Page 76 of Searching for Bristol
“If you hurt that leg when you’re with me, Rocky will pound me into the ground, friend or not. And I apparently just landed a huge account…I’d be stupid to want to hurt the hand that’s gonna feed me.” He winked at her, then turned to climb out of the Jeep.
Bristol couldn’t help but snort. She had a feeling there were hidden depths to this man that he didn’t show the world. Some woman was going to have to work hard to get under his shields. But when she did…she’d have a champion for life.
Drew opened her door and took her elbow to help ease her to the ground. He kept his hand on her as she limped around the building to the front door of the post office.
As usual, Art, Otto, and Silas were there, playing chess.
Otto raised a brow at seeing them approach. “Does Rocky know you’re stepping out on him?”
Bristol shook her head in exasperation at the older man. “Do Silas and Art know you go to the assisted living facility on Sunday mornings after church to play chess with some of the residents?” she fired back.
A dull sheen of pink bloomed on his cheeks as both Art and Silas turned on him.
“What?”
“You do?”
“Just because Drew is helping me today, doesn’t mean I’m cheating on Rocky,” Bristol said. She wasn’t worried she’d hurt Otto’s feelings. He was a tough old coot, and maybe being taken down a peg would be good for him.
“Touché,” Otto said after a moment.
“How come you never told us about going over there?” Silas asked.
“Maybe he’s trying to learn some tricks to beat us,” Art said.
“Not gonna happen,” Silas said sternly.
“I’m thinking maybe we should go with him this Sunday to see what the fuss is about,” Art threw in. “Not that I’m ever gonna live there. I’m gonna die in my own house, not wasting away in a place like that.”
“Impressive,” Drew said as he steered her into the post office. “You handled that well.”
“If I hadn’t turned it around, they would’ve been gossiping about you and me for who knows how long. And there’s no telling who would’ve overheard it and made assumptions.”
“So you were protecting Rockyandme,” Drew said.
“Duh,” Bristol returned.
There were two people ahead of them in line, and neither said anything as they waited for their turn. It didn’t take long for Guy, the post office employee, to find her package. Drew took the large, heavy box and carried it as if it was full of feathers instead of heavy pieces of glass. They both nodded at the three men still arguing about whether Otto was somehow cheating by playing chess with the residents in the assisted living home.
Drew chuckled when they were out of earshot. “Remind me never to piss you off,” he said. “They’re gonna be talking about that for weeks.”
“I’m an angel,” Bristol insisted.
“Uh-huh. Sure you are.”
She grinned up at him.
“Tiny, but damn mighty,” Drew muttered as he opened the passenger door of his Jeep for her when they arrived. He put her package in the back after getting her settled then climbed behind the wheel. “Where to now?” he asked.
“Are you sure you don’t mind driving me around?” Bristol asked.
“Nope. Again…new rich client. Why would I mind?”
She didn’t take offense, just laughed. “I want to go to the grocery store and grab some stuff, but first, there’s a house that just went on the market. I saw it online last night, I wanted to drive by and look at it.”
“You really are serious about moving here, aren’t you?” Drew asked.
“Yes.”
