Page 13 of The Love Fix (The Sunrise Cove #8)

Heath thought about that conversation with Lexi far more than he wanted to over the next few days. And nights... Why hadn’t

he recognized her coping techniques—pushing people away—and suspected? Tried to reach her through understanding and kindness

instead of baiting her like he was still that stupid ten-year-old kid?

Because she makes you feel things, and you’re every bit as emotionally stunted as she is...

A terrible excuse, and he was angry at himself. He walked through the far left side of his grandpa’s backyard, stopping at

the fence line where he could take in the view down Daisy’s side yard. The view being Lexi’s jean-clad sweet ass, because

her head was buried in the engine compartment of Daisy’s old truck.

Smoke curled into the air, coming from the truck, and maybe also Lexi as she swore the early morning air blue.

It’d been a full week since she and Ashley had delivered—or attempted anyway—the first envelope. Today they would deliver envelope number two, which he had in his grasp. They also still had Margo’s envelope, and at some point, the sisters would likely make another attempt. Hopefully a legal one.

Today’s road trip wouldn’t be easy. The sisters had to go nearly three hundred miles to Mendocino County for this one—five

hours there, and five hours back. They’d decided to do a turn and burn instead of planning an overnight, probably not wanting

to spend money on a hotel. He had offered to cover it, and when that hadn’t worked, he’d said he could take it out of Daisy’s

trust if they preferred that. Because if the women had one thing in common, it was pride.

They’d still refused. But hey, at least they seemed to be making some headway on a relationship. After seeing how lonely Ashley

had been this year, and now getting to know Lexi a little bit too, he wanted that for them, badly.

His grandpa sat on a twenty-year-old beach chair at the fence line. He refused to get a newer chair because “nobody makes

nothing like they did in the good old days.” He also refused to stop being nosy about what all their neighbors were doing.

It’d gotten to the point where if anyone in the neighborhood wanted to know anything, they asked the old man.

“Whatcha looking at?” he asked Heath.

“Nothing.”

His grandpa smiled. “Liar.”

Heath shook his head at him and kept walking, stopping on the sidewalk near Lexi. “Hey, neighbor.”

She jumped and bumped her head, swearing some more. “You need a damn bell.”

He slid the envelope into his back pocket and cupped her face. While she sputtered at him like a pissed-off cat, he tilted her head down to get a good look at the top of it. “No blood.” He ran his fingers gently over where she’d connected. A slight bump. “I think you’re going to live.”

She shoved his hand away. “If my life hasn’t killed me yet, a knock on the noggin certainly isn’t going to,” she muttered.

He didn’t like thinking of all she’d been through, how alone she’d been, how utterly unprotected, although it explained so

much about her. Her toughness. Her inner strength. The way she saw through bullshit, especially his own. “Take my car today,”

he said.

“Not necessary.”

He peered into the smoking engine compartment of the truck. “The alternator’s been threatening to go out for a month. If you

take the Audi, I can change out the alternator for you while you’re gone.”

She went hands on hips. “You can change out the alternator?” she asked doubtfully.

“I can do a lot of things. If you don’t believe me, feel free to pay someone.”

She stared at him for a beat. “What are you doing?”

Honestly? He had no idea. None. When it came to Lexi, he had this strange mix of emotions going. She was equal parts frustrating

and fascinating, hot and cold, sexy as hell and yet somehow clueless about that sexiness, but the kicker was that no matter

what his body thought it was doing being so attracted to her, his brain knew better.

So did his heart. He’d fallen hard and fast for a woman before, only to get badly burned.

Ever since, he’d been doing only the surface thing.

And if that made him shallow, then so be it.

At least his heart was safe. He’d had a near miss with Lexi five years ago after that holy-shit-balls-amazing kiss they’d shared, and it had scared him.

He knew he could fall for her, but he also had known he’d get hurt.

Self-preservation and all that... So he’d let her run scared.

And the next time he’d seen her, he’d been casually dating someone who could never gain access to his heart.

A much safer bet. He hadn’t thought much about it, since Lexi hadn’t expressed any interest in him that time, but now he worried.

Had he hurt her? If so, he hated himself for that.

“Dammit,” she muttered, and kicked a tire, staring at the truck like it had personally offended her by breaking down. And

when he felt something in his chest tighten at the same time that her expression made him want to laugh, he realized his heart

wasn’t anywhere close to safe.

