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“I can fix that, too.”

His smile was infectious and nearly as yummy as the pies.

“My dad was a car guy,” she said. “I loved hanging out with him, so I learned to help. We used to restore old cars together. Every spring he’d go find some old clunker, and we’d spend the summer making it right. It was fun.”

Lawson’s eyes lit up. “It is. One day I want that for my hobby. Just not now.”

She finished her chicken mushroom and started on the spinach feta.

“So you got out of the army a year ago?” she asked.

“No.” He raised a shoulder. “I was honorably discharged just about two years ago, but I didn’t make it home until last fall.”

“What were you doing for that year?” She paused. “Sorry. I’m asking too many questions. I’m kind of curious by nature.”

“Curiosity is a good thing. It’s how we learn.” He smiled. “Let’s just say that transitioning to civilian life isn’t always easy. I knew I had some things to work through, and I didn’t want to do that here. So I took a year to travel cross-country, working in gas stations and repair shops along the way. I got my head right, then came back.”

He returned his attention to her. “And here I am. I work at the same auto-repair shop I did when I was fourteen. The owner’s a good guy with two daughters who have no interest in the business. I’m taking online small-business-management classes and saving my money so I can buy him out in five years.”

The flutter-inducing smile returned. “I’ve been saving since I was fifteen. Auto-repair shops are expensive.”

“I can imagine.”

She kept her tone light, but on the inside, she was openmouthed in shock and more impressed by a guy than she had been in probably forever. The men she knew tended to drift toward whatever easy money-making scheme they’d come up with—probably over one too many beers. They were opportunistic, thoughtless and likely to disappoint. Well, not her father, but he’d been the exception.

“You remind me of my dad,” she blurted, then wondered if he would take that wrong. “I mean that in a good way. He was the best man I’ve ever known.”

His steady gaze locked with hers. “That’s a powerful compliment. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Lawson Easley knew he was in trouble. He’d assumed he was immune to a pretty face, but he’d been wrong. The second he saw Shaye, with her long red hair and freckles, he’d felt a kick in the gut that had about sent him to his knees. But that was nothing: appearances were superficial. The real problem was the more she talked, the more he liked her.

“Where is your father now?” he asked, picking up his berry pie.

She held in a sigh. “I lost him three years ago. He had a heart attack and died. It was really unexpected. It was just the three of us. Neither of my parents had any family, so we were tight. When we lost him, my mom and I were both in shock.”

She tried to smile. “I moved back home to stay with her for a few months. I’d been going to college part-time, working the rest of the time to pay for it. My parents never had any money. My dad worked for the post office, and my mom had health problems, so she couldn’t always hold down a job. They’d offered to take out a mortgage on the house to pay for school, but I wouldn’t let them. They’d worked hard to pay off the house, and it was going to keep them safe during their retirement. I couldn’t take that.”

“I get it,” he said. “All our lives, they take care of us, but then something shifts, and we start thinking about taking care of them.”

She nodded. “It was exactly like that. Then he died, and I was so grateful my mom had the house, free and clear. He had a small life insurance policy, so she was going to be fine. I was just thinking of reapplying for college when she died, too.”

She looked at him, her beautiful green eyes filling with tears that she quickly blinked away.

“She was sleeping late, which she sometimes did. It was no big deal, but then I got a feeling something was wrong. I went into her bedroom, and she’d died in the night.”

Instinctively, he reached across the picnic table and took her hand in his. “I’m sorry. That must have been so hard on you. Losing them both like that.”

“It was. They both went so fast, with no warning. I just . . . I fell apart. I didn’t have any family, and I didn’t know what to do with my life. My friends helped, but they were busy. It was a bad time.”

She pulled back her hand and looked at him. “I have no idea why I just told you all that. You must think I’m very strange.”

“I think you’ve been through a lot, and you’re coming out the other side. Not everyone does. Be proud of the progress you’ve made.”

She offered a smile that made his breath catch.

“I guess you’d know about dealing with the unexpected,” she murmured.