shot
to the window. She drew in another disconcerted breath that turned to relief to
be looking a Cabe Santos, not Vincent Whitehorse. She’d been talking to Cabe on
the phone about the security system.
She
fumbled to roll the window down getting an up close and very personal view of
Cabe’s bourbon colored eyes with mahogany swirls and gold flecks. He was a breathtaking
man with a five o’clock shadow like some men had that was so attractive. His
hair was dirty blond and hung down to his shoulders, in chunky thick waves. She
knew him, but hadn’t seen him for a few years. He’d definitely filled out well...
“Mrs.
Navarro ...” he started.
“Don’t
call me that,” she blurted, then she tried to calm her voice. “Just Tess is
good.”
He
nodded, glancing in the back seat of her car and she cringed a bit at what her
strewn clothing must be saying to him. “The crews started and we really
appreciate this training for them,” he said.
Tess started
to open her mouth to tell him the security installation was off, but she saw a
teenage girl, scooting up behind Cabe. “OhmyGod! This new system is rad. It has
Passive Infrared (PIR)!”
Cabe
straightened beside her car as Tess looked up at them both. “Angie, this is
Tess the owner,” Cabe said, introducing them.
Angie
had to be eighteen, if a day, and she had a nasty black eye in an otherwise
pretty face. Angie obviously liked piercings as she had one on her nose, lip,
and multiple ear piercings. She was wearing jeans and a purple WTSF tee. Cabe
had one on too and it stretched broadly over his well-muscled chest.
“Hey,
Tess,” Angie said. “You’re going to love this system," she gushed.
“Nice to
meet you, Angie,” Tess said as she proceed to get out of her car. Once out,
they stepped back and Tess looked to Cabe. “Can I talk to you a second?”
Cabe
jerked his shadowed jaw at Angie who skipped away. She was so young to be out
on her own. Tess had been going to tell Cabe she couldn’t take the security
system, but what came out of her mouth was...
“What
happened to her eye?”
Cabe’s
hands shoved into the front of his jeans pockets as he shrugged. “Boyfriend.
We’ve only had her for a few days.”
Tess
grimaced at the boyfriend part, then she moved a bit closer to Cabe to whisper,
“Boyfriend know where she’s at?”
“Nope,”
Cabe revealed. A light wind blew her hair and some of Cabe’s blond hair off his
shoulders. “Trying to keep her low, but she’s flighty and I figured keeping her
busy was more important.”
Darn, Tess thought. Then she sighed. “Good idea, of course you
probably get a lot of experience with this.”
Cabe
looked down at her face intently and she wondered what he was searching for.
“Most people not very perceptive about that,” he murmured.
So she
wouldn’t blush, she said, “About the cost of this system, I insist on paying.”
Cabe’s
gaze narrowed on her mouth as if he couldn’t believe those words came from her
lips. Then he looked at the backseat of her car, then back at her eyes. “That
system Vincent ordered is so expensive, it's ridiculous,” Cabe muttered.
Tess’
eyes widened, but before she could comment, Cabe added, “But its badass great.
These girls, in the crew this week, can learn it. It will put them in high
demand down the road.”
“It’s
just a flower shop,” Tess said lamely.
“I’ve
told Vincent he’s crazy, but these ladies get to learn it, and as I said.
Priceless.”
Tess
looked at him kind of helplessly. “Okay.”
Cabe
leaned closer. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll bring new girls out here to
learn on it if you’ll let us.”
“Of
course,” Tess quickly declared. “Anytime.”
“Bossman
Cabe you want the wire through the roof or wall?”
Both
turned to see a redheaded girl leaning from the side of the building.
“Neither.
I’ll be right there,” he answered sternly, then he turned back to Tess. Once
his back was to the girl, a