Catching sight of her hand, he took it in his and studied her bloodied knuckles. “What happened?”

“I slipped checking the oil.”

“I’ve got a first aid kit—”

“Not necessary.” She wiped the blood on her jeans and turned away from him to scowl at the truck some more.

Oh yeah, he was screwed, because the tough-girl thing was really doing it for him. Pulling his keys from his pocket, he held

them up and dangled them. “You can take my vehicle. Or... you could postpone until the truck’s fixed. Which could be up

to a week, I imagine.” He was such a dick. “An extra week...”

Lexi tipped her head back and stared up at the sky.

“Looking for divine intervention?”

“No, I’m waiting for a storm to come along and rain on me, since that’s the way this day is going.” She sighed. “Ashley’s

excited about this one, and all packed ready to go. She even made a stupid sisters’ road trip playlist.”

He grinned. “Ah, yes, her road trip playlist.”

Lexi’s eyes narrowed. “Why? What’s wrong with the road trip playlist?”

“It starts out with REO Speedwagon.”

“No.”

“Oh yes. She’s very much into seventies and eighties music. Got it from your mom.”

Just then, Ashley practically skipped out of the house. “Let’s do this!”

“Bad news,” Lexi called to her. “Truck’s broken down.”

Ashley deflated. “What? No!”

“I can take you!” Grandpa Gus yelled from his perch against the fence.

Lexi looked at Heath, who groaned. “Normally, he just watches birds, but today he’s chosen to drive me crazy instead. He can’t

take you. He had his license taken away in 1995.”

“They didn’t take it away!” Grandpa yelled. “They just never sent a replacement. There’s a difference, you know!”

Heath shook his head. “Well your last car super disagrees with you, so...”

“Bah humbug,” Grandpa said. “But I’ve got a better idea. You take them. I’ve got a hot date here tonight, and you’ll just

cramp my style.”

“For the last time,” Heath said, “Maria isn’t your date. She’s just a nice lady who brings you hot meals.”

“That’s our cover story.”

Heath sighed and once again held out his keys to Lexi. When Ashley tried to snag them, he held them up higher where she couldn’t

reach.

“Hey,” Ashley said, hands on hips. “You hardly ever let me drive the Audi.”

At whatever horror hit his face, Lexi actually smiled. At him, but a smile was a smile. “Yes, Heath,” she practically purred, the gorgeous witch. “Why can’t Ashley drive?”

She was so mean. He loved it. “Better idea,” he said. “If Cole or Misty can keep an eye on Grandpa, I’ll drive.”

“You’d come with us?” Ashley asked, and bounced up and down in excitement. “Yay! We won’t get lost! Also, Lexi will probably

veto my road trip playlist, but with you along, she’ll be outvoted.”

“I get three votes,” Lexi said.

Ashley looked affronted. “Why do you get three votes?”

“I’ll come up with a good reason, don’t you worry.”

Ashley just grinned wide. “This is going to be so much fun! Let’s go!” And with that, she headed down the side yard, waving

at Grandpa as she passed him on the way to where the Audi was parked.

Lexi looked at Heath, and tension crackled between them. “You don’t have to do this, you know,” she finally said. “We can

rent a car or something.”

“If you didn’t want to get a hotel room, I know you don’t want to rent a car. Let’s just get this over with.”

For a beat, Lexi didn’t move. He could see her calculating all the reasons this was a bad idea, which he’d already done. Because

it was a bad idea. A colossally bad idea. Not to mention he had a million things to do today. And yet he knew Lex would do all the

driving, which would be a lot for anyone. If he went along, he could split it with her.

Music blasted from the direction of his car.

REO Speedwagon.

Lexi looked at him in horror. “You weren’t kidding.”

“I was not.”

Which was how he found himself, after a quick call to Misty—who’d gleefully made him repeat his story once she put him on speaker so Cole could listen, and laugh his ass off, before agreeing to watch Grandpa—driving down the highway.

He was singing “Take It on the Run” because he couldn’t seem to resist, while Ashley and Lexi laughed like actual sisters.

He had no idea if Lexi even realized that Ashley was slowly slipping beneath her walls of steel, but he suspected by her smile that maybe she did.

Either way, to hear her laugh and see that carefree smile on her face might just be worth enduring three hundred miles of Ashley’s playlist.