“So far, all I’ve seen is part of the main street and this place,” she answered truthfully. “It’s a pretty place, that’s for sure.”
“There’s nothing like it.” Garret grinned. “Hopefully, you’ll have a chance to see more of it.”
“I don’t plan on staying long.” Holly offered an apologetic smile. “But the town seems great.”
“Maybe we can tempt you to stay and see for yourself.” Johnny leaned forward with a conspiratorial wink that made Holly want to grin like a damn fool.
“We’ll see,” she replied, not wanting to appear rude. She turned her attention to Garret. “You run the general store. What do you two do?”
“I’m a private contractor,” Keller spoke up. “Not a lot of work in town, but there are plenty of jobs in neighboring towns.”
“That’s nice.” Holly nodded. She knew next to nothing about construction. She looked at Johnny. “And you?”
“He’s our resident grifter,” Garret said with a smirk.
“I prefer the term vagabond, thank you very much.”
“In other words...unemployed?” Holly asked.
“A jack of all trades,” Keller said. “If you need it, Johnny can do it.”
“Except for repair a car,” Johnny jumped in. “Otherwise, I would’ve fixed yours on the roadside for you.”
“What happened to your car?” Garret looked at Holly.
She was taken aback by the genuine concern in his eyes. They’d only known each other a few minutes, yet she felt like he truly did care about the answer to his question.
“I took an unplanned off-roading expedition,” she said. “Johnny happened to be driving by.”
“Are you sure he didn’t cause the crash?” Keller looked at Johnny with an arched brow.
“He says he didn’t.” She laughed. “The jury is still out.”
“Even if I did, which I didn’t,” he said pointedly, “I’ve more than made up for it.”
“How do you figure?” Holly laughed.
“I’ve gotten you food, I can cut a deal to fix your car, and I’ve introduced you to two new friends.” He gives Keller a friendly pat on the shoulder.
Before Holly could say anything, the waitress returned with four huge plates of food, including the best-looking burger she’d ever seen. Her mouth watered at the sight of it. Her stomach made an incredibly unflattering grumble that elicited a chuckle from the men at the table.
“See why it was no mystery for me to figure out she was hungry?” Johnny joked.
“I don’t have to take that from a vagabond,” Holly shot back, unable to stop herself from smiling. Normally, she wasn’t that great with strangers. It took her a while to truly relax around new people. Strangely, she felt right at home with Garret, Keller, and Johnny now that the initial awkwardness had worn off. Granted, there was still plenty of awkwardness, but it wasn’t getting in the way.
They lapsed into silence as they ate. Holly snuck glances at them between bites. Keller and Johnny were night and day. Where Johnny was dark and moody-looking, Keller was fair and had that all-American look about him: sandy blond hair, bright blue eyes, and clean-cut.
Garret’s hair was wavy like Johnny’s, but his was tinged with red, as was his well-groomed beard. It was more than stubble but not so long that he looked like a wild man. Holly didn’t usually like beards, but on Garret, it worked.
Holly didn’t speak again until her plate was clean.
“What did I tell you about the French fries?” Johnny asked. “They’re good, right?”
“They’re the best I’ve ever had. Same with the burger. I’m definitely coming back here before I leave.”
“How about for dinner?” Johnny looked at Garret and Keller.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Holly said quickly. “I have no idea how much work I’m going to have to do with my grandmother’s home.”
“But you’ll have to eat, won’t you?” Keller interjected.
“And we’re more than happy to help with your grandmother’s house,” Garret said.
Both Johnny and Keller’s gazes flicked to Garret. Maybe she was overthinking it, but Holly could’ve sworn it was a warning.
“You guys are super nice, but it’s not necessary,” Holly assured them. When the bill came, she reached for her wallet. All three men told her to stop.
“You’re a guest in this town,” Keller said. “That earns some special perks.”
“And we’d never let a lady pay for her meal after a car accident,” Garret added.
“Has anyone ever told you that you guys are a lot to handle?” she asked, only half-joking.
“All the time.” Johnny grinned.
“He gets it more than either of us.” Keller jerked his chin toward Johnny.
Holly looked at him with narrowed eyes. “I knew you were trouble.”
“I never said I wasn’t.” Johnny grinned, and her stomach did a strange flip.
She’d never met anyone like him, like any of them, before. She sure as hell didn’t think she’d find herself sitting at a table with three unbelievably handsome men. What was in the Silver Spruce water and where could she get some?
“Come on,” Johnny said once the bill was settled. “We should get you to your grandmother’s.”
“You’re right.” Holly nodded. She almost wished she could stay in the booth longer. “It was nice meeting you both.”
“I’m sure we’ll bump into each other again.” Keller smiled.
As she and Johnny walked out of the diner, he looked back at Keller and Garret. They exchanged another strange look that put Holly on edge. There was more going on than what met the eye, but what?
CHAPTER THREE - Holly
“Do you three know each other because of Grandmother Pearl?” Holly asked once they were back in the truck.
“Yes and no,” Johnny replied. “It’s a small town, so we all grew up together, but Pearl was the one who brought us together, you know what I mean?”
“I think so,” Holly said. “Though, I’m still confused about a lot of the specifics.”
“We’re strangers, aren’t we?” Johnny
