I was barely awake by the time I pulled into the driveway. It was still dark around me, and the clock read 4:00 a.m. I wanted to go right to Lindsey to make sure she was okay, but she had probably just gone to bed. Since I needed sleep to be a functioning human being the next day, I went inside and flopped into bed.
It was almost noon by the time I woke up. After a quick shower and feeding my angry, protesting cat, I headed out.
I was supposed to go right for the compound to help unload. Instead, I went to Lindsey’s apartment. She opened the door looking like she had just woken up. A package of bacon clutched in her hand said she was preparing for breakfast. As soon as I saw her, I shook my head.
“Not this morning,” I said. I took the bacon out of her hand, put it and the other food she’d taken out back in the fridge, and told her to get dressed. “Just something casual.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, going into her bedroom.
She left the door open a few inches and I called on every drop of control I had inside me to stop myself from stealing a glimpse at her through it. Now was not the time to get creepy.
“We’re going to have lunch. I have a feeling we could both use some sunlight and good food to get over last night.”
“Last night?” she asked. “What happened to you?”
I told her the story of the storm and getting the trailer stuck. As I described the tow truck hauling me out of the ditch, she came out fully dressed and wearing makeup. I smiled at her as she swept her hair up into a ponytail.
“You look nice,” I said.
She looked down at her jeans and fitted T-shirt and rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t. I look like somebody’s kid sister.”
I shook my head. “Not my kid sister.”
Our eyes met, and the heat between us became palpable. The tug in my stomach nearly pulled me across the room to her so I could gather her into my arms. But I resisted. Opening the door for her, I led her outside into the warm sunlight, and we hopped in my truck. The compound and the trucks could wait. For all I knew, the rest of the crew was still on their way back. Right now, my mind was only on Lindsey.22Lindsey“How did I not know you own a bakery?” I asked as Vince held the door open for me.
He grinned. “One of the many mysteries that is me.” I shot him a look, and he chuckled. “Actually, I don’t know. I guess because I’m at the bar with my brothers we’re usually only talking about racing. So, most of what you’ve heard about me is the work I do with Freeman. But that’s only a part of my career. I actually own a few different restaurants, a couple of boutiques, and just bought a historic house I’m planning on converting into a bed-and-breakfast.”
I didn’t even know how to respond to it. I couldn’t help but be both shocked and incredibly impressed by him. Vince was always so calm and collected. Seeing him get angry and worked up over the situation with Grant was the first time I’d ever seen such a spike in emotion and energy in him. Usually he was the one of the brothers, other than Darren, who kept it together and seemed to make sure everything stayed completely under control. That was why he was the CEO of the company. He kept everybody in line. Even Quentin.
Just those responsibilities alone would have been fairly daunting for most people. Now I was finding out he had a whole other expansive life outside the complex.
“And here I was thinking Nick was the rebel for working outside of the family business,” I said.
“He’s still the rebel,” Vince said as we walked across the checkerboard floor of the adorable little bakery. “He left motorcycle racing behind for the exciting, high-speed world of financial planning.”
I laughed. “That’s him. Living on the edge.”
“Hey, Vince,” a man in a white apron, with a smile just as gleaming as his forehead, said as he came around the counter.
Vince reached out and shook the man’s hand. “Anthony, good to see you. This is Lindsey.”
Anthony looked at me with the slightly narrowed eyes and tilted smile of someone trying to place a face. “You work at that bar up on Mulberry.”
“Actually, I own it,” I said. “But yes.”
“That’s where I’ve seen you,” he said, shaking my hand enthusiastically. “You serve a good burger.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“What can I do for you today? Just stopping by to check on things?” Anthony asked, looking at Vince.
“We were coming to grab some lunch. What sounds good today?”