Page 5

In a small town, you learned to set up boundaries. Otherwise you’d have random farmers calling you at four a.m. because they couldn’t stand waiting until the shop opened at eight. Anyone who I wasn’t related to or fucking got my business line. Or the emergency line. Not mine.
Hayes: Shop’s closed.
I tapped away from the thread, but her response was immediate.
Della: I’m almost there. See you soon!
Frowning, I thumbed out a response.
Hayes: Do not come. I won’t open the door for you.
Della: This is about to get real awkward...
I was about to say bring it on, but then I heard a knock on the office door.
Fine, she could knock all she wanted. Didn’t mean I’d let her in.
Della: I know you can hear me.
I smirked at my screen.
Hayes: Hayes can’t come to the phone right now. Leave a message after the tone.
The knocking stalled for a moment.
Della: You can’t pretend to be an answering machine by text message. It doesn’t make sense.
Hayes: BEEP
I was chuckling to myself at my own damn joke when the knocking stopped again. I leaned back in my chair, basking at the sound of blissful silence—no one needing me, no calls coming in, no one banging on tires or cursing at a stubborn bolt.
As the owner of Madigan Auto, I had to be “on” all day. Dealing with customers, handling delayed orders for parts, making sure my employees were satisfied... it took a lot out of me. And I learned early on if you didn’t set boundaries with your customers, you’d run yourself ragged working all hours of the day and night.
Della was gone and could get her car in the morning. I knew her parents or my sister-in-law would help her out if she really was in dire straits. No need to stress, I reminded myself.
And then a new text came through on my phone.
Jessica: Baby, I’m outside. We can hook up on the tire stack again. ;)
That had me standing up and rushing to the front door. I unlocked it and opened it up, looking for Jessica, but then a mess of curves and curly red hair brushed past me, carrying a big red cooler inside.
“The fuck?” I muttered, following the determined woman into the lobby.
She set her cooler down on the coffee table, giving me a happy smile. “Don’t be mad. I come bearing gifts.”
My eyebrows drew together, and I went back to the door, poking my head outside and looking for Jess.
“She’s not here,” Della sang wickedly.
I stormed back to her, incredulous. “What the fuck is going on here?”
Della smirked as she opened up the cooler. Inside were several thermoses, along with Ziplock bags of different food items and a can of whipped cream. “I knew you and Jess had a thing. She owed me one.” She shrugged before squirting some whipped cream in her mouth and licked her lips.
My mind went dirty places, but I folded my arms across my chest, the corner of my name tag rubbing against my forearm. Della is off-limits. “I’m holding your keys hostage all damn weekend.”
“That’s fine. I have a spare.” She took a paper cup from the cooler and started opening one of the thermoses.
Now I full-on gaped at her as she seemed to be making herself right at home. “Then what’s all this about? Why are you here?”