thanks.” I slipped the card into my bag.
Bear’s head popped around the corner of the open door. “Have you convinced her to stay for dinner yet?”
Dave looked over at me. “I don’t know. Have I?”
Oh, what the hell. It was time I lived a little. “That depends,” I said. “Do I get a ride in Sally?”
*
First impressions could be deceiving, I discovered. Despite their less than polished appearance, Dave and his friends put on a delicious dinner. I’d been expecting meat and more meat, but to my surprise the meat was accompanied with pasta salad and vegetables.
“Bony boy needs to put on some weight,” Dave said when they’d laid the food out on the outdoor table.
“Am I that easy to read?” I asked.
Dave’s brown eyes lingered on me in the moonlight, then he looked away and started handing out plates.
“So, what do you think, Cate?” Bear asked. “With my quality cooking will I make someone a good husband one day?”
I laughed and sat down next to him because he’d made it pretty obvious he wanted to sit next to me. “I don’t know, Bear. What else can you do aside from cook?”
He grinned at me. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
A plate clattered onto the wooden table, making me jump.
“Sorry,” muttered Dave.
Bear bumped my shoulder with his. “He gets clumsy around women he likes.”
Dave froze and I looked down at my lap. Well, that was awkward. I just couldn’t figure out if it was good awkward or bad awkward.
“Wine?” Bear asked, oblivious to the effect of his earlier comment, or choosing to ignore it.
We busied ourselves dishing up the dinner. For the first few minutes we were silent except for the metallic clinks of the cutlery and the commentary of the football. The outdoor area included an impressive flat screen television mounted securely undercover, which Bones and Wally were staring at intently.
“You won’t get much out of them for the next hour,” Bear informed me. “Not that you’d get much out of them usually. They’re hardly conversationalists like me.”
“Hey, I heard that,” Bones said through a mouthful of meat.
“See?” Bear said. He pointed his fork at Bones. “Table manners, Bony boy. You don’t talk with your mouthful when we have dinner guests.”
“You’re so full of shit,” Wally said, also with a mouthful.
“Cavemen. This is what I have to work with. Tell me I have your sympathy?”
Before I thought about what I was doing, I reached over and patted his arm in a gesture of mock sympathy. “It must be so hard for you.”
I looked up and caught Dave staring at the two of us. I couldn’t read his expression, but something about it made me sit up straighter in my seat.
“At least this guy,” Bear continued, pointing his fork at Dave, “can hold a conversation. It just takes a little while to warm him up, is all.”
“A bit like a classic car, hey?” I joked.
Bear’s face split into a wide smile and his blue eyes shone with recognition. “She’s got your number, mate,” he said to Dave. “But then of course she has, she’s your financial planner.”
“Cate’s good at her job,” Dave said, and pushed his plate away.
I stopped eating. “Wow. Can I use that testimonial on our company website?”
Bear giggled. He actually giggled, while Wally and Bones shook their heads.
Dave sighed. “That’s a sure sign he’s had enough to drink. I’d say the same for you, but you’ve only had half a glass.”
I frowned. “I’m not a big drinker. And what are you saying? I’m acting drunk? Or you don’t think I usually have a sense of humor?”
“Good one, Dave. We get her to loosen up and you accuse her of being drunk,” Bear said.
I turned to Bear and crossed my arms. �
��And what are you saying? Are you suggesting I look like I need to loosen up?”
Bear paled. “No, Caty, of course not. I mean you’re still in your work clothes so to average guys like us you look a bit, you know, proper and—”
I interrupted him. “Proper?”
Bear’s eyes widened. “Yeah, you know, nice. Sophisticated. Girls like you don’t normally take the time to talk to guys like us.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Girls like me?”
“Oh shit, Cate, I’m drunk.” Bear actually squirmed in his seat. “You got to know that. I think you’re really nice, and man, you’re pretty. It’s enough to make a bloke say something stupid.”
I burst out laughing and put a hand on his shoulder. “Relax! I was joking.”
