Attached (Coronado Series Book 3) by Lea Hart Page B

company when I was visiting Cat. The security system at her house was going crazy, so there were a bunch of men working on it. I can’t remember their names, though. I think one of them had a crush on Cat, but she was totally immune.”  
    “That must be Frank. He’s had a crush on Catalina for a long time, and I don’t think it’s going away.”
    Cary heard her phone buzz, and she pulled it out of her purse and looked at the message. As she read it, she felt tears gather in the corner of her eyes. This was turning out to be a horrible day. She responded to the message and looked out into the restaurant blindly as she tried to take the news in.
    Travis watched her, put his arm around her shoulders and felt her start to crumple against him. “Baby, are you OK?”
    He watched her take a quick swipe at her eyes as she tried to pull herself together. “I just got a message from my contractor, and he’s informed me that he’s quit. He got offered a bigger project, and he’s going to take it. How can he leave me in the middle of my renovation?”
    “What can I do to help?”
    “Can you give me a ride to the nearest big town? I’m going to rent a car and head home and sort out this mess. It will be much faster than taking the bus.”
    “I’ll drive you home.”
    “No, you have a road trip to go on. I just need to get to a town that has rental cars.”
    “Absolutely not. I will drive you home.”
    “Travis, I can’t ask you to do that. I’m used to being on my own, and I’m not comfortable with you doing all of this.”
    “You’re not asking….I’m insisting. I’m not going to give you a choice.”
    “How very bossy of you.”
    “Tell me about what you’re having done at home.”
    “I bought a small house, and I’m having it redone. The contractor had been working on it for about a month before I left, and it seemed to be going well. All my stuff is in a storage pod in my driveway, and I wasn’t planning on being home until the end of summer, when it would be mostly done.”
    “One of the guys from the Teams has a brother who’s a contractor. I can call him and see if he has time for a new project. He worked on Birdie’s house and business and also redid Max and Rory’s house. Do you want me to see if he can go and take a look at it?”
    “That would be great. Maybe he can give me an idea how long it would take to complete. Do you think he would be willing to take on the project?”
    He pulled out his phone and texted Adam to see if he had the time to take a look at it. Marsha came over with the bill and Cary grabbed it before Travis could get his hands on it. “Why are you taking the bill? He asked.
    “I’m not going to let you pay for breakfast. You’re going to drive me home. It’s the least I can do. I also want to pay for gas and any other expenses that we incur.”
    “No way.”
    “Yes way.”
    “I’m not going to let you pay, so you can just forget it.”
    Cary turned toward him and took his hand. “I can more than afford to pay my way and any expenses that come up.”
    He ran his thumb over the top of her hand as he looked into her pretty tiger eyes. “Are you rich, Cary? I didn’t know that kindergarten teachers were pulling in the big bucks these days.”
    “I inherited a fairly substantial estate from my parents, and I seem to be good at investing.”
    “You’re rich and you drove your old wagon on a road trip?”
    “Yes, we’ve already discussed it, and if you want to spend any more time with me then you’ll not bring it up again. I did and I learned my lesson and I’ve moved on. I suggest you do the same.”
    “All right, I won’t talk about it. I just feel strangely protective of you and I worry about what could’ve happened to you.”
    “Nothing happened. I want you to know that I have no tolerance for people who bring up every mistake you’ve made over and over again.”
    “Can I ask you why?”
    “My parents were highly accomplished professionals, and