Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 68459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Kinny hung up the phone very gently and turned to survey me.
“Hey there, Dandy,” Kinny said, using my school age nickname. “Gettin’ your oil changed finally?”
I nodded. “You think one of your minions could do it while we go have some lunch?”
He jerked his chin at a kid I’d clocked the moment I arrived. “Hey, Al. Can you get the blue truck pulled in and get the oil changed?”
Al nodded and was gone.
“He needs the keys,” I pointed out.
Kinny rolled his eyes. “Give him a minute. He’ll remember when he can’t start it.”
He was back a few seconds later, cheeks a little pinker than when he’d left, and said, “Uh, I need the keys.”
I tossed them to him, which he bobbled and dropped.
Kinny shook his head as the kid left.
“You have a warranty on it if he fucks up my oil or something?” I asked, sounding just as amused as I felt.
“Kid’s a fuckin’ genius with cars, man,” Kinny said. “But swear to God, he acts like a bumbling idiot when he’s talking to customers.”
I snorted. “What’s going on with those parts?”
“I swear to fuckin’ Christ.” He groaned. “I’m so tired of that parts kid. He runs in here like I’ve beaten him bloody every time he stops by. Then leaves the wrong damn part half the time. By the time I can see if it’s the right part, he’s peeling out of the parking lot and not looking back.”
“That’s awesome.”
“It’s bullshit,” he grumbled. “Let me go tell my girl we’re leaving, and then figure out if she wants us to bring something back.”
“You can ask her to join us,” I offered.
Kinny was already shaking his head. “She’s working on her car. I doubt she’d go.”
I’d heard of the girl, of course.
Kinny was all about helping people. If someone needed a ride, he was there to offer it. If someone needed a spare dollar at the grocery store, it was coming out of his pocket. If someone needed help moving a house full of furniture, he was the one bringing the truck and the trailer.
Kinny was the best friend to a lot of people.
Funny enough, Kinny called her ‘my girl’ but from what I understood, they didn’t have any sort of romantic relationship to speak of.
Kinny had a thing for tiny little girls who fit in the palm of his hand, and as we rounded the corner of the shop, the ass that greeted me was definitely not his type.
But it was my type.
Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly a surprise that I found ‘his girl’ there working on her car. He adopted stray people like most people adopted stray pets.
What was a surprise was which girl it was.
Kinny walked up to the woman bent into the hood of her car, but I didn’t need her to turn around or stand up to recognize that ass. Or the car.
‘99 Toyota Corollas were a dime a dozen. But one that was brown, beat up, and had a roof rack? That one was highly specific.
“Hey, Holl,” Kinny said as he sidled up to the car. “You want to come out to lunch with me and my friend?”
Hollis straightened up from her car, a red rag in her hand, as she wiped her hands clean.
“Uhh,” she hesitated, sounding like she wanted to go. “Sure. Who’s the friend?”
My gaze was on her ass when she slowly started to turn, and I realized that the stigma of ‘Wrangler butt’ worked for both men, and women.
I grinned wickedly when I saw her fully face me and take note of who had been standing behind her.
I reluctantly dragged my eyes up the length of her body, not missing the way her black tank top clung to her perfect breasts. Finally, my eyes slowed at her mouth for a few seconds, before stopping at her eyes.
Her eyes were narrowed hard, and I saw the moment she was about to say no.
“Hollis, I’d like you to meet the best person in the world, Quincy Carter. He’s been my best friend since I was seven and a half, and we met in the middle of a school yard brawl on the playground.” Kinny jerked his chin in my direction. “Quincy, I’d like you to meet my old neighbor, and protégé, Hollis Aue.”
“Oh, we’ve met.” Hollis crossed her dirty hands over her chest and said, “I’ll skip lunch, but thank you.”
Kinny’s eyebrows rose. “Why do I have a feeling y’all more than know each other?”
“We don’t know each other like that,” I said to him.
Yet.
Because, as it looked to me right now, I’d definitely be pursuing her.
It may come back and bite me in the ass, because she had TROUBLE written all over her, but it would be a fuckin’ fantastic ride.
Kinny looked from me to Hollis and back, then grinned.
“You broke the law, didn’t you, Hol?” Kinny giggled.