Change of Heart Read Free Page A

rude.”
    He simply looked at her expectantly, and she noticed he didn’t contradict her assessment.
    “I mean, it’s not your fault I’m having such a bad day,” she continued. “So, again, I’m sorry.”
    She waited as the silence between them stretched out awkwardly. She’d learned a long time ago that remaining silent usually brought deep comments to the surface, but this man simply stared at her.
    She prompted him. “So . . . ”
    He tossed his phone onto the console before turning back toward her and opening the door. Leah took a step back as he exited the car.
    “Aren’t you going to say anything?” she asked.
    “Like what?” Gage crossed his arms. She was sure he was trying to intimidate her, but she dealt with far more difficult men than this guy.
    “I don’t know. Maybe apologize?”
    “For what? Saying you have a nice car? Waiting here with you for the tow truck to arrive?”
    “For insinuating your sexual fantasies in regards to my ass?”
    Gage shook his head. “I already told you, I was talking about the car. For a therapist, you sure don’t listen very well.”
    She heard the roar of an engine climbing the hill and prayed it was the tow truck. As soon as it rounded the curve, she spotted the lights flashing on top of the truck and sent up a prayer of thanks. It would save her the effort of coming up with a scathing retort for this infuriating man.
    “Sorry for the delay. I got here as quickly as I could. I’m Dave.” A young man who barely looked twenty hopped down from the driver’s seat of the tow truck. “Wow,” he said, turning toward Leah’s baby. “That car is a beaut!”
    “Thanks. It’s the radiator. She’s going to need a new one.”
    Dave rubbed at the dark blond whiskers that graced his square jaw and hesitated. “That’s not going to be a cheap fix, and I’m going to have to order the part unless I can find one in Sacramento.”
    “That’s what I was worried about.” Leah cringed, wondering if fate would continue to conspire against her.
    Dave filled out the paperwork and passed it in her direction. “I’m going to need a credit card to order the part, too.”
    Shit.
    Her card was already at its limit, and there wasn’t much left in her checking account. The savings had been depleted a long time ago. Leah didn’t want either man to suspect her predicament, so she reached into her purse, trying to stall the driver while she figured out how to convince him to hold off a couple of days. She heard Gage clear his throat.
    “Here,” he said as he passed a credit card to the tow truck driver. “Just put it on my card so we can get this show on the road.”
    Her gaze met Gage’s, and she instantly understood that he wasn’t doing this because he was in a hurry. He’d seen right through her ploy and knew she didn’t have the money.
    No matter how hard she tried, she’d never shake that poor kid stigma. It clung to her, lingering like the stench of cigarette smoke from the bars she’d worked in to put herself through school. Leah narrowed her gaze, wishing she had the luxury to throw his credit card back in his direction. She didn’t want charity in general, and not his specifically, but she didn’t have any other options. Unless she wanted to try to con them both—and that was something she’d stopped doing at sixteen, once she chose the straight and narrow path in order to become the woman Nicole had thought she could.
    Saying nothing, she signed her name to the bottom of the tow slip, passing it to Gage, who scratched his signature at the bottom of the receipt while she handed Dave her keys. She would find a way to repay him. She wasn’t going to remain indebted to this cocky, arrogant, self-righteous—
    “I’ll take good care of her and will call you in a couple of days when I find the part.” He handed Leah the receipt and a business card. “Feel free to call if you need anything or have questions before then. I’m guessing it’ll be around a