“I think I’ll grab a seat over here. Since I don’t know anyone, I’ll be more comfortable in the back.” I slipped away from Ruby and turned to make a beeline for the back row.
Ruby didn’t let me go so easily, though. “Don’t be silly. You can sit by Shaw. With the two of you in charge of the kiddie carnival, I suspect you’ll be spending quite a bit of time together.”
CHAPTER 3
SHAW
Damn Ruby Nelson and her ulterior motives. She knew exactly what she was doing when she conned Eden into helping with the kiddie carnival this year. Someone needed to set her straight about keeping her nose out of everyone’s business. My other MC brothers hadn’t had much success since they’d all succumbed to her fucking matchmaking efforts. Looked like it would be up to me to put an end to her meddling once and for all.
That’s what I kept telling myself as I slid out from underneath the ancient Oldsmobile I’d been working on. My back screamed in protest as I got to my feet. This day was going from bad to awful. The meeting this morning couldn’t have gone any worse. I had no idea how I was going to handle working with Eden. She was a hot mess—one I didn’t want any part of.
I wiped my hands on a shop towel. No matter how many times I washed them, I could never seem to get rid of the stains that had permanently discolored my skin. That was part of the territory of being a mechanic. I’d learned to live with that and all the other baggage that came along with quitting college and moving back to Mustang Mountain.
Sighing, I took a swig from my bottle of water. The other guys had gone to lunch, leaving me behind to keep an eye on things. I didn’t mind—actually enjoyed the peace and quiet. That’s what I’d been most looking forward to about my plan to buy Sugarman’s building. I wanted to open my own garage and do the kind of work I loved like work on vintage vehicles, not the boring day-to-day stuff like oil changes and swapping out transmission fluid.
While I thought about what could have been, the bell over the front door rang. I headed into the office, ready to make small talk with one of our regular customers. Instead, Eden Sugarman stood at the counter with a cellophane-wrapped basket in her hands. My pulse spiked at the sight of the curvy brunette. Despite her being a giant pain in my ass, I couldn’t deny my attraction. Especially when she had on another one of those flowy see-through tops over a tight tank that molded to her figure.
“What can I help you with?” I asked as I pushed through the door from the garage to the office.
She drew her bottom lip into her mouth as she looked me up and down. For a split second, I wished I wasn’t covered in grease stains and stinking like exhaust. Fuck that. It shouldn’t matter what I looked like or smelled like. There was no need to make a good impression. I needed to keep my distance from my new neighbor.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot,”—she slid the basket across the counter—“both times we’ve met so far. Consider this a peace offering?”
“What is it?” A big purple bow held the cellophane closed. I squinted at the contents of the basket, trying to figure out what the hell she’d consider a peace offering.
Her hand shook as she untied the bow. “Just some of the stuff I make and sell. I brought you some goat's milk soap and lotion, along with a few loaves of homemade bread.”
The scent of something freshly baked made my stomach rumble. I didn’t want her peace offering any more than I wanted her as my new neighbor, but the manners my mama instilled took over. “Thanks. I’m sure the guys will enjoy it.”
“It’s unscented…the soap, I mean. So you won’t have to worry about smelling like lavender or jasmine or anything.” Her fingers lingered on the edge of the basket. She wore a ring on every one of them, including her thumbs. Stacks of bracelets covered her wrists. Most of them appeared to be crystals, confirming my initial assessment that Eden was one of those free-spirited hippie-wannabees that thought the Montana mountains would be a good place to connect with their spiritual side.
“Great.” I forced an almost smile, hoping she would head out now that she’d made her delivery, and I’d offered up the appropriate gratitude.
“I also wanted to see if there might be a time we can sit down and talk about the harvest festival.” Her chin tilted up, and she met my gaze. “I’m looking forward to getting involved. Being new and all, it seems like a good way to meet some of the other business owners in town.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Damn Ruby and her thinly veiled matchmaking attempts. “You know, I’m not even a business owner. I just manage this place. As for the kiddie carnival, I’ve been handling it on my own for the past couple of years. Maybe there’s another part of the festival you can help with.”
“Ruby told me they’re set with everything else.” Her forehead creased, forming a tiny wrinkle between her brows. It shouldn’t have bothered me, but knowing I was the reason behind that tiny wrinkle made a funny feeling swirl through my gut. “I’ve actually worked on quite a few events back in Asheville, including a couple of school carnivals. There’s got to be something I can do to help.”
I had two choices: either turn her down and have to deal with Ruby’s wrath, or give her some piddly piece of the carnival to take charge of so I could pacify her and get her out of my hair. Knowing how intense Ruby could get, I chose the latter.
“If you want to do something with the goats, like maybe set up a kid-size petting zoo, I can handle the rest. How does that sound?”
Damn if her smile didn’t transform her whole face. She beamed up at me like I’d just handed her the world in a gift box.
“That would be great. Thanks so much, Shaw. You won’t regret it.”
“Won’t regret what?” My younger brother, Caden, picked that moment to stride into the office. He was a senior in high school and sometimes stopped by during his lunch hour.
Eden turned toward him, and I felt the loss of her warm smile, like a cloud had just passed in front of the sun.
“Eden, this is my brother, Caden.” I had no right to feel the pang of jealousy that pinched my belly when Caden wrapped his hand around hers.
“You just moved in up the mountain from us, didn’t you?” Caden asked. He was too fucking friendly. He’d probably invite her over to dinner if I didn’t watch out.
Eden nodded as she released his hand. “Yes, and I’ll be helping your brother with the kiddie carnival for the harvest festival next month.”
“Really?” Caden’s nose wrinkled as he shifted his gaze from Eden to me. “That ought to be interesting.”
“Why’s that?” Her head tilted slightly and the long crystal earrings she had on caught the light. A rainbow prism reflected onto the wall next to me.
The need to get back to something I knew—like the undercarriage of Orville’s Olds—swept over me.
“Just because your granddad promised to sell his place to Shaw since he—”
“That’s enough.” I put my hands on Caden’s shoulders, leaving two paw-sized dark smudges, and pushed him toward the backroom. “If you’re looking for lunch, I’ve got leftovers in the fridge.”