by Alison Bliss
That day, he’d shown up at the bank with a dozen red roses, hoping to invite her to dinner, where he’d planned to propose to her. But when he walked into her office and found an irate man berating her for not approving his loan, Brett had lost his cool. Sidney had shaken her head at him, clearly wanting him to stay out of it, but he hadn’t listened.
Instead, he’d stepped in front of her and jumped down the guy’s throat. At the time, he hadn’t known that the asshole was the bank manager’s brother. Nor had he realized that Sidney would be so upset with him that she’d end their relationship over it. But he’d found out both of these things the moment she pulled him outside into the parking lot.
Brett hesitated to bring up the past incident, knowing it would probably anger her all over again. They needed to talk about it though and at least clear the air between them. But he didn’t want her to feel as though he was forcing her into conversation while stuck in a vehicle with him so he waited until his truck rolled to a stop at the curb in front of her home.
She opened her door to get out, and the interior light flicked on above their heads. “Thanks for the ride, Brett.”
“Sidney, can you hold on for a second? I’d like to talk to you about something before you go.”
Her face morphed with confusion, but she nodded and closed the door, plunging them back into darkness. “Okay.”
He rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans and took a deep breath. “I wanted to talk to you about last year…when you broke things off with me.”
She shook her head. “Brett, I don’t think—”
He raised his hand to stop her. “Just hear me out. Please.” She nodded reluctantly but he could tell she wasn’t expecting this to go well. “When you broke up with me last year, I was not in the right head space to do this so I’m doing it now.”
Her hand held on to the console, and she looked as though she was bracing for impact. “All right. Go ahead, I guess.”
He nodded and continued on. “At the time, I thought you had gone a little overboard by breaking up with me over something so trivial.”
“I—”
“Just wait. Let me finish before you say anything.”
He had no doubt that she expected him to give some pathetic excuse for his ridiculous past behavior, but that wasn’t what he was doing. He’d never gotten the chance to apologize for what he had done, and now seemed as good a time as any. Maybe she would never forgive him, but he at least wanted her to know that he regretted the incident and knew how badly he’d messed up.
Swallowing the guilt he felt, he breathed out slowly. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I understand why you walked away from me. Maybe at the time I couldn’t see it, but now I know for sure you were right in doing so.”
Sidney’s gaze fell to her hands as she picked at her fingernail. “Well, I’m sorry too.”
He shook his head adamantly. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”
Her eyes rose, meeting his. “Sure I do. I hurt you, didn’t I?”
Brett nodded solemnly. “Of course I was hurt. Valentine’s Day was the worst day of my life. But honestly, it changed me for the better and made me realize what a jackass I’ve truly been.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know all about my overprotective tendencies and my need to control everything. Well, after losing you, Valerie and I had a similar incident.”
“Oh, you mean the bar fight with Logan?”
Damn. Gossip sure traveled fast. “Yep, that’s the one. I came unglued when I found out my best friend was sleeping with my little sister.”
She nodded. “I had a feeling that would happen. I once saw them in the movie theater looking pretty cozy and wondered if you knew that something was going on with them.”
“I didn’t at first. When I found out, I hit the roof, and it caused problems between the three of us. So much so that Valerie threatened to disown me. But after losing you and hearing you say that you never wanted to see me again…well, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing another important person in my life. That’s what saved my relationship with my sister and my best friend.”
Sidney smiled. “I’m glad to hear that everything worked out for you.”
He shrugged. “Well, not everything. I still lost you in the end. But you walking away made me realize that I was the one with the problem. Not you. Not Valerie or Logan. It was all on me. So I started seeing a therapist to help me work through my issues. It’s been a big help.”
“That’s great. I’m happy you’re finally talking to someone about these things. You needed that.”
Brett rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yeah, I did. Especially after you were out of my life. You were the only person I told a lot of that stuff to. When you left, I didn’t have anyone to talk to about my problems anymore.”
“I’m really sorry, Brett. I just figured a clean break would do us both good. I figured that once we got past our feelings for each other, we could try going back to being just friends. But I…well, I’ve been busy and haven’t crossed paths with you up until now.”
Brett wanted to laugh at that, but he didn’t. The only way you wouldn’t cross paths with someone in a town as small as Granite was if you were purposely avoiding them. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe that he hadn’t ran into her for almost a full year by coincidence. No way. He had no doubt she’d made that happen herself.
“I just wanted you to know I’ve changed. I’m not at all the same guy from before. And I have you to thank for that. If you hadn’t broken up with me when you did, I would probably still be that same asshole you dated back then. So thank you for breaking up with me. You did me a huge favor.”
* * *
Sidney was so stunned that she didn’t know what to say.
Who in their right mind thanks someone for breaking up with them?
While she appreciated the heartfelt apology, she couldn’t help wondering if her weight gain had anything to do with his being so glad that they were no longer together.
