Why Not Tonight (Happily Inc. #3)(35)

“In sections. We could cut it in half for starters. Maybe shorten the hood. The phrase ‘coming and going’ keeps popping into my head. It could just be sticking out a bit on our side, or it could be sticking out on both sides. I’m not sure how we’d secure it and the city wants to make sure it’s supersecure so it won’t fall. And we’d have to keep kids from crawling up on it and falling.”

“Not just kids,” Mathias muttered, peering over the side of the bridge. “That’s a hell of a way down.” He turned back to her. “When did you sign us up for this?”

“A little bit ago.”

“When did you talk to the city engineers about what would be required to secure the car?”

She did her best to look wide-eyed and honest. Not that Mathias would get mad at her, but still.

“After I had lunch with my friends a couple of days ago. Silver was the one who suggested using the car. I don’t want to take credit for her idea.”

As she was talking, Ronan quietly eased between her and Mathias. At first she wasn’t sure what he was doing, but then she saw he was acting as a physical barrier...protecting her.

So sweet, she thought, getting all mushy inside. She wasn’t worried about Mathias. He was a really good-natured guy—he would never hurt her, but she liked how Ronan was taking care of her. She wondered if he knew what he was doing or if he was acting instinctively.

Mathias turned to Ronan. “It’s not a bad idea.”

“There are ways to make it work.”

“You two deal with the details and let me know when you want to get together to start the work,” she said as she walked away. “Oh, and talk to Nick about cutting up the car. He’s good with power tools.”

She kept moving toward the far side of the bridge and the safety of the gallery. She held her breath as she waited to see if they would come after her and insist she be a part of the planning, or worse, refuse to get involved. After a couple of seconds, she heard male voices. She was too far away to distinguish the words, but she knew the brothers were talking. Planning.

She released her breath and smiled. The bridge project would give the former twins a chance to hang out together without any pressure. With a little luck they would rediscover how much they enjoyed each other’s company. From there it was a short trip back to being close again. Because Ronan had the gift of family and she was determined that he would appreciate that.

*

“DID YOU DO any research?” Ronan asked as he and Natalie drove to the used-car lot on the edge of Palm Desert, the closest semilarge town to Happily Inc.

“Some.” She sat in the passenger seat of his truck, practically bouncing with excitement. He had a bad feeling her research had consisted of exploring the various shades of red available in cars in her price range.

“What are you looking for?” he asked, then added, “Aside from a red car?”

“Something, you know, safe and reliable. As late model as I can afford.”

The words were what he wanted to hear, but he had a feeling she didn’t mean any of them.

In the past couple of weeks, he’d gotten to know Natalie. She was bright, talented, funny and impulsive. When she got an idea in her head, it was impossible to budge. To her, the red car represented something important. All her talk about safety and model years was simply to humor him.

He knew better than to tell himself he wasn’t going to get involved. That her car was her decision. The truth was he and Natalie were seeing each other and he cared about her—as much as he could, given his past. He wanted her to be safe and happy, which meant finding a car they could both agree on. And if they couldn’t find a red one that was also reliable, he had the impossible task of convincing her that color shouldn’t be a priority.

He thought about mentioning how she’d railroaded him into working on the bridge project with his brother...without checking with him first. That should get him something. Only he knew that Natalie wouldn’t see it that way, and truth be told, he wasn’t mad about working with Mathias. Maybe it would help them rediscover what it was like to be brothers. He missed his former twin and had wanted to get things back how they’d been. Maybe the bridge project was a start.

He drove onto the lot and parked. Before he could issue any last-minute instructions, Natalie was out of the truck and heading toward a red BMW convertible gleaming in the sun. Ronan caught up and held in a groan. Yes, the car was a head turner, but it was also more than double her budget.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said, holding her arms open as if she wanted to give the car a hug. “See the color? I’d look good in that.”

“Yes, you would, but where would you put your various art projects? Some of them are big. The roof drops into the trunk, meaning you won’t have any room when the top is down.”

“Oh, you’re right. That’s okay. Plus I could never afford this one.”

She spun in a circle and eyed the different cars. “What about that one?”

Ronan followed her gaze and saw a beat-up import. The paint job was decent but the car looked battered. There was something off on the hood, as if someone had done bodywork in a hurry.

“It’s red,” she said as she approached, her tone doubtful. “Is it just me, or does it look like it’s been in an accident?”

Ronan studied the large As Is tag on the front windshield. “Not this one.”