Chapter 2

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Leanne.”

Leanne jumped at hearing Jimmy’s voice behind her as he entered his office at the car dealership a couple of days later. She tried to keep from blushing as he came around to sit behind his messy desk. She’d been daydreaming about Lucas and hadn’t heard Jimmy come into the room.

“What happened to you?” she asked, frowning as she took in his jeans and a dirty gray sweatshirt. “Why are you dressed like that?” It was somewhat unnerving to see him in anything other than one of his bright, stylish suits.

Jimmy looked down at himself and then smiled at her. “Stevie called off this morning with the flu, so I’m filling in for him in the shop. Had three oil changes lined up, and I had to inspect a couple of trade-ins.”

Leanne thought it was commendable that Jimmy was willing to pitch in like that. She sometimes forgot that he’d gotten his start working at his uncle’s garage when he’d been a teenager. Jimmy might be loud, hyper, and opinionated, but he also had a kind heart, and he was always honest in his business dealings.

She jumped again when he let out a loud whistle and hollered, “Hoover! Get your little piggy butt in here!”

Leanne turned around to see Jimmy’s little black-and-white potbellied pig, Hoover, trotting into his office. She grinned when she saw the sparkly silver bowtie that Hoover wore. Usually, Jimmy matched Hoover’s bowties with his outfits, so Leanne assumed that Jimmy had initially planned on wearing something similar that day. She’d have liked to have seen that suit.

Hoover grunted and came over to Leanne to be pet.

“Hi, Hoover.” She scratched his back, which he loved. “You’re such a handsome little guy. Are you being good?”

Jimmy scowled. “No. Well, it’s sort of not his fault. He was trash can diving because MELANIE KEEPS FORGETTING TO PUT HER MCDONALDS TRASH IN THE BIG CAN SO HOOVER CAN’T GET IT!”

Leanne winced at his pointed yelling, which was undoubtedly loud enough to carry out onto the show floor.

“So, I had to give him a Benadryl because he’s allergic to tomatoes, which she had in her salad yesterday,” Jimmy said.

Leanne couldn’t quite hide her smile over the way Jimmy doted on the porker. Jimmy took Hoover almost everywhere with him, and he spent a lot of time training him to do tricks.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said.

Hoover scampered over to a plastic milk crate, which was his toybox, and grabbed a little stuffed dog. He brought it over to Leanne and pressed it into her hand. When she took it, he backed up and waited expectantly.

“What does he want?” she asked.

“To play fetch. Throw it out the door,” Jimmy said.

Leanne tossed the toy, and Hoover tore out of the office after it, making her laugh.

Jimmy chuckled as he handed her a packet of papers. “He’ll play all day if I let him. Everything is in order, but you look it over to make sure I didn’t forget anything.”

Leanne scanned the purchase agreement but found nothing amiss. “Looks good to me, Fish.”

“Great. Here’s a pen.”

Hoover returned with his toy and dropped it at Leanne’s feet.

“Not now, Hoover. In your bed,” Jimmy said.

With a dejected air, Hoover walked over to his Alabama Roll Tide doggie bed and lay down.

“Good boy.”

Leanne signed the sales agreement at the appropriate spots and handed it back to Jimmy. “I can’t believe you talked me into buying this car.”

Jimmy cocked his head. “Sweetheart, there are very few people I can’t sell a car to. Besides, you know that old Windstar was gonna nickel-and-dime you to death and that I sell only quality cars.”

Leanne grudgingly admitted that he was right. “I know, but I was pretty attached to that van. I had it in college, you know?”

“I get it.” Jimmy neatly arranged her copy of the agreement and slid it into a large envelope with the car dealership’s logo printed on it. A trout sat in a convertible, waving as it sped along. Fish’s Fantastic Pre-Owned Vehicles was printed in an arch over the fish and car. “I couldn’t part with my first car. Still sits in my garage at home.” Jimmy dangled a set of keys in front of her. “Ready to drive your new ride?”

A thrill of excitement shot through Leanne. Even though she was going to miss her van, she was looking forward to driving the shiny silver Durango.

She opened her palm, and Jimmy dropped the keys into it. “I sure am.”

“All right, then. Let’s get you in that thing.” Jimmy rose and held out a hand to her. “Congrats on getting a whale of a deal at Fish’s Fantastic Pre-Owned Vehicles, Miss Gladstone.”

Leanne chuckled as she shook his hand. “Do you know how corny that sounds?”

Unoffended, he flashed her a smile. “Yeah, but it sticks in your mind, doesn’t it? Good sales gimmick, huh? Just like I keep trying to tell Harry that y’all oughta call the B&B, Harry’s Haunted Hotel.”

“Like hell we will,” Leanne said. “Our town might become a tourist attraction, but I’m not going to have a tacky name like that associated with it.”

Jimmy laughed and walked her outside. The Durango was parked close to the door. “Okay, now if you have any problem, any at all, you call me. I personally went over this again this morning, and everything is ship-shape. The certificate for Squeaky’s is in the glove box, and she’s as clean as a whistle.”

Leanne got in while he held the door for her. She looked down at the custom floor mats. “They do look sharp, Jimmy. How did you get custom floor mats so quick?”

His eyes gleamed with mischief. “They came with the car, sweetheart.”

Leanne’s mouth dropped open. “You said that you’d throw them in as part of the deal!”

“Well, I did, didn’t I? I coulda taken them out.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Aw, don’t be mad. I did give you a great warranty after all,” Jimmy said. “Plus, the certificate. And I detailed this puppy and gave you an air freshener. Did I mention the two free oil changes?”

“No, you didn’t.”

He winked at her. “Well, you get two free oil changes.”

Leanne laughed at him. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

“Good. So, are you gonna call Lucas?”

His question threw her for a loop. “What?”

“Are you gonna call him?” Jimmy pulled out his phone. “I have his number if you need it. I think you should call him. He’s a nice guy and smart, too.”

Leanne’s cheeks burned with indignation. “I didn’t come here for your matchmaking, Jimmy. Why do you always meddle in people’s love lives? It’s none of your business.”

He raised an eyebrow at her and hit a button on his phone. Her text message alert went off a moment later. “Now, you have his number. There’s no excuse not to call him. Far as I know, you haven’t been out on a date lately.”

The way he ignored her grated on her nerves. “You’re lucky I already signed those papers, James Troutman!”

Jimmy’s annoyed frown gave her satisfaction. He hated it when people called him by his given name. “Hey, don’t get your panties in a twist, Leanne. I just think you deserve to be happy, that’s all. You and Lucas are a good fit. You’re both professionals in a demanding job, and you’re both really attractive. You’d make pretty babies.”