Something New (Brides of Cedar Bend Book 2) Read online

  “Yo, Damian!”

  “Yeah?” He didn’t bother looking up at his young, part-time assistant as he shouted back his response.

  “You have a customer.”

  “Tell them I’ll be out in a sec.”

  “I hope you don’t mind.”

  Damian’s eyes swung up at the sweet, southern voice. Savvy gingerly made her way inside the repair garage and his breath hitched. The woman who walked toward him was the same one he remembered that stormy summer day.

  With her smooth skin clear of makeup and peach colored day dress, she looked fresh and radiant inside the messy garage. Her natural hair was pulled back at her nape, but the curls were thicker and longer than he remembered. He imagined how the soft coils would look, wild around her head, and wished they were free from their restraints.

  He was so surprised by her change, he didn’t immediately return her smile of greeting.

  “Okay, you’re staring, which makes me think I either have something on my face or you don’t want me in here.”

  “I’m staring because you have beautiful skin.”

  She blinked at him then laughed. “Do you have a skin fetish?”

  Heat crawled up his neck before it reached his face. He knew she was teasing him, and managed to smile pass his embarrassment.

  “I might. You’re obviously one of the lucky ones who can get away without wearing make-up.”

  “Well, thank you. I’ve never had anyone compliment me on my skin, so it’s nice of you to notice. I think.”

  Damian nodded, though he couldn’t stop looking at her. He wondered if she realized how much her makeup hid the warm undertones of her sienna brown skin. If she had been pretty before, she was downright beautiful now.

  He cleared his throat and forced himself to get a grip. “So what brings you by?”

  “I got your message this morning and thought I’d stop by to check things out.”

  “You didn’t have to come here,” Damian said. “I could have filled you in over the phone.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t mind. I just spent the day at the flower shop, searching for the perfect gardenias. This is a nice break.”

  He arched a brow. “You prefer motor oil over flowers?”

  She laughed and came further into the garage until she was standing beside him. “I prefer to be away from Lori, really. I like her and all, but she can be a little…overbearing.”

  As Savvy stood near, Damian barely hung on her words. Her light, sweet fragrance teased his nose and all he could think about was gathering her in his arms and breathing in her alluring scent.

  A quick glance at his soiled hands put an end to that fantasy.

  “So,” she said briskly, staring down at the car parts of her hybrid. “How bad is it?”

  Damian returned his attention to the car. “I’m still trying to narrow it down. It can be as simple as replacing a few sensors or as complicated as replacing the entire system. I’m still looking into it.”

  “How long will you know?”

  “Give me a few more days. Once I know exactly, you’re looking at a week, maybe two, before you get it back.”

  She whipped her head up at him. “What? I can’t be without a car for that long.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you. Once I figure out the problem, I’ll have to special order the part before I can even get started on the repairs. It’s not going to be a quick fix, and it’s not going to be cheap.”

  Her groan was loud and long. “So what you’re saying is that this job is going to both suck and blow?”

  “Hey!” he barked with mock outrage. “I don’t give blow jobs.”

  She stared at him wide-eyed for a quick second before bursting into laughter. It was a loud, full-bodied laugh that had him chuckling in return. He wasn’t always so vulgar, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself.

  “Okay, that was a good one,” she said, dabbing at the corner of her eye. “But seriously, two weeks seem like a long time to be without a car.”

  “If you need a ride, I can—”

  “Thank you,” she cut in before he could finish his offer. “But you’ve done more than enough. I don’t want you to have to go out of your way.”

  He shrugged, trying not to take offense. Did she really think giving her an occasional lift was going out of his way?

  “Lori is supposed to come back to get me. Do you mind if I wait for her in your office?”

  “Not at all.”

  Savvy stepped out of the garage and he watched the sway of her hips as she disappeared into the shop. He really needed to do something about this unrelenting obsession, he thought wryly. Damian grabbed the nearest rag and brought down the hood of the hybrid then wiped his hands.

  He spent another twenty minutes around the garage before he got ready to close up the shop.

  “Damian, do you need anything else before I bounce?”

  “No,” he said over his shoulder at his assistant. “Just make sure you’re here early tomorrow morning so we can get started on that transmission job.”

  “You got it.” With a final salute, the young man left the shop.

  Damian headed back into the shop and flipped the sign in front of the door to “closed.” He walked into his office and was surprised to find Savvy pacing around the small space, her cell phone at her ear. When their gazes met, her expression turned apologetic.

  “Sorry. I’m still trying to get a hold of Lori or Quinn.” She paused then blew out a frustrated breath before hanging up. “Voicemail again.”

  “I just closed up the shop. If you want, I can give you a lift.”

  She pressed her lips together and he guessed at her hesitation.

  “I have a few cleans sheets I can put over the seat so your dress won’t get dirty.”

  Her eyes widened and she quickly glanced down at herself. “I’m not worried about that. I just don’t want to be in your debt any more than I already am.”

  He would have laughed at her bizarre rationale, but once again her comment only managed to annoy him.

