forgotten about that.
As long as she stayed in east Plano, she wouldn’t run into anyone she knew. And she had to drive the old car only as long as it took her to find Warren, put her hands around his throat, and squeeze some of the money he’d taken right back out of him.
Warren. Where in the world was he?
No. She couldn’t think about him now. She had to concentrate on the problem at hand—getting back what few possessions she had so she could begin to feel normal again.
“Watch your pressure gauges,” her father said. “It leaks oil.”
Darcy sighed. “Anything else?”
“Yeah. The latch is broken on the driver’s door. You’ll have to crawl in from the passenger side.”
This could
not
be happening.
Her father opened the door for her, and she climbed inside none too gracefully, putting one knee on the passenger seat, then turning around to plop behind the wheel. She started the car. It gasped and sputtered, reminding her of her great-aunt Gertie, who had continued to smoke even as emphysema was driving her into the grave.
Darcy closed her eyes. Every time she thought she’d hit rock bottom, she sank a little lower.
“The stock market’s on a downturn. Unemployment is up. Interest rates are on the rise.” John tossed the business section of the
Dallas Morning News
onto his desk. “If this keeps up, I might actually make a decent profit one of these days.”
Tony leaned against the door frame, morning coffee in hand. “In other words, what’s bad for America is good for John Stark?”
“It’s hard to stay in this business when people don’t default on their loans.”
“Hey, we already have plenty of work. You got that Mercedes, didn’t you?”
“Finally.”
“Did she give you any trouble when you went back with the tow truck?”
Now
that
put a smile on John’s face. “Not a bit.”
“Ah. A smile. Does that mean you finally got your priorities straight?”
“What?”
“You’re focusing on the woman as much as the car?”
John frowned. “I told you. She’s a nutcase.”
“So you’re not going to see her again?”
“I repossessed her car. Just how amenable do you think she’d be if I said, ‘Hey, baby, wanna go out?’” As if he’d even consider it.
“Well,” Tony said, “I agree it doesn’t usually set the stage very well, but I’ve dated women whose cars I’ve taken.”
“You’d find a way to date a woman if you shot her mother.”
“Hmm. There’s a pickup scenario I hadn’t considered, but—”
Just then the door to the outer office opened. Both men craned their necks around to see who it was.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Tony said. “Speak of the devil. What’s she doing here?”
Actually, after taking inventory of her car last night, John had been expecting her. “She had luggage in the trunk of her car. I assume she’s here to pick it up.”
“Well, then. Here’s your chance to get the Mercedes
and
the girl.”
John just shook his head. Tony’s preoccupation with the opposite sex was an amazing thing to behold. When he wasn’t thinking about women, he was drinking with them, eating with them, showering with them, or sleeping with them. Being surrounded by all that estrogen was bound to get him into trouble someday.
The men went to the outer office. John’s gaze automatically drifted to the woman’s snug little pants, which ended just below her knees, then upward to a stretchy blue top. Following her curves up and down and all around reminded him that it had been a while since he’d gotten up close and personal with a woman, but he had no intention of ending that streak with a marginally insane one.
She stood there with her purse draped over one shoulder, jingling her keys, as if she expected this visit to be a short one. Good. He couldn’t think of anything he wanted more.
Tony gave her a brilliant smile and stuck out his hand. “Hi, there. We didn’t get a chance to meet last night. I’m Tony McCaffrey.”
She shook
As long as she stayed in east Plano, she wouldn’t run into anyone she knew. And she had to drive the old car only as long as it took her to find Warren, put her hands around his throat, and squeeze some of the money he’d taken right back out of him.
Warren. Where in the world was he?
No. She couldn’t think about him now. She had to concentrate on the problem at hand—getting back what few possessions she had so she could begin to feel normal again.
“Watch your pressure gauges,” her father said. “It leaks oil.”
Darcy sighed. “Anything else?”
“Yeah. The latch is broken on the driver’s door. You’ll have to crawl in from the passenger side.”
This could
not
be happening.
Her father opened the door for her, and she climbed inside none too gracefully, putting one knee on the passenger seat, then turning around to plop behind the wheel. She started the car. It gasped and sputtered, reminding her of her great-aunt Gertie, who had continued to smoke even as emphysema was driving her into the grave.
Darcy closed her eyes. Every time she thought she’d hit rock bottom, she sank a little lower.
“The stock market’s on a downturn. Unemployment is up. Interest rates are on the rise.” John tossed the business section of the
Dallas Morning News
onto his desk. “If this keeps up, I might actually make a decent profit one of these days.”
Tony leaned against the door frame, morning coffee in hand. “In other words, what’s bad for America is good for John Stark?”
“It’s hard to stay in this business when people don’t default on their loans.”
“Hey, we already have plenty of work. You got that Mercedes, didn’t you?”
“Finally.”
“Did she give you any trouble when you went back with the tow truck?”
Now
that
put a smile on John’s face. “Not a bit.”
“Ah. A smile. Does that mean you finally got your priorities straight?”
“What?”
“You’re focusing on the woman as much as the car?”
John frowned. “I told you. She’s a nutcase.”
“So you’re not going to see her again?”
“I repossessed her car. Just how amenable do you think she’d be if I said, ‘Hey, baby, wanna go out?’” As if he’d even consider it.
“Well,” Tony said, “I agree it doesn’t usually set the stage very well, but I’ve dated women whose cars I’ve taken.”
“You’d find a way to date a woman if you shot her mother.”
“Hmm. There’s a pickup scenario I hadn’t considered, but—”
Just then the door to the outer office opened. Both men craned their necks around to see who it was.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Tony said. “Speak of the devil. What’s she doing here?”
Actually, after taking inventory of her car last night, John had been expecting her. “She had luggage in the trunk of her car. I assume she’s here to pick it up.”
“Well, then. Here’s your chance to get the Mercedes
and
the girl.”
John just shook his head. Tony’s preoccupation with the opposite sex was an amazing thing to behold. When he wasn’t thinking about women, he was drinking with them, eating with them, showering with them, or sleeping with them. Being surrounded by all that estrogen was bound to get him into trouble someday.
The men went to the outer office. John’s gaze automatically drifted to the woman’s snug little pants, which ended just below her knees, then upward to a stretchy blue top. Following her curves up and down and all around reminded him that it had been a while since he’d gotten up close and personal with a woman, but he had no intention of ending that streak with a marginally insane one.
She stood there with her purse draped over one shoulder, jingling her keys, as if she expected this visit to be a short one. Good. He couldn’t think of anything he wanted more.
Tony gave her a brilliant smile and stuck out his hand. “Hi, there. We didn’t get a chance to meet last night. I’m Tony McCaffrey.”
She shook
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