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Oh, his partner knew exactly what he was planning on doing.“It’s nice to have extra. You never know when we’ll have guests.”
Nicole wrapped an arm around Grim’s leg, using his lap asher pillow. She shifted, getting more comfortable, but it was obvious she wasdown for a nap.
Be careful, Grim mouthed.
Josh nodded and stared at them for a moment. Everything hewanted was sitting right there. His best friend and their sweet sub. Hecouldn’t lose them.
And that meant figuring out why she thought she had toleave.
An hour later Josh walked out of the garage and intothe parking lot where Al Holt allowed people to park the cars he was going towork on. Al ran a small auto repair business. He did mostly engine work. Anybody work would have to go to one of the larger towns to the north, but ifsomeone needed a new alternator or a tune-up, Al and Sons were the way to gohere in Willow Fork.
“She’s the sedan in the second row.” Al was in his sixties,with white hair mostly located around his ears and the back of his head.Normally he wore coveralls, but today he was in jeans and a Cowboys sweatshirt.In the background Josh could hear the sounds of the halftime show.
Al lived over the garage with his son, Greg. Once he’d askedAl why he called the place Al and Sons since Greg was his only son, and Al hadgiven him a grin and told him a man could still dream.
“She seems like a real nice young lady,” Al said, notleaving the steps that led down to the parking lot.
“She is a nice lady.” He looked up at Al, who’d worked onhis family’s cars for as long as anyone could remember. He wasn’t exactly afriend, but he seemed to respect his fathers and was always polite to his mom.He also spent a lot of time at the local rec center playing checkers with thegroup of old dudes who practically lived there. Men might not like to admitthat they gossiped. They would say they were simply discussing current events.“What’s being said about her, Al?”
Al frowned and raised his hat slightly so he could scratchbehind his ear. “Well, not a lot until today. I’ve talked to her a bit abouther car, but she seems to keep to herself. Says she was on her way to a newjob, but her car broke down. That felt fishy to me, but I stay out of otherpeople’s business.”
He did, but he often heard things. Al was one of thosepeople who didn’t talk much so people often forgot he might be listening in.“Anyone else questioning why she’s here?”
“I don’t think she’s here to cause trouble, if that’s whatyou’re asking. I know the sheriff can be nosy, but she hasn’t been on his radarup until now. Though if what I heard happened at the church really happened,you might have your dad do that thing where he reminds everyone who he is. Ithink a lot of people around here think Jack Barnes has gotten cuddly in hisadvanced years. I’m pretty sure the old scary as hell Jack can show up at anytime.”
“There’s nothing cuddly about my father when his family isbeing threatened.” Josh wasn’t sure his father would consider the sherifftrying to move Nic along a threat to his family. After the conversation they’dhad this morning, his dad might be okay with it. Which was precisely why he hadto figure out what was going on with her. If someone was after her, there wasno way his father’s protective instincts didn’t take over. If he spent timewith Nic, his father would see how sweet she was, how perfect she was for himand Grim. “Why would the sheriff suddenly be interested in her? She’s been herefor a couple of weeks.”
A brow rose over Al’s eyes like he thought Josh was beingnaïve. “You’ve spent too much time traveling lately. The sheriff’s datingAlyssa’s cousin. They seem to be real close.”
“And I employ most of Alyssa’s family. You might point thatout to the sheriff if he mentions Nicole’s name. Unless he wants to take careof a bunch of unemployed relatives, he’ll leave her alone.”
“You know as long as she’s at that motel, he’s got easyreasons to check up on her. He has deputies out there at least twice a day.I’ve worried about her. Now I hear there’s another single lady staying therefor a while.”
Her new friend. What had her name been? Hannah? Heather? Hethought he remembered Nic saying something about her mother being sick, buthe’d never seen the woman before. It was possible she lived outside of town andhe’d never met her. He needed a last name.
But Nic becoming friends with someone temporarily staying ata motel wasn’t what concerned him now. “She’ll be staying with us soon, sodon’t worry about that.”
A brow rose over Al’s eyes. “You’re moving fast, Josh.”
“I always knew I would when I found the right one.” He’dmerely been marking time, waiting for Nicole. He needed to go easier on hissister because he rather thought that was what she was doing, too, but shedidn’t have a Grim to remind her she wasn’t alone. She didn’t have a partner tohelp her.
He still didn’t think it would be the Farley brothers.
“Well, the first thing you should do is get her a new car.That one is on its last legs,” Al admitted. “She thinks the alternator is allshe needs, but nothing is in real working shape on the vehicle. It’s old andhasn’t been taken care of. That thing has over two hundred thousand miles onit. And I’m pretty sure she was living out of it at some point. I don’t like tobe nosy…”
He did. “What did you find?”
“She keeps blankets and a pillow in the trunk. I only got inthere to inspect the car,” Al said.
“Did you find anything else?”
“No, but I didn’t look real close,” Al admitted. “Look,Josh, if you asked me I would say she’s on the run from someone, likely an ex.She has that look about her, and she damn near panicked when I told her howmuch it would cost. I don’t think it was entirely about money. I think shewanted to keep going. I’m sorry, Josh. That part is old, and I can’t order ituntil I have the cash in hand.”
Josh waved that concern away. “I’m not upset with you forthat. I understand you have a business to run.”
“So you want me to arrange to sell that junker for parts?”Al asked. “Like I said, it’s old and there are some parts that could make her acouple of hundred. Otherwise, I would have it cubed like your daddy did.”
He rather thought Nic would have him cubed. He’d heard thestories about his dad’s predilection for smushing vehicles that offended himinto small cubes. He’d been told the cube his pops kept in his office used tobe a motorcycle. “I don’t think we’re in a place yet where she would take a carfrom us, but I’m pretty sure I can get her to stay with us while her car isbeing fixed. It’s an old part, right?”
