The Difference a Day Makes (Perfect, Indiana: Book Two) (28 page)

“Good for you.” No cold shoulder now. Warmth spread from his heart outward, and he placed his hand at the small of her back as they left. She didn’t pull away.

“You should’ve seen how excited they were.” Paige beamed. “They loaded it up and took it away so quickly I think they were worried we’d change our minds about the discount.”

“You gave them forty percent off. That’s cutting the profit margin a little too close.” Noah hit the unlock button on his keychain. “They had good reason to worry.”

“Word of mouth, Noah. They got a great deal on heirloom-quality furniture, and believe me, they’ll spread the news about our sample sale to everyone they know. Pregnant women have a tendency to hang out with a lot of other pregnant women.” Paige climbed into the backseat. “That reminds me. Once we build up a surplus again, I’ll place an ad in a parenting magazine.” She buckled her seat belt. “They left a bunch of really nice glasswork behind. Our sale is going to be great. You’ll see.”

How was it that a brilliant woman like Paige didn’t recognize how excited and happy working at Langford & Lovejoy Heritage Furniture made her? Ryan shook his head. Hell-bent on extinguishing the spark that lit her up like a Fourth of July sparkler, she gave stubborn a whole new meaning.

“You’re shaking your head again, Ryan.” Paige placed her hand on his shoulder. “Are the voices in your head telling you to do things you don’t want to do?” she teased.

Noah barked out a laugh and started the truck down the alley. Heat crept up Ryan’s neck, and he kept a tight rein on his tongue.

Ryan pulled into the Chevy dealership and parked his truck. Late Monday afternoons should be slow, so hopefully there wouldn’t be too many other customers around. He already knew what he wanted—another truck like the one he had, only with an extended cab and a few extras. Scanning his perimeter and then the rooftops, he got out and headed for the showroom. He hated the way salespeople hovered over a prospective sale, hated the games they played, and the closer he came to the front door, the edgier he got.

Soldier up.
Gritting his teeth and bracing himself, Ryan swung open the glass door and stepped inside.

“Can I help you?” A middle-aged man approached, wearing false friendliness like a uniform.

“I’m looking for a new truck to replace my old one.” Ryan gestured to his pickup parked close to the door. “I want a midsize pickup with an extended cab and a nice sound system.”

“Two-wheel or four-wheel drive?” The man’s eyes took on an avaricious glint.

“Two-wheel is fine, and four on the floor. I don’t want an automatic.”

“I’m sure we can find exactly what you’re looking for on the lot. The name’s Frank.” He held out his hand.

“Ryan Malloy.” He shook Frank’s hand briefly. “Lead the way.” They walked through the lot until they came to a row of midsize trucks fitting his specifications. A shiny black Colorado caught his eye, and he walked closer to read the details pasted on the side. Peering into the interior, he checked out the tan leather seats. Paige would like this one. The only holdback was that it had four-wheel drive. Not a deal breaker, and as long as he kept it in two-wheel drive, the mileage should be better. “I’ll take this one.”

Frank’s eyes widened. “You don’t want to take a demo out for a test drive?”

“Nope. It’s the same model I’ve been driving for years, only newer. I don’t have any patience for this sort of thing, so let’s get this done as quickly as possible.”

Frank’s wide-eyed expression turned to a frown, and he pulled the slip from the plastic envelope taped to the window and copied the VIN number on the corner. “You sure you don’t want to look around for a while?”

“I’m sure.” Ryan stuck his hands into his front pockets and followed Frank to his cubicle.

“What kind of loan are you looking at?” Frank brought his computer screen to life. “Do you want a thirty-six-, forty-eight-, or sixty-month term?”

“I’m paying cash.” Ryan scanned every warm body in the place. A family with two rambunctious boys and an infant were looking at the crossovers on the floor. The baby wailed, and the boys chased each other around the SUV, squealing and shouting. He forced his attention back to the transaction at hand. He took out his wallet and handed Frank his driver’s license, debit card, and proof of insurance. “What kind of deal can you give me?”

“I’ll have to go check with my manager.” Frank started to rise. “I’ll be right back.”

A ball of tension started in Ryan’s gut and spread to his chest. The sound of the squalling baby and screeching kids scraped against his nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard. “Listen, Frank.” Ryan took a deep breath and leaned forward. “I’m a veteran, and I don’t deal well with bullshit. If you want this sale, don’t play any of the usual car-sales games with me.”

“My daughter is deployed right now. She’s air force—stationed in Afghanistan at the Kandahar Airfield.” Frank plopped back down, and the false face slipped away to reveal the haggard lines of a worried father. “No games.” His eyes slid to the burn scars on Ryan’s neck and quickly turned back to his computer. His fingers flew over the keyboard for a few seconds before he turned the screen to Ryan. “Here’s the best I can do.”

Good ol’ Frank had managed to take a good chunk off the sticker price for him. “Done. Can you take the old truck off my hands? All the paperwork is in the glove compartment.”

“We can, but you won’t get much for it in trade.”

