Her words were sweet. Her tone was not.

“Babe, you led with snapping out you’d have this covered if you could move those lug nuts. You didn’t even fuckin’ say hello. How, exactly, would you have liked me to respond to that, seein’ as you haven’t so much as looked at me in a long fuckin’ time.”

She threw out her hands in a bullshit gesture of apology. “Sorry, Shy, so, so sorry. I mean, it isn’t like I was on my way to do something when I got a stupid flat then I couldn’t move the stupid lug nuts and I tried for, like”—she leaned in—“ever. So when you rolled up to help out, instead of being understandably frustrated, I should have put the smile on and given you the love. I get that, you hauled yourself out here to help out and me being pissed off that my day is totally screwed, my hands are dirty, my jeans are dirty, and I have to go home and change isn’t your problem. I shouldn’t make it that way.”

Fuck, she had a point.

“Tabby—” he started, but she cut him off.

“And the blowjob crack was out of line. I apologize for that too.”

“Tab—”

“As was the friend thing and, well…everything. Now, are we good?”

There it was.

His shot.

And he was going to take it.

He took a step toward her and said quietly, “We’re good, babe, but since your day is screwed anyway, and we’re out in the middle of nowhere, we should take this time to talk.”

When he moved toward her, she held her ground. After he made his suggestion, she leaned slightly back.

“About what?” she asked.

“I got the feeling you’re avoiding me.”

“I’m not,” she stated, too quickly.

“I haven’t spoken to you in over a year,” he pointed out.

“We were never really close, Shy,” she replied.

Shy tried a different tactic. “Used to see you all the time, Tab. Now I never see you.”

“I’m busy.”

“You were busy before and I still saw you.”

“Now I’m busy…er.”

He shook his head and moved closer. She stood her ground but he saw her body go stiff. He ignored that and continued, “You’re avoiding me and have been since that shit went down a while back.”

“What shit?” she asked, and she was so obviously attempting to pull the wool, he almost smiled because it was fucking cute.

Damn.

“You know what shit,” he replied.

“Shy—” she began, moving back, but he caught her by her upper arm and she went still again.

He leaned down so their faces were close.

Jesus, she had a fantastic mouth.