HIM
ones from Troy. I'm sure they're just his usual, "Good Morning and Good Night" texts.Good Morning, beautiful!
Are you mad at me? I know you're dealing with a lot, but you've barely talked to me all week.
Ali?
Talk to me, please.
Goodnight. I miss you.
All sent by him yesterday. I don't know what to say to him. I need to talk to him about what is going on but not over a text, and every time I'm sort of free to speak, I'm with Luke. I need to tell Luke about Troy, now that he told me he likes me, he deserves to know.
I give Troy a quick reply before diving back into my list of invoices. I should at least ease his mind until I can figure out a good time to talk to him.
Morning! I'm not mad at you. I have a lot going on that you wouldn't quite understand. I will tell you everything when I see you next. Have a good weekend!
He replies almost instantly, but I stay focused on the invoices. I think I am doing them correctly. It's nice that I don't have to print off too many to send through snail mail because most are delivered electronically through email. I finish the invoices that Maureen left and grab the mail from the pile on the basket in her desk corner. I open them, scan, and file them. I separate the client invoices and the bills for the shop. She can show me what to do with these on Monday.
Luke pops his head in the door. I love it when he does that.
"Hi, handsome!" I say with a smile.
"Hey, beautiful. Ernie, Jason, and Austin just left for the cabin. Where do you want to do lunch today?" he asks.
I look at the clock; it's noon, already.
"Um... I was thinking about working through lunch since Ris should be here in a few hours. I need to leave early to finish packing." I reply.
"Do you mind if I go to Mary's with the guys then?" he asks.
Can he get any hotter? He's asking for my permission to eat lunch without me. That's so cute! Well, I guess we've had lunch together every day this week, so why not. He looks so sexy today. I love it when he wears his hat backward.
"Not at all, go with the guys!" I smile.
He walks over and kisses me on the cheek.
"Want me to bring you anything back?" he says before leaving Maureen's office.
"I think I'm good. Thank you, though." I reply.
Luke leaves, and I continue with what I was doing.
BEFORE I KNOW IT, I hear a giggle that sounds like Ris's coming from the lobby. I look up, and she is walking across the waiting area with Luke. I check the clock, and it's a little after three. She made great time.I head out to the lobby. Ris and I scream, then hug each other while jumping up and down. I look at Luke, and he's shaking his head laughing.
"What?" I say to Luke.
He shrugs his shoulder, lifting his palms to the ceiling, grinning.
"I see you two have met!" I say to Ris and Luke.
"Yes, we did!" Ris yells. "He was outside and was nice enough not to make fun of my non-classic car."
"She drives a goddamn brand-new Mercedes! Those don't fit in around here," Luke laughs.
He winks at me and tells Ris it was nice to meet her then makes his way back into the shop.
"Girl, you said he was hot but not that fucking hot. He's gorgeous." Ris says as she hugs me again.
I love that she's already stamped her seal of approval on him. I was not lying when I told her he was unbelievably attractive. Okay, hot as all fucking hell!
"I know. I melt into a puddle every time I'm around him," I convey between my teeth.
I am also not lying here; it's so true. Luke makes me weak in the knees.
"Fuck, me too. My panties are soaked just by looking at him," she spouts.
We bust out laughing. Boy, I missed her and her lack of a filter. I bring her into Maureen's office and shut everything down. I let Luke know I'm leaving, and I will see him when he gets off. He tells me not to worry about locking up; he will do it before he leaves.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
At my dad's, I give Ris the tour of the barn before we put our cars in the garage by the house. I help her haul all her bags from her vehicle, four to be exact. She grabs a bag to change her clothes while I can finish packing. She continues to talk about how hot she thinks Luke is and how jealous she is of my find. Ris is gorgeous and draws any guy's attention with her long legs, dishwater blonde hair, big boobs, and bubbly attitude. She’s loud, doesn't give two shits what she says, and always has guys eating out of the palm of her hand. I hope Luke doesn't fall under her spell. Ris knows how I feel about him, so she will turn it down some when it comes to him. I'm sure of that.
"How does this look?" Ris says.
She presses her lips together and checks out her ass in my mirror. She does have a nice one! Ris is wearing a super cute romper that accentuates her perfect long legs.
"That's fucking hot, your legs in that! Mmm, mmm, mmm," I reply as I snap my fingers in front of my face.
I change out of my jeans and work shirt into a pair of jean shorts and a yellow tube top.
"How do I look? Besides my pasty skin," I say, laughing.
Grabbing my boobs, she announces, "The girls are perked right up. Take the bra off to give them more attention!"
She laughs while raising an eyebrow. Stellar idea, but no! I'm not one to go braless and flaunt my boobs for the world to see.
"No, I will not go without wearing a