“Your problem,” he says, “is that you’re overcomplicating men.”
I flinch wildly as though I’ve been hit upside the head with a skillet.
“You okay?” Garret Blake, one of Grayson’s two brothers, slides onto a stool beside him. “Looks like you were having a seizure.”
Grayson almost smiles. Almost.
“I’m fine,” I say with a sigh. “Just—”
“She’s driving me up the fuckin’ wall, is what she’s doin’,” Grayson says, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. There’s a near-smirk on his lips that tells me he’s kidding.
I grab a beer out of the cooler. “I am not. We were having a conversation, and you were even taking part. Slightly, I’ll admit, but a touch of back and forth was happening, and that constitutes a conversation.”
Garret takes the bottle. “I’m glad you’re up for a convo because you darted outta the shop before we could talk.”
“By design.” Grayson takes a long swig of his beer, his attention back to the television. “Look, I don’t know how to branch out into Syn City. I know their shop is closing next week, but I don’t know how to bring them over here to Cherry Falls. I got nothin’.”
I lean against the bar and listen to the two men discuss their auto repair shop.
The three Blake brothers—Grant being the youngest—are the epitome of opposites. While Grayson is broody and mostly a jackass, Grant is as gentle-hearted as they come. Garret is the brains of the bunch and repairs more spreadsheets and sales figures than he does cars. Together, they run a respected enterprise in Cherry Falls that seems to need a shot of new blood.
I shift my weight as I watch them talk.
Garret is worried they’re becoming stagnant. He thinks if they don’t expand now, they’ll miss their opportunity. I feel that deep in my bones.
If I don’t figure out how to understand men, I’m going to end up single with a house full of cats and a barely started novel. I have hopes and dreams too—of a family of my own. A job that doesn’t require a name tag. The affection of a man who can kiss me sweetly and then scoop me up and take me to bed to ravage me.
That is just out of reach, and it’s all because I don’t know how to get it. Any of it. How do I craft the voice of the hero I’m searching for while capturing the hero I want for me?
I glance over my shoulder. Natalia looks demure—shy, even—as she bats her lashes at Corbin. He, naturally, is eating out of her perfectly moisturized palm.
“I asked Daisy at the Cherry Falls Gazette if she could create some marketing materials for us, but she’s booked solid for two months,” Garret says, drawing my attention back to the bar.
“What kind of marketing materials are you looking for?” I ask.
My heart begins to thump as I ignore the curiosity in Garret’s eyes. I’m not sure what I’m doing—or, why, rather—because it’s a ridiculous idea. Completely foolish, really. He’ll never go for it, and even if he did, he probably wouldn’t give me anything useful, anyway.
“There’s a festival happening in Syn City next month,” Garret says carefully. “I was thinking we could pass out some fliers over there and try to let the townspeople know that Blake Brother Auto Repair is here. Maybe run a promo of some kind.” He brings the beer bottle in front of him and holds it with both hands. “I wanted to freshen up the language on our website. That kind of thing. Nothing too heavy.”
I wipe my hands on my jeans. “Can’t you do that?”
“I do. Every day. I feel like we need an objective voice—something fresh and fun.”
A chill runs down my spine as I part my lips. “I’m fresh and fun.”
My voice is three octaves higher than my normal speaking voice. That must be what causes Grayson to whip his attention to me. He doesn’t speak, though. Just watches me to see if I’m kidding.
Although I laugh, I’m not kidding. I don’t think.
“What are you saying, Haley?” Garret asks.
“I’m saying,” I say, sucking in a deep breath, “that I can write. I’m writing a novel, after all. I’ve taken a few creative writing classes, and I know my way around a website thanks to my mother’s online store selling homemade grape wreaths.”
“That’s a thing?” Garret asks.
“Surprising, I know. Anyway”—I gulp—“I could help you out.”
I cast a sideways glance at Grayson. He’s looking at me. The heat of his gaze kissing my cheek is enough to make me shiver.
“That would be amazing, actually,” Garret says, oblivious to what I’m about to propose. Grayson, though? I think he’s onto me.
“It would be my pleasure,” I say, fighting a grin.
“What would you charge?” he asks.
I bite my lip and take a step away from the bar. “Oh, not much. It would be more of a favor than anything.”
“We would pay you,” Garret insists. “You name the price.”
Bingo.
I hem and haw around as I think this through.
It really is an asinine idea. It’s also brilliant.
If I can get Garret to exchange my marketing help with a day of interrogating—interviewing—Grayson, it would be an excellent use of my time and energy. It could really benefit them too.
Grayson’s gaze gets hotter. And testier. And hotter.
I force a swallow down my throat.
“Well, since you put it that way …” I grin as innocently as I can. “What if I don’t charge you anything except maybe a Q and A session with Grayson.”
“Dammit, Haley,” Grayson groans.
“What?” My hands fly to my hips. “I need your help just like you need mine—”
“Garret needs your help. Not me.”
“It sounds like a family business problem to me, bud.”
Grayson turns his stare on his brother.
“This seems like a very fair exchange, Gray,” Garret says, chuckling.
“Yeah, Gray.”
Grayson looks at me, the corner of his lip twitching. “Careful, little girl.”
My blood runs hot at the warning. Something about the way he issues it, the way it feels like a promise instead of a cautionary tale, makes me pant.
“Just let her ask you some questions,” Garret says. “What’s it for, anyway? A college paper or something?”
“Not exactly,” I say warily. “It’s so I can understand men, actually.”
Garret laughs. “Well, hell—if Grayson is going to act like a dipshit about this, I’ll answer your questions for free marketing assistance.”
Grayson grins and faces me again. “Yeah, Haley. Ask Garret your questions.”
His eyes sparkle because he knows. He knows the questions I need answered are for him.
Garret is a great guy. He’s polite and kind and has a great work ethic. He’s also super attractive. But he’s not Grayson.
Grayson is rough and grumpy. He’s raw. He’s roguish and irritable, and that makes him … perfect.
It doesn’t help that he’s the walking advertisement for the word man with his beard and muscles and—gah!