  “I won’t hold a couple of car rides against you, Savvy. If it makes you feel better, I’ll even add them to your final bill.”

  She frowned. “Oh… Okay…”

  He laughed then, and shook his head. “I’m kidding, Savvy. Give me a sec and we’ll get going.”

  Damian went to the small bathroom and washed his hands and arms. He dampened a towel and wiped away the sweat and grime from his face. He tossed the towel aside and stared at himself in the mirror. If he held any hope of Savvy noticing him, he could forget them. There was no way a woman like her would spare him a second glance.

  He went back to the office where she waited and grabbed his keys and an energy drink from the mini-fridge.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded and followed him to his truck. He opened the passenger door and helped her inside. As he had many times before, he enjoyed how soft and slight her hand felt in his. This time, he held it longer than he should have.

  “Thanks,” she murmured, pulling away and arranging her skirt around her.

  He nodded stiffly and went around to the driver side. He climbed behind the wheel and cranked the engine. Before he pulled out on the road, he popped the can open and took a long swallow of the carbonated beverage.

  “You know those aren’t really healthy for you. They’re filled with nothing but sugar and caffeine.”

  Damian pulled the can from his lips and glanced over at her, surprised and a bit irritated by the unsolicited comment. “I’m a big boy. I can handle a little caffeine and sugar.”

  “Maybe you can now, but did you know that too much can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart attacks?”

  “I do now,” he muttered, taking another swallow from the can.

  He had been drinking these for years and felt fine. He wouldn’t stop just because some beautiful, but judgmental know-it-all felt the need to parent him.

  She frowned as she watched him finish
the drink. “Did you also know that they can lower your sperm count?”

  Damian sputtered and choked on his last swallow. He stared at her blankly and she nodded at him adamantly.

  “It’s true. There’s been tons of research on the effects of energy drinks on male fertility and none of it's good.”

  When he continued to just stare at her, she began to fidget nervously.

  “It may not happen with one drink, but at the rate you’re going, I would be concerned.”

  “What would you know about the rate I’m going? Better yet, why are you so concerned about my sperm count?”

  If he hadn’t been staring intently at her, he would have missed the faint shade of red that tainted her smooth cheeks.

  “I’m not,” she rushed out. “I just figured if you didn’t care about your heart, you’d care about…that. And I saw how many empty cans were in your trash. There was a lot. At your age, I’d guess you’d want children someday.”

  “Your guess would be right,” he muttered, placing the can in the cup holder.

  Shifting the truck into drive, he pulled out onto the road.

  “If you want to improve your energy level,” she began after a while, “there’s plenty of natural foods you could eat that would help.”

  He tossed her a glance. He wanted to tell her that his energy was just fine where it mattered. Just to clarify. But he had a feeling she wasn’t referring to his endurance in the bedroom.

  “Like what?”

  It was as if he had landed on a favorite topic of hers, because suddenly she spoke at length and with enthusiasm about the fresh fruits, nuts, and even dark chocolate that he could consume in place of the unhealthy energy drinks.

  “Lemon water is another great alternative. It keeps you hydrated and gives you the electrolytes your body needs to awaken your energy producing cells.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “I’m a nutritionist. A registered dietitian nutritionist, to be exact. It’s my job to know these things.”

  He pulled up to a stoplight and studied her, strangely intrigued. Of all the things she could have told him she did for a living, he would have never guessed it would be the science of food or anything so technical.

  “That’s an interesting career choice. What made you get into it?”

  “I sort of landed into it, actually. Originally, I had my heart set on being a chef. I spent two years of my career working at fancy restaurants, learning the art of plating and presentation. Then another year working as a personal chef for Atlanta’s rich and famous. Until one day it hit me.”

  “What?”

  “I hated cooking for other people.”

  They both chuckled at that, her light, feminine laughter filling the cabin of the truck.

  “So you decided telling people what to eat was more up your alley?”

  “Bingo. If you haven’t already noticed, I tend to have a lot of opinions, so it worked out. I get to study food and share what I know about good, clean eating with others.”

  “And how’s that been working out?”

  “Great, in fact. I have a strong client list and occasionally teach a class in the fall and spring.”

  “Well, thanks for the free lesson, professor.”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” she teased. “I’m full of more advice.”

  The corner of his lips quirked. She certainly wasn’t lacking in opinion, that was for certain, and he couldn’t be sure if he liked that or not. What he did like was that she was paying enough attention to his body to care about what he put in it. He liked that a lot.

  They fell into an easy silence as Savvy focused her attention on her phone. Damian turned on the radio and the soft tunes of Smokey Robinson’s Cruisin filled the truck.

  Savvy glanced up from her phone. “Oh my god. I love this song!”

  Damian couldn’t help but smile at her sudden excitement. She turned up the volume and began humming the song off tune. He tried not to laugh.

  Suddenly, a series of low beeps came from his cell phone and Damian reached for it. He quickly scanned the messages. Both were from his aunt.

  Junior, call me.