Maybe that was just her insecurities bubbling to the surface though, since he never seemed to have a problem with her size before. Then again, he’d clearly been spending a lot more time at the gym, bulking up all those hard-packed muscles, while she’d spent the past year drowning her sorrows in pints of rocky road ice cream.
Sadly enough, it was easier to believe he had a problem with her weight than to believe Brett was a changed man. Old habits die hard, and it wasn’t like the incident at the bank was the first time Overprotective Brett had reared his ugly head. According to his sister, Brett had been that way since his father’s death. Valerie probably put up with it out of some sense of loyalty—after all, they were family—but Sidney wasn’t willing to do the same.
Still, although she hated to admit it, she couldn’t pretend that hearing him say he’d changed didn’t intrigue her. Sure, he had been too overprotective and had a jealous streak a mile long, but he had always treated her well. Not only that, but she had never stopped loving him and…well, last year’s Valentine’s Day had been the worst day of her life too.
She still remembered it as if it were yesterday. Brett had come barging into her office unannounced and interrupted a heated meeting she was having with the bank manager’s brother. Sure, the guy was an ass, but he was a client nonetheless, and it was her job to deal with him. Besides, it wasn’t like it was the first time she’d dealt with a difficult man before. She’d dated Brett, for goodness’ sake!
The moment she spotted him in the doorway of her office, she knew there would be trouble. That was why she gave him the look—the universal one that signified that there was more to the situation than met the eye. After her subtle warning, Brett should’ve backed off and let her handle things in a professional manner, one befitting a place of business. But he hadn’t.
No, instead he’d caused a huge scene in front of her coworkers at the bank that embarrassed her to no end. Not to mention that she almost lost her job over i
t. So yeah, she’d broken up with Brett and told him that she never wanted to see him again.
Sidney gave him a tight smile. “I’m glad you’re doing well, Brett. It’s good to hear.”
“Thanks.”
She glanced toward her house. “Well, I should probably go inside. Thank you for your help tonight. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. I’ll have your car ready in the morning. Would you like me to swing by here and pick you up before I head to the shop?”
“Um, no. I think it’s better if I find my own ride. Thanks for the offer though. If you can just call me to let me know when it’s ready, that would be great.”
“Sure.”
She opened her door and climbed out of the truck. “Thanks for the ride home.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, smiling.
Chapter Three
The next morning, Brett called Sidney to let her know her car was ready to be picked up. While he was still disappointed that she’d refused a ride to the shop, he understood that she wanted to keep her distance from him. They weren’t together anymore, and she clearly wanted to keep it that way.
Just because he’d thought about her every day for the past year didn’t mean she’d done the same. If the new hair and new car didn’t state the obvious, then the fact that she’d been avoiding him for so long should’ve told him what he needed to know. She had moved on.
Serves me right. She deserves better anyway.
Though Sidney had never acted like the spoiled brat she claimed to be, Brett didn’t exactly make a ton of money. That was usually what happened when you worked for someone else. But he was tired of killing himself by working twelve-hour shifts, only to collect a measly hourly wage while the owner of the business kicked his feet up on his desk and counted all the dough his employees brought in for him.
Maybe the other mechanics in the shop were okay with that, but Brett was no longer willing to work his ass off to make someone else rich. Screw that. It was just like his therapist told him. If he didn’t put value on his own worth, then who the hell was going to? She probably hadn’t been referring to his monetary worth, but as far as he was concerned, the same rule still applied.
So Brett picked up the phone and dialed the number Logan had given him once again, in hopes of leaving the guy from last night a message. Chances were good that he would already be on his flight, but Brett hoped that he would return his call once he landed back in Arizona…if he was even still willing to entertain an offer from Brett, of course. After Brett hadn’t showed up for their scheduled meeting and wasn’t able to call to let him know, he wouldn’t be surprised if the guy wasn’t interesting in calling him back. After all, no one wanted to do business with a flake.
But Brett had to take the chance of getting turned down. The place sounded too damn perfect to pass up.
The phone rang twice, and then the man answered. Brett hadn’t expected that, since this guy should’ve already been on his flight back to Arizona. But apparently, the airline had somehow overbooked the flight, and this fella happened to be the unlucky bastard who got bumped from it. Though that probably sucked a lot for him, it was great news for Brett, and he planned on taking full advantage of the situation.
The guy wasn’t at all happy with Brett for not showing up or calling last night, which was apparent in his attitude. But Brett managed to keep his cool. Once he explained what had happened and how he’d left his phone at the garage, the man said he completely understood that things sometimes happened out of anyone’s control. Maybe getting bumped from his flight had given him that perspective. Or maybe he was just a nice guy. Because then he offered to show Brett the lot later in the afternoon since his next flight wasn’t leaving until tomorrow.
Brett couldn’t believe his luck. Just as he opened his mouth to accept the man’s offer, Sidney strolled through the bay door wearing beige slacks, a cream-colored top, and a pearl necklace that dipped inside her shirt between her breasts. Momentarily distracted, all Brett could think was, “God, yes!” But when the man on the other end of the line chuckled, Brett had no doubt he’d said the words aloud.
