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morning, fulfilling her obligation to Darrell, and still have time to gather herself before she reported in at noon. She lifted her mug again, and Tony’s finger’s circled her wrist.
    “Easy, sweetheart.” His thumb caressed the inside of her arm. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. We’re only shooting pool and getting to know each other better.”
    She let go and picked up her burger, lifting her shoulder and peeking at him while catching her bottom lip between her teeth. He saw everything. She had to stay aware and be prepared for anything.
    “So, you’re a private investigator and you pimp out cars.” She took a bite, chewed, and continued. “How did those two careers happen?”
    Tony continued eating and held up his finger to signal her to wait until he finished chewing. He wiped his mouth. Someone had taught him manners.
    “The interest in working on cars was always there. I grew up with the guys you met. When we were young, we hung out at Garrett’s pop’s garage, learning all we could from him and dreaming about the day we’d work on our own cars. Kept us out of trouble and popular with the girls,” he said.
    “How so?” She popped a French fry in her mouth.
    He flashed a grin. “Nothing makes a teenage boy more attractive to the girls than a muscle car.”
    “Ah.” She leaned forward and tilted her head. “That’s true. I looked at a few nice cars when I was a teenager.”
    He laughed. “I bet you did.”
    “What kind of car do you drive?” She wiped her mouth and leaned forward. “Is it hot?”
    “It’d burn you, sweetheart.” He winked. “A sixty-seven Camaro, midnight blue, twin white stripes on the hood with a three-eighty block and three on the floor.”
    She blinked and found herself panting. The description…meant nothing to her. The radiant way Tony’s face came alive and his voice lowered to vibration levels left her panties damp. She wanted to see his car. She wanted to see him in his car. She wanted to see him doing her in his car.
    She lifted her mug of beer and swallowed hard to get the liquid past the throbbing of her heart. “And the agency?”
    “The PI stuff came during college. We all have our own reasons, but mine are purely selfish. The guys are my best friends, and it’s all about keeping us together. I liked the idea of going into business with friends I trusted and knew had my back, no matter what happened, and I enjoy living in Bay City.” He finished his burger. “What about you? Since you don’t spend time doing Darrell’s dirty work, what do you do to stay busy?”
    It was a trap. Think. Think. Think.
    “I do nails.” She put her hands in her lap. “Only part-time. Luckily, my mom and I share a town house. It cuts down on expenses, while I go to college, um, part-time. I-I’m studying to be a veterinarian’s assistant.”
    “And, that’s why Darrell hired you? You’re good with animals?” Tony leaned forward.
    She reached for another fry. “Yeah, exactly. Love animals. All kinds, but especially cats.”
    He snagged her hand in midair. “I’m surprised a woman who paints other people’s fingernails doesn’t have time to do her own. Though I like them bare.”
    She ducked her chin. “Today was stressful. Just trying to decide between wearing mother-of-pearl or electric-blue polish seemed too tough of a decision to make after hearing how much it would cost to replace a…a timing belt on my car.”
    “Timing belt?”
    She sat straighter, falling into the story. “Uh-huh. Life is good, but one expense and I feel like I should drop out of school and go to work full-time. I know it doesn’t seem like the kind of pressure you’re used to, chasing bad guys and trailing bond jumpers, but it’s a job that pays the bills.”
    “Doing nails?”
    “Oh no.” She laughed to cover the lie. “Real estate.”
    “You’re a licensed Realtor?”
    “Yeah, well, I was before I started doing nails and going to school. I specialized in