Say You’ll Stay by Susan Mallery

CHAPTER FOUR

LAWSONSPENTTHEmorning watching the clock. One of his service guys had a doctor’s appointment, so he filled in, doing a couple of quick oil changes, then sat in on an interview for the new bookkeeper. Lately Vince had wanted him to participate in all the interviews—part of his on-the-job training for when he bought the business.

Most days Lawson loved his job. He liked the work, the other employees and the customers and looked forward to taking responsibility for it all. Just not today. Today he couldn’t stop thinking about Shaye and the fact that she’d stayed.

Even as he told himself she was only in town for a few weeks, he couldn’t stop wondering what had changed her mind. While he wanted to think it was him, he knew there were other factors. Still, he’d been given a shot, and he planned to make the most of the opportunity.

She’d said she was taking out the food cart at lunchtime. During Christmas in July, many vendors offered food in The Wreath, taking advantage of the influx of tourists. Lawson knew she would be plenty busy and wouldn’t have much time to talk, so he decided to wait until near the end of her shift. That way he could walk her back to the store. As far as he was concerned, the more time he spent with her the better. He hadn’t been this interested in a woman in a long time. Yes, she’d said she was leaving, but so far that hadn’t happened.

About two fifteen, he walked over to The Wreath. There were several food carts set up around the perimeter of the big circle, but it only took him a second to spot her. She was talking to a woman with a couple of kids, pointing to the menu, as if explaining what was available.

He paused to enjoy the view. She’d pulled her long red hair back into a thick braid that fell to the middle of her back. She had a bright yellow Judy’s Hand Pies polo shirt tucked into faded jeans and a small apron tied around her waist. She was petite but gorgeous. He gave himself about thirty seconds to admire her butt before heading over to her cart.

He got in line behind an older couple, then waited for her to notice him. She glanced up, saw him, smiled, then blushed slightly.

She was so pretty, he thought, doing his best not to grin like a fool. Big green eyes, a few freckles, and an easy smile. She was the total package, and he was going to do his best not to screw this up.

“I’m out of everything,” she told him when it was his turn. “People love hand pies.”

“Don’t worry. I can grab something else. I just wanted to stop by and say hi.” He pointed to the store. “I’ll walk you back.”

“Thanks.”

“How was your first day?”

“Busy. I had no idea the cart would be so popular. I had a line the whole time. But it was fun.”

She tucked the small point-of-sale device into her apron pocket while he unlocked the wheels on the cart. Together they piled the box of napkins and bakery tissue onto the cart, then he folded up the table. They started for the store.

She looked around. “This is an interesting town. I’m looking forward to exploring the different stores in The Wreath.”

“Did you try the fudge?”

She grinned at him. “I did, and it was addictive.”

“Good. So I was thinking I could come by after work and check out the Mustang. If that works for you.”

“Sure.”

“Want to grab some dinner?”

She hesitated only a second before nodding. “That would be nice.”

“I get off about five, so say five thirty. We’ll come up with a game plan on the car, then go get something to eat. You like Mexican food?”

“I do.”

“Then, we’ll go there.”

They reached the front of the store. Lawson held open the door. As she pushed the cart inside, he saw his sister behind the counter. Adien smiled at him but didn’t say anything. He set the folding table inside.

“See you tonight,” he said.

“You will.”

Although he wanted to linger, he forced himself to leave. Hanging around when she had things to do wasn’t cool. He would get some lunch, then get back to work. Tonight he would see Shaye. Over dinner, he would get to know her better. Assuming that went as well as he expected, he could start working on his plan to get her to stay in Wishing Tree.

SHAYEWASN’TSUREif she should dress for dinner or working on a car. She’d spent an hour sorting through all the parts and separating them by category. Then she’d watched a few videos on rebuilding the engine. Tomorrow she would tackle the hard work.

Around four thirty, she showered and put on a clean pair of jeans and a lightweight summer sweater. If she and Lawson ended up working on the car later, she could easily run upstairs and get changed. Once she was ready, she hesitated, not sure if she should wait for him downstairs or out in the garage. Finally she took her handbag and a book to the first floor, where she made herself comfortable on one of the sofas in the living room. A few minutes later, Kathy walked in.

“How are you doing, Shaye?” her landlord asked. “Getting settled?”

“Yes. I had fun at my shift with the food cart, and I’m getting to know your car. I’m going to start rebuilding the engine tomorrow. Um, Lawson Easley is going to help me.”

Kathy’s brows rose slightly. “Is he? That’s excellent. The boy knows what he’s doing. He’s been in love with cars since he was little. There’s no one I’d trust more.”

She waved. “I’m off to play bridge. You have a nice evening.”

“You, too.”

When Kathy left, Shaye picked up her book, but she was too nervous to read. She hadn’t been on a first date in a long time. Not that this was a date, exactly. It was more of a... Well, something.