Bear blinked a few times and stared at me uncomprehendingly. Wally, Bones and Dave’s deep rolling laughter seemed to bring him to his senses.
“Shit!” Bear continued to stare at me, but this time with a distinct look of respect. “You had me, Caty. Boy, did you have me.” He looked across the table at the other men. “Did you see how she had me?”
They were all shaking their heads at him.
My hand was still on his shoulder and I squeezed it lightly. “But Bear? Don’t call me Caty, alright? It’s Cate.”
“Oh! Sure thing, Cate, sure thing. I won’t do it again. Or at least I’ll try not to. You know how it is when you’ve had a few. Or maybe you don’t, seeing as you said you don’t drink all that much and all—”
The sound of Dave’s chair scraping on the deck thankfully put a stop to Bear’s apology. Dave ignored him and looked straight at me. “How about I give you the rest of the tour?”
Chapter 17
“Sorry about Bear,” Dave said as he led me inside. “He’s a top guy, but can get a bit carried away.”
“I like him.”
“Yeah, I noticed.”
I stopped walking. It took him a second to realize I wasn’t following.
“What?” he asked.
“You didn’t expect me to like him. Or your friends.”
“What?” he repeated. “No. I just—”
“Didn’t expect me to get along with them so well,” I finished for him. I shrugged. “I get along with a lot of people.”
Dave stared at me until I wanted to look away but I didn’t. His eyes were like liquid pools of whiskey. Warmth mixed with heat. Or maybe I was just imagining the heat?
He was the first to look away. “I meant what I said before. You’re good at your job.”
I gestured for him to start walking again. “And I was teasing before, sorry. Thanks for saying so. It means a lot. I probably shouldn’t be saying this to you, seeing as you’re my client, but I haven’t been doing this for very long. I’ve been working my backside off to hear that sort of compliment, so thank you.”
“Why did you change jobs?”
I swallowed. “Long story.”
And it wasn’t a story I wanted to share with Dave. I still couldn’t believe I’d been so stupid, getting involved with a married partner at my old accountancy firm. I’d hated myself the entire time and it had all ended so predictably. He wasn’t going to leave his wife and I’d been forced to quit my job. My friends didn’t call me a silver lining girl for nothing though. After a few months overseas, I’d returned more determined than ever and with a career change in mind. So far, I hadn’t regretted any of it, except for the affair, of course, which I was still trying to forget.
Dave led me into a sitting area at the front of the house. I’d already seen the open plan kitchen living area. It was modern and simple with lots of white cupboards and sleek marble tiles. Obviously a new addition to what was clearly an older house.
“This is great,” I told Dave, taking in the rustic brown leather sofas and tan carpet. The walls were painted a latte color. Everything about the room was warm and inviting. I walked over to a painting hanging on the wall. It was a portrait of an older man with graying hair but he had the same tawny colored eyes as Dave.
There was no way it was his father, I knew that much.
“My grandfather,” Dave said. “This was their house.”
I bit back an ‘oh’. This was his grandparents’ house. It explained so much. While this house wasn’t what I expected Dave to choose, he seemed comfortable here. Content.
“They left it to me.” Dave walked to a pair of wooden sliding doors at the far end of the room. He pushed them open gently. “This was his study. I’ve kept it much the same. It’s the one room in the house I don’t really feel is mine, even after all these years.”
I joined him and took in the inbuilt wooden bookshelves that lined two walls, the matching wooden desk and an old, faded armchair with the gray upholstery fraying in places. Yes, this room was dated by modern standards, but there was something incredibly classic about all the furniture and books. Just like Dave’s classic cars, I realized. The room even smelled different. Not musty, just original.
I pointed to some picture frames on the desk. “Is that your grandfather too?”
Dave walked into the room and picked up a picture. “And me. That was the first car I ever drove when I got a bit older.”
I stared at the serious looking boy holding the older man’s hand. They were standing in front of a Mustang not unlike Dave’s. The trust between them was printed in color ink for all to see. And Dave had been a beautiful little boy. His hair was almost blond in the picture, and he wore it longer, much like he did now.