  You need to talk to your daddy.

  Damian frowned, debating whether he should call his aunt now or wait until after he reached the Benson mansion. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be critical or his aunt would have called him directly.

  Yet, no sooner did he make the decision to continue on his route, another beep came. He skimmed through the new message and, this time, bit back a curse.

  Your daddy is trying to leave the house again.

  “Do you need to get that?”

  Damian didn’t realize Savvy was watching him closely until he turned to her. “It’s my aunt. Do you mind if we make a quick stop by my house? I have to check on my dad.”

  “No, not at all.”

  Damian made a turn at the next light. He didn’t like that he had to bring Savvy with him, but he couldn’t afford the time it would take to bring her to the mansion then head home. Things could quickly escalate by then.

  “I remember your dad,” Savvy said. After a short pause, she added. “I hope everything’s okay.”

  He didn’t know how to respond to that so he didn’t. Since his father’s diagnosis two years ago, nothing had been the same, and it certainly had been far from okay.

  Four

  “Wait here.”

  Damian barely spared Savvy a glance as he turned off the engine and hopped out of the truck. He made his way into his house and found his Aunt Joyce in the kitchen.

  “Oh, thank god,” she breathed, rising from the breakfast table. “I’m too old to deal with this, Junior.”

  Damian pressed his lips together, quelling in his rising frustration. Did she think this got any easier for him?

  “Where’s Pops?”

  “He’s gone,” she said. “Just upped and left.”

  The bottom of his stomach dropped, but Damian forced himself to keep his cool. His father was usually predictable in his wandering and with his slow gait, he couldn’t have gotten far.

  Damian went to the door that led into the backyard and turned the knob. It fell open easily and he bit back a curse.

  “Did he leave from the back?” he asked as he scanned the yard.

  “Yes.” His aunt came up behind him. “He took his good coat and hat too, mumbling about going to see Janet again.”

  Their backyard was large and open. His father’s towering height made him easy to spot, yet there was no sign of him.

  Damian went back into the house and shut the door behind him. This made it the third time this month his father had wandered out from the back door. He wanted to kick himself for not installing the deadbolt sooner.

  “Did you see which way he went?”

  His aunt shook her head. “All I know is that he wanted to see Janet.”

  Damian blew out a frustrated breath. “Aunt Joyce, you can’t just let him wander off like that. Did you even try to stop him?”

  She planted her hands on her hips and leveled him with a hard glare. “Don’t take that tone with me, Junior. I’m doing the best I can, but look at me. How could I stop him?”

  Damian ran a hand over the back of his neck. She was right, of course, His sixty-something year old aunt was round and petite, and not built to hold back anyone. Especially not her ailing younger brother, who towered over her. And when Pops got it into his head to leave the house, there was nothing or no one that could change his mind.

  But his aunt was the one person Damian could rely on to help with his father. He tried not to ask too much of her, but days like today made him feel completely alone in this.

  “Sorry Aunt Joyce,” he muttered. “I know you try your best. It’s just today’s not a good day for this, and it’s about to get dark soon.”

  His aunt patted his arm reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Junior. He’ll find his way back home. He usually does.”

  Damian frowned slightly. That
was when his father’s wandering had amounted to nothing more than a stroll around the yard or a walk to the mailbox. Now, his father attempted to go places miles from their home and his memory was steadily declining.

  It was a matter of time before his father forgot their home address altogether, and they both knew it.

  “Why don’t you wait here to see if he returns,” Damian said. “I’ll drive around the area and see if he’s still close.”

  Suddenly, he remembered Savvy sitting in his truck and bit back another curse. What was he to do with her?

  Leaning down, Damian gave his aunt a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be right back. Keep your phone close.”

  Damian hurried back outside. As he drew near his truck, he realized Savvy was chatting with someone. He instantly recognized the dark gray fedora hat and ran over.

  “Pop!”

  His father and Savvy both glanced over at him as he approached. Damian forced himself to keep his tone even. The last thing he wanted was to let his frustration agitate his father.

  But Pops was smiling and Damian couldn’t remember the last time his father looked so cheerful and carefree. It was nice to see the sparkle in his eyes for a change.

  “Junior, I was just talking to your little lady here. Why didn’t you bring her inside?”

  Because she isn’t mine.

  Damian glanced over at Savvy, an apology on his lips, but she wasn’t looking at him. Instead, she reached out the window and patted his father’s arm.

  “Damian was just about to bring me to my cousin’s place, but he wanted to come by and check up on you.”

  Pops sucked his teeth. “You see what I mean? He insists on treating me like he’s my daddy, and I’m his son. I may get confused sometimes, but I’m still his daddy.”

  Savvy glanced between him and Pops, smiling sweetly at them. That smile stirred something in him, and his gaze lingered a bit longer on her.

  “I think he knows that,” she assured Pops. “He’s just being a good son.”

  “She’s right, Pop. Now let’s get you back inside the house.”

  Damian took his father’s arm, but Pops stubbornly kept himself planted right where he stood.