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A shadow of anger flashes across Gray’s face, but it’s gone so fast, I’m sure I’m the only one who saw it. I’m the only one who knows him well enough.

“I’m good for now.” He goes to where Mrs. Banks sits with Ruby. “Thank you for inviting me here and for all your prayers. I appreciate it.”

“You’re not leaving!” Mrs. Banks clasps his hand. “We’ve barely had a chance to talk.”

“I have to work in the morning.”

Dotty waves at me. “I’ll tell Billy to stop by tomorrow.”

When he reaches the door he pauses, and my chest squeezes. I wait to see if he’ll look back at me one more time before he leaves…

At the last second, he doesn’t. He walks out, closing the door behind him.

“Well, that was weird.” Dotty raises her eyebrows, giving Ruby a knowing look.

“Who would want to be a mechanic when you could get in on the ground floor with almonds?” Ralph is truly astounded, and completely oblivious.

“I’d better go, too.” I step over to Ruby’s mom and give her a hug. “It was a wonderful dinner. Thank you, Mrs. B.”

My best friend hops up from where she sits beside Dagwood on the couch. “I’ll walk you out.”

As soon as the door closes, she grips my arm. “Did you see that? He could barely keep his eyes off you.”

“Don’t, Ruby.” I’m doing my best to hold back fresh tears.

“What?” she cries. “I’m pretty sure he wanted to break Ralph’s neck at least twice tonight, not that I’d have stopped him. N

ow that he’s a veteran, he’s probably got massive GI Joe-type skills.”

“I think everybody wanted to break Ralph’s neck. He was driving us crazy with all that almond talk. Then he suggested Gray was wasting his time at the garage. What business is that of Ralph’s?” Despite it all, my protectiveness of him is strong as ever.

Ruby’s head tilts to the side. “I have an idea about that.”

She walks with me down the sidewalk toward my house the same way we used to do when we were girls. Ruby would walk me halfway to my house, then she’d turn around, and I’d walk the rest of the way alone. We haven’t done it since she got a car.

“If this is about me using one of your dating apps again—”

“Isn’t it time you had a car to drive?”

Embarrassment joins the overload of emotions swirling in my chest. “You know I can’t afford to buy a car, much less pay for the insurance. Anyway, I don’t need one. I can practically walk to work.”

“Hello?” She pretends to knock on my skull, and I bat her hand away. “Your dad has that gorgeous Jaguar just rotting in the garage. The man of your dreams returns, and he owns a garage…”

She gives me a look that says Wake up, stupid, and I wrinkle my nose. “That doesn’t seem too… obvious?”

“You need transportation, right?”

Twisting my lips, I think about it. “It would be nice not to walk everywhere. Or depend on you.”

“It would be even nicer to drive a sexy, classic Jag over to your ex lover’s garage and see what happens.”

“Ruby!” I grab her hand, as if anyone is around to hear her at this time of night. I confess, the suggestion makes me nervous and excited and scared and horny all at the same time. “I’ll think about it.”

Chapter 12

Gray

Another restless night, and again, I wake up on the couch. Something about sleeping in Mack’s bed isn’t registering with my brain. I got new sheets, new pillows. I rearranged the furniture. Nothing works.