I handed the picture back to him. “You say ‘all these years.’ How long has he been gone?”
“The year after I finished school.” He put the picture back carefully and I followed him into the sitting area. “Once my grandmother passed, it was only a couple of years until he went. They were close.”
“Close to you too from what you’ve shown me.”
Dave nodded. “Why don’t you like to be called Caty?”
I opened my mouth and then closed it again, not expecting the sudden change of subject.
Dave stood watching me. “Sorry. Too personal?”
I managed to find my voice. “No. My dad used to call me that.”
“And you don’t keep in touch with your dad.” It wasn’t a question.
“No,” I said simply.
Dave nodded and started walking again. I followed him up the stairs and tried to take in my surroundings while at the same time digest our conversation. He was so straightforward, yet he wasn’t.
“OK. My turn. You don’t like to talk much, do you?”
“Maybe it’s just that I don’t have a lot to say.”
I stopped at the top of the landing. “I don’t believe you.”
He turned to face me. “Not all of us can be talkers like you. Besides, I’m better with my hands.”
I dropped my eyes. Damn my overactive imagination.
“I’m good at plumbing and restoring cars, Cate. Why? What were you thinking?” There was a distinct note of amusement in his tone.
“Nothing,” I sputtered. “So are you going to show me the rest of the house?”
I waited until he had turned away before I looked up again. He gave me the tour of the rest of the upstairs. There were four bedrooms in total and two bathrooms. Not surprisingly he’d updated the bathrooms with the latest fittings and fixtures. I’d had to stop myself from staring longingly at his exquisite freestanding bath. I’d kill for a bath like that to come home to after a long week at work. Never mind you’d run out of hot water after filling it. It was so large it would be big enough for two …
“Don’t you get lonely in this big house all by yourself?” I asked, doing my best to put any inappropriate bath thoughts out of my mind.
“Not usually. I work long hours during the week and the guys come over a lot on weekends.”
“And you spend a lot of time in the garage,” I guessed.
“You got me.”
When we got back to the ground floor, I stifled a yawn. “So
rry. I should probably head home. It’s been a long week. Thanks for dinner and thank you for the tour. You have a beautiful house.”
“Sally and I will drive you home,” he announced.
I would have protested but I was too charmed by the way he’d described his car. “You and Sally?”
He looked confused. “You said you wanted to go for a drive in her.”
“Yes, I did say that, but do you always talk about your cars like they’re people?”
His lips quirked. “Aren’t they?”
“Oh, I see. That’s why you never get lonely. You’ve got your cars to keep you company.”
“Something like that. Come on.”
*
After saying our goodbyes to Dave’s friends, which took longer than expected because Bear was insistent he didn’t want me to leave yet, we backed out of the driveway in Sally.
I couldn’t suppress the thrill that shivered through me. The Mustang’s motor purred and I was a little dazzled by the beauty of the interior. An oversized, old-fashioned steering wheel and dials with chrome detailing, not to mention matching turquoise carpet. I had no idea how Dave had pulled it all together. It was the first time in my life I’d been in a car that I’d describe as ‘exquisite.’
He backed the car slowly out of the drive.
“Oh!” I cried unexpectedly when he accelerated. The purr of the motor turned to a powerful deep, throaty bass. “Sorry,” I said quickly, embarrassed by my outburst and forced to speak louder over the engine noise. “I didn’t expect that.”
“She’s a V8.”
“I know that should mean a lot to me, but it really doesn’t. Sadly, I’m a bit of a novice when it comes to anything car-related.”
Dave glanced at me, then back to the road. “You can drive, can’t you?”
“Yes! I didn’t learn until my early twenties though and I’ve never owned a car.”
We pulled up at a set of traffic lights and Dave twisted to face me. God, the car suited him. She was all polish and power and he was the same.
“You’ve never owned a car?” he asked in disbelief.
“I know for someone like you it’s hard to believe, but no, I’ve never owned one.”
“What do you drive now?”
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