“I don’t care about that.” Ryan rose and wiped his palm on the front of his jeans before offering his hand to Frank. “Thanks for understanding. How long do you need to get everything ready?”

“Give me an hour.” Frank stood and shook his hand. “I’ll run this through and make a copy of your license and proof of insurance. Wait here a minute.” He picked up the pile of plastic Ryan had set on the desk.

Staring out the floor-to-ceiling window, Ryan tried to tune out the raucous family. He spied a barbershop a block down. Summers in Indiana were hot and humid, and his thick hair had to go. Another item to check off his to-do list. Haircut first, then he’d find a restaurant with a corner booth where he could have dinner and hide out.

How would Paige react to his new pickup? She’d look good riding shotgun. That image led to thoughts of making love to her on the brand-new leather backseat. Were they too old to contort?

“You’re going to love that new truck. It has a really nice ride.” Frank interrupted his fantasy. “Here you go.” He handed him back his stuff.

“I know I will.” Ryan put everything back into his wallet. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

True to his promise, Frank had everything ready to go by the time he returned. His shiny new truck was parked by the front doors with the temporary license slip stuck to the rear window. A mixture of excitement and buyer’s remorse churned through him. He’d just taken a huge chunk out of his savings for something that would lose value the minute he put it in gear. But
hell, it would last him for the next ten years, and he was way overdue.

Ryan straightened his shoulders, walked in, and did all the signing and glad-handing he could stomach. Then he climbed into his new Colorado, found some tunes on the radio, and headed home. Frank was right—the new truck rode like a dream, and the leather seats cozied up to his backside like it had been custom-made for his ass. Tomorrow morning, he’d offer to drive the carpool.

Pulling into the Langfords’ driveway, Ryan tamped down the urge to find Paige and show off his shiny new toy right away. How would she look in his cab? He imagined her spread out on the backseat, naked, her creamy skin and tawny-blonde hair next to the cashmere-colored leather…Oh, Lord. Had he chosen the truck to match the girl?

Speaking of the girl, there she was on the porch, with Toby in her arms and Lucinda beside her, talking to Noah and Ceejay. His heart and stomach did their leapfrog routine at the sight of her, and anticipation lit him up as he parked. She’d love the truck. He just knew she would. No more worries about his vehicle breaking down. He was the man, providing a safe ride for his woman.

Noah and Ceejay came down the stairs as Ryan climbed out. Unable to contain the urge to strut, he sauntered around the hood and nodded to Noah. “You two on your way to play poker?”

“We are.” Noah walked over to take a look at his new Chevy. “Nice ride. This must’ve set you back some.”

“Ohhh, leather seats,” Ceejay gushed as she peeked in at the interior. “I like it, Ryan.”

From the corner of his eye, he watched Paige approach. He liked the way she looked with a child in her arms. Sweet, soft, and utterly feminine. His chest tightened with the longing for a
family of his own. A longing he hadn’t felt in years. He waited for the appreciation he had coming.

She eyed his truck, and then her gaze swung to him. “You cut your hair.”

“My hair? I just dropped a bundle on this new truck, and all
you
noticed is the haircut?” Ryan ran his hand over his face and growled low in his throat.

Noah laughed and took his wife by the hand. “We’ll be home by eleven, Paige.” He sent Ryan a look of sympathy. “Are we taking your new pickup to work tomorrow?”

“It hardly matters, does it?” Ryan muttered. “It’s Paige’s turn to drive. Let’s see how many clowns we can stuff into
her
teacup vehicle.”

“Hey.” Paige scowled. “My car has a BMW engine.” She gave him her back and headed back up the steps of the porch.

“Well, lah-dee-fucking-dah.” He kicked a pebble.

“Malloy,” Paige called from the front door.

His head came up. “Yeah?”

“I love the new truck.”

“I knew you would,” he called back, but she’d already disappeared. Grinning like a fool, he walked back to his apartment, unaware of the ground beneath his feet.

Paige sat on a stool behind the shop counter, the new desktop computer open to L&L’s retail software. A few more items to code and price, and then the window dressing, and things would be close to ready.

As she surveyed the showroom, a deep satisfaction filled her. Each matching suite had been set up like a nursery, complete
with handmade quilts draped over the railings and plush stuffed toys filling the corners. One wall had been lined with shelving to display the glass vases and bowls. At some point, they would have more to display, but for now, everything looked pretty darned good.

Lamps. The place needed nursery-appropriate lamps, and she’d look for some for the next sale. She hummed as she worked, smiling at the memory of Ryan driving in with his new pickup. He looked so damn sexy standing next to that shiny black truck with his new haircut. It was all she could to do to keep from dragging him to the leather seat in the back to break it in properly.
Hmmm.
She’d never done it in a vehicle, and they
were
going to go on a road trip…

Her phone vibrated in her back pocket. Probably her mom asking for the fifth time when she’d be arriving. She pulled it out and checked the caller ID. An adrenaline surge hit her bloodstream at the John Deere name and number displayed on the screen. “Hello?”

“Ms. Langford, this is Janice Pederson. I’m calling about your recent application to John Deere for the account executive position. Are you still interested?”