Right at five thirty, there was a knock on the front door. Shaye opened it, then tried not to react when she saw Lawson standing there. By some quirk of fate, the man got better-looking every time she saw him. And when he smiled, which he was doing now, she felt flutters all over.

“Hungry?” he asked.

She laughed. “I am. Despite spending the middle part of my day selling hand pies, I forgot to get lunch.”

“Then, we’d better get you fed. We can check out the car after dinner.”

He waited while she closed and carefully locked the front door behind her, then he led the way down the front path.

“We’re close enough to walk to The Wreath,” he said. “This is a real nice part of town. The elementary school is only a few blocks to the south, so it’s a family-friendly neighborhood.”

She smiled at him. “Are any parts of Wishing Tree not family-friendly?”

His expression turned sheepish. “I guess not. We’re more down-home than sophisticated around here.”

“Sounds nice.”

“I’m glad you think so. Did you meet any locals on your shift or just tourists?”

“A few residents came by to say hello, which was really fun. I met someone named Paisley. She seemed nice.”

“She is. She works up at the resort. She manages their events. Weddings, parties, the big business conferences.”

Paisley had said as much, then had offered to introduce her to a few of her friends, suggesting they all get a drink together.

“You know a lot about her,” she said, her voice teasing. “Is there a Lawson–Paisley scandal I should know about?”

He laughed. “No. I’ve known her all my life, but we’ve never dated. In high school I was kind of a one-woman man.”

“What happened to her?”

“We outgrew each other.”

There was something in the way he said the words, as if there was more to tell. But before she could decide if she wanted to press him, they arrived in The Wreath.

Just like at lunch, the big, open area was filled with people. The handful of restaurants all had outdoor seating, and most of the tables were full. Children ran around, couples held hands, and music played from big speakers.

“This is nice,” she said. “Friendly.”

“Friendly is good.”

She smiled. “Yes, it is.”

He put his hand on the small of her back and pointed to Navidad Mexican Café. “Prepare to be amazed. Nearly everything is homemade. They make their own chips, and if you’re not careful, you’ll make a meal of them.”

“Are the chips red and green?”

He looked at her. “How did you know?”

“Seriously?”

“Sure. What other color would they be?”

“I don’t know. Chip-colored. Is this a Christmas in July thing or all year round?”

He held open the door so they could go inside. “They’re red and green for the month, then at the holidays. The rest of the time they’re, as you said, chip-colored.”

“So I should feel special?”

“That’s my goal.”

She knew he was teasing, but his words still made her feel warm all over. He was saying and doing all the right things, which was hard to resist. Most of her was willing to believe he was exactly who he seemed to be, but a tiny sliver of her urged caution. She’d been charmed before, and every time the relationship had ended in disaster.

He gave his name to the hostess, and they were shown to an outdoor table tucked in a corner. A few tall plants in pots gave the illusion of privacy, while still allowing them a nice view of the square...or, rather, circle.

Once they were seated, their server came and took their drink orders.

“You’ll want to try the margaritas,” Lawson told her. “They’re supposed to be the best.”

“Sure. I’ll try the house special.”

“Beer for me,” Lawson said. “We’d like some guacamole and chips, please.”

When their server left, Shaye grinned.

“Still not a margarita kind of guy? You mentioned yesterday that they weren’t your thing.”

“They’re not. I’ve tried them, though.”

“So it’s a taste thing and not because you don’t think they’re macho?”

A smile tugged at his lips. “I don’t worry about having my manhood questioned.”

She suspected that was true. Lawson was the kind of guy who wouldn’t worry about that sort of thing.

She looked around. “This is nice. The weather is perfect.”

“It gets cool when the sun goes down, but we’re only a couple of weeks after the summer solstice, so sunset isn’t until nine.”

“That’s crazy.”

“It is. Unfortunately, in the winter, it’s dark around four in the afternoon. That’s what it’s like here in north country.”

She laughed. “Is that what we call it?”

“Sometimes.”

Their drinks arrived, along with the chips and guacamole. He picked up his beer and held out his glass. “Thank you for staying in Wishing Tree.”

She touched her glass to his. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner.”

She took a sip. The drink was perfect—not too sweet with a little bite from the tequila. “This is good.”

“I’m glad.” He reached for a chip, then waved it. “You have to admire the commitment to the color.”

“They are seriously red and green.” She took a red one and dipped it in the guacamole, then sighed. “That is so good.”

“Told you.”

“Yes, you did.”

He sampled as well, then looked at her. “So what’s waiting for you in Seattle?”

