Read My Mind (The One #3) - Natasha Preston Page 0,3
get anything done—but I can see her house from my office. It’s very distracting. I should move the office to another room. I sound like a stalker. I have never followed her or even looked her up online. She probably posts lots of pictures on social media.
Closing the front door behind me, I walk towards them, and my stomach clenches.
Wren looks over as I approach, and she straightens up. “Oh, hey, Reid.”
“How’s it going?” I ask. Talking to Wren is easy. I tutored her in English Literature for a month in high school so she was ready for her exams.
She folds her arms. “I’m good. Mila, however…”
With a scowl and pursed lips, Mila turns to face me.
Eye contact from this girl is comparable to being winded.
She has eyes the same colour as my favourite spiced rum.
“I don’t need to take a look to know that you need a new car.”
“There is nothing wrong with Hilda, thank you,” she says stubbornly.
“I’m sorry, you named the car Hilda?”
“Yes.”
Of course, she did. “Why are you looking under the bonnet if there’s nothing wrong with it?”
“Why are you spying on us?”
Shit.
“I was taking a break from work. It’s pretty hard to not notice that bright thing on your drive. Do you want me to take a look?”
“Aren’t you an editor?”
I tilt my head, trying not to show how much I’m enjoying this. “Do editors have a reputation for not knowing anything about cars?”
Wren smirks at our exchange, saying so much with just one facial expression.
Mila’s folds her arms over her chest and the action pushes her breasts up. “Do you know a lot about cars?”
“Shall we find out?”
She steps to the side, her shoulders dropping. “Yeah, okay. Thanks.”
“I should get going?” Wren says.
“Already?”
“Well, you have it covered now, and I was never going to be able to fix it anyway. I don’t know why you messaged me.”
“I thought you would bring Brody!”
Wren frowns. “Oh. Yeah, I should have.”
“Literally no help. I’ll see you later, Wren.”
With a salute, Wren turns around. “Bye, Reid. Good luck!” she calls on her way to her car, which is parked at the side of the road.
“All down to me, then?”
Mila leans against the car and blinks. “I assume you have a penis.”
“You’re good at the assumption game.”
“Then, yes, it’s down to you.”
“That’s rather sexist, Mila.” God, I love talking to her. I would have broken her car myself if I knew this would be the result.
“It’s not sexist. It’s merely probable.”
With a smile that makes my jaw ache, I lean down and look under the bonnet. I know a little about cars—I do minor repairs to my own—but I’m no mechanic.
“Right. As I thought…”
“What?” she asks impatiently, leaning in.
My breath catches at her close proximity. “Erm…” I shake my head and stand up, putting some much needed but unwanted distance between us. “You need a new car.”
“Bullshit! You just don’t know what you’re looking at.”
Laughing, I say, “Take it to a garage and tell them your serpentine belt is worn and needs replacing.”
“Then it’ll be fixed?”
“Well, no, they have to replace it first.”
“Ha ha,” she mutters. “So, are you super busy or can you do me one last favour?”
I could have a deadline in three minutes and I still wouldn’t say no. “What do you need?”
She smiles a toothy smile, like she’s unsure if I’ll go for it, and sways her body from side to side. “A lift home from the garage.”
“All right. Give me a minute to lock the house up first.”
Nodding, she slams the bonnet shut as I cross the road.
I lock the front door and go to my car. Mila is watching me from her drive.
“Ready?” she yells.
“I’ll follow you in case that thing stalls.”
“Don’t diss the car, dick!” she shouts back.
Laughing, I get into my car and follow.
I should just tell her how I feel or ask her out. At least then I will know if she’s at least interested.
Sometimes I’ve come close, but I never know when Liam is on the scene. He’ll be around a lot, and then it’s weeks or months before I see him again.
Mila must love him to keep going back.
The longer I leave it, the more I feel like I need to make her see me.
It might be down to me to open her eyes.
Three
Mila
I get out of my sunshine yellow car at Liam’s garage as Reid pulls up beside me. He makes eye contact that I have to break after a second. If you look too hard at