Feeling like an idiot, he promised not to leave the guy waiting once again and then hurried to get off the phone before heading to the counter, where Sidney stood waiting for him. “Hey,” he said, staring into her rich brown eyes to keep his gaze from following the trail of shiny white beads leading inside her shirt. “Your car is out back next to my truck. I didn’t want to leave it up here, where someone could accidentally put a ding in it.”
She flashed him a bright smile. “Thanks. I always worry about that too. So how long did it take you to fix it?”
“Well, not counting the time it took to tow your car back to the garage, I’d say about four hours. An hour or so per tire. By the way, you have the most stubborn lug nuts I’ve ever seen on a vehicle.”
She cringed. “Oh no! That practically took you all night. Did you get any sleep?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, some. When I finished up with your car earlier this morning, I crawled into the backseat of my truck and slept for a few hours.”
“God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize it was going to be such a huge task to get those things off.”
“It happens. Sometimes a big job turns out to be a small one, and little jobs turn out to be a mechanic’s worst nightmare. You just never really know until you start working on something.”
She grinned. “So you’re saying this job was your worst nightmare?”
“Not really. But if you had heard the way I was cussing up a storm this morning while trying to get those damn nuts off, you probably wouldn’t believe a word I just said.”
Sidney laughed as she pulled out her debit card. “I’m just glad you managed to fix it. How much do I owe you?”
Brett pulled her keys from his pocket and slid them across the counter in front of her. “Nothing. You’re good to go.”
She shook her head and shoved her debit card toward him. “What? No way. I’m paying you for the work you did.”
He put the card back into her hand and closed her fingers around it. “I don’t want your money, Sid.”
“Then what the hell do you want?”
His fingers tightened around hers. Hell, that was a loaded question if he’d ever heard one. He grinned for a second as several sexy scenarios ran through his head, and then he forced himself to blow out a slow breath and behave himself. “Look, Sid. The way I see it, I owed you one after how I screwed up our relationship. So just let me do something nice for you, and we’ll call it even.”
“That’s not us being even. I broke up with you, remember? So this would put you one ahead of me.”
Brett rolled his eyes. “Humor me, okay?”
But she wasn’t having it. Sidney shook her head adamantly and tried to hand him her card once again. “No, I don’t feel right about you working for free after hours. And I’m certain your boss wouldn’t like it either. After you went out of your way to help me last night, the least I can do is pay you for your time. Besides, you don’t owe me any favors. What happened between us is in the past, and that’s where it’s going to stay. It has nothing to do with this business transaction.”
He cringed at her words but covered it by glancing at his watch. It was already eleven o’clock, and he had only a few hours before he had to be at the car lot. The last thing he wanted to do was spend them arguing with her. “Sid, I don’t have time to argue with you about this. I have somewhere I have to be in a few hours, and I still need to clean up and grab lunch. Call it a favor or a random act of kindness or whatever you want, but I’m not taking your money. Got it?”
Brett didn’t wait for her to respond, since chances were good that she would’ve just continued to argue with him. So instead, he turned and walked away. He didn’t want her to pay him for his help, damn it. He hadn’t done any of it for the money. Didn’t she get that? He had done it because he loved her with every fiber of his being.
An
d that wasn’t something you could put a price on.
* * *
Sidney watched in disbelief as Brett walked away.
He stopped to talk to another worker briefly before he moved toward the small sink across the room and began soaping up his grimy hands. She had a profile view of him, which meant all he had to do was turn his head slightly in order to see her. But as far as she could tell, he hadn’t so much as looked back once, and she had a feeling he was avoiding her on purpose.
As if ignoring me is going to work. He should know better than that.
She stood there watching him scrub the dirt away for so long that her gaze accidentally drifted to his left bicep, which was flexing and tightening against the sleeve of his dark blue T-shirt with every motion. She swallowed the hard knot forming in her throat. Damn, he’d really bulked up.
Sidney was so mesmerized by the movements of his muscles that she didn’t even notice when another worker approached the counter. “Can I help you, miss?”
Startled, she jumped and grasped her chest, turning to see the young worker whom Brett had stopped to talk to on his way to the sink. She had met some of the other mechanics in the past, but this one must’ve been hired sometime in the past year. “Oh goodness, you scared me.”
The young guy grinned. “Sorry about that.”
Yeah, he looked real sorry with that huge smile on his face. “It’s okay. I should’ve been paying closer attention to my surroundings.”
He motioned across the room to the sink where Brett was still standing. “I saw you staring. Were you waiting for Brett to help you with something? Because if so, I hate to tell you this, but he’s not on the clock today.”
“What do you mean? He’s right there.”
“Yep, but it’s his day off.”
Oh great. Now she felt like a real jerk for not paying him. “But what about the car he worked on early this morning?”