“Not a specific thing,” she admitted, not sure how to explain. “Once I knew I couldn’t stay in Iowa, I had to figure out where to move. My parents never had a lot of money, so a vacation that involved travel was rare. We drove out here one summer because my dad always wanted to see the Pacific Northwest. He’d done tons of research, and everything was planned out so perfectly.” She smiled at the memories. “We had the best time. When I was looking for where to go, Seattle seemed an obvious choice.”

He nodded. “I get that. You’d feel connected to your folks. That makes sense.”

“I’m not sure it does, but I appreciate the support.”

They smiled at each other. Their server came by and told them about the specials. Shaye chose the taco plate with three kinds of tacos, while Lawson ordered a combo plate.

When they were alone again, he leaned toward her. “Why move now?”

A reasonable question. Why this month and not six months ago? As she wasn’t a very good liar, her choices were limited. She could either not answer the question or tell him the truth.

Lawson lightly touched her hand. “Sorry. I’m getting too personal. You don’t have to tell me.”

“It’s okay.” She faked a smile. “Confession is good for the soul, right?” She drew in a breath. “After my mom died, I was kind of a wreck. I couldn’t stop crying, I couldn’t deal with managing her estate. I wasn’t functional. And in the middle of that, I met a guy.”

Lawson sipped his beer. “I already don’t like him.”

“You and me both. Anyway, at first he was great, helping me figure out what I needed to do. Things progressed. We were involved, but the relationship didn’t seem to be going anywhere, which was about all I could handle then. One night about four months ago, he said he wanted to move to LA. He thought he could make it as an actor and did I want to come with him.”

Lawson stared at her in surprise. “An actor?”

“Yes, well, I wasn’t sure about that, either, but getting away to somewhere else seemed like a good idea. I knew I wasn’t happy where I was. So I agreed to go with him. I sold the house, sold most of the furniture, packed up my truck and prepared to move to LA.”

“It’s a long way from Seattle.”

“It is.” She grabbed another chip. “The night before we were leaving, I went to the local bar where we hung out. He was with his friends. He didn’t see me walk in. They were teasing him about taking me with him, saying that he was being controlled by me.”

“I doubt they were that polite.”

“You’re right. They weren’t, but I won’t repeat exactly what they said.” She hadn’t minded the teasing. It was Josh’s response that had devastated her.

“He told them they had it all wrong. He was taking me with him not because he cared but so he could get laid any time he wanted. Once we got there and he found someone hot, he would dump me and get on with his LA life.”

She still remembered standing in the bar, unable to believe what she’d heard. The words had landed like blows—a phrase she’d heard and read but had never experienced herself until that night.

She’d stood there feeling cheap and small and used while Josh had laughed with his friends. Then he’d seen her. The shock on his face had been comical, but not enough to in any way soften the blow.

“He tried to tell me he’d been kidding,” she said softly. “He said he didn’t mean it and of course he loved me.” She managed a faint smile. “I chose not to believe him.”

Lawson’s jaw was set and a muscle twitched. She didn’t know him very well, but she felt his fury and knew that if Josh had been anywhere nearby, Lawson would have taken him on. He would have stood up for her, protected her, because that was the kind of man he was.

“What happened after that?” he asked, his voice nearly a growl.

“I left. I walked out without saying anything. Got in my truck and drove away. Two blocks later, I realized I had nowhere to go. I didn’t have a home, I’d quit my job. All I had was the money from the sale of the house and my savings and whatever was in my truck. I headed to the next town up the interstate and checked into a motel where I cried for two days.” She sipped her margarita. “More about losing my folks and my bad decisions than about Josh.”

“He doesn’t deserve your tears.”

“Thank you. That’s what I think, too. On the second day, I started thinking about Seattle. I did a little research and decided to go west. And that’s my sad, little past.”

“He was a fool and a jerk.”

“I know it’s about him, but I’m still feeling a little burned.”

He nodded. “How could you not feel that way? You trusted him, and he betrayed you. Plus your folks. That’s a lot to get over.”

She waited, but he didn’t say anything else. “You’re not going to tell me to give love another try?”

He smiled. “Nope. I’m going to tell you that you’re about to eat the best tacos you’ve ever had, and later, we’re going to take a look at Kathy’s car. That’s probably plenty for one evening.”

“You’re very smooth, Lawson. That scares me a little.”

His smile faded. “I’m not playing. This isn’t a game, not for me. I like you, Shaye, and I want to get to know you. I’m aware time isn’t on my side, and now I’m fighting against a man who hurt you bad, but that’s okay. I’m up to the challenge.”

The bald honesty of his statement nearly knocked her off her chair. The men she knew never just put it out there. They played games and said they weren’t all that interested in having a girlfriend. They tried to convince her that playing the field was a natural state for them, and her wanting more was because she was weak.

“I don’t know what to say to that,” she admitted.

He flashed her a sexy grin. “You don’t have to say anything at all. I just wanted you to know.”