Free Always My Girl (The Shaughnessy Brothers) by Samantha Chase

bit of a nightmare for a while.”
    She shrugged. “With the new career and all, my schedule isn’t what it used to be. I’ve got student loans to pay off and I’m just trying to save money where I can.”
    “Dammit, Anna, do you need money? I knew when I moved out things were going to be harder on you and…shit…I should have offered to keep helping you out with some of the bills.”
    “Oh, for crying out loud,” she huffed. “No, I don’t need money. Why is it so wrong for me to just want to learn something new that will help me? I can’t keep running to you or Quinn whenever I have car trouble.”
    “You certainly can keep running to Shaughnessy. With everything you do for him, he should be putting a whole new engine in this thing for you! With all the food and the running around for him and—”
    “I’m not doing this with you!” she cried in exasperation. “Seriously, I am so tired of having this conversation with you over and over. Quinn is my friend! You have got to get over this…thing you have where he’s concerned! I don’t get on you about your friends!”
    “That’s because my friends don’t take advantage of me like he does you!” Bobby fired back. “You keep chasing after him, hoping he’ll fall in love with you or something. You can stand here all day long and play the ‘he’s just my friend’ card, but you’re not only lying to me, you’re lying to yourself!”
    It really sucked when she was so transparent.
    “Look, are you going to help me or not?” Anna said, crossing her arms over her chest.
    “Anna, all I’m saying is—”
    “Enough with the lectures, Bobby! I’m a grown woman! Jeez, I just need a little help from my brother, so I can be a little more independent. I didn’t think it was a bad thing!”
    Bobby had the good sense to know when to quit arguing. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I really do think it’s a good thing for you to know how to take care of yourself and your car. I’d hate to think of you broken down someplace and not knowing what to do.”
    “Believe me, if I’m broken down someplace, I’ll definitely call for help. But the maintenance stuff just seems like a smart place to start.”
    He stepped closer and wrapped her in a brotherly embrace, kissing her on the forehead. “I’m proud of you, Anna. I know I don’t say it enough, but I really am proud of all you’re doing with yourself.”
    She beamed at his praise. “Thank you,” she said. “Now, show me what kind of thingamajig helps me get a spark plug out of a fifteen-year-old Honda.”
    * * *
    Business was booming for Quinn. The new auto shop had a waiting list of people wanting their cars looked at, and the custom restoration part of the shop was finally coming together. Standing back and looking at the two cars currently sitting in the bays was almost enough to make him giggle like a schoolgirl.
    Cars had always been his passion—he loved to drive them; he loved to take them apart and put them back together. His years on the racing circuit with NASCAR had been like a damn dream come true—the cars, the speed, the women. When one of his best friends was killed in a crash, Quinn had walked away from the circuit. Watching Todd’s family in the days and weeks following the accident had been a real eye-opener. There was no way he wanted his family to go through something like that—and watching footage of the crash every time they turned on the TV.
    Crashes had been an everyday occurrence for so long that Quinn had thought himself desensitized to it. That had changed in the blink of an eye.
    Once he retired, he was thankful for having the business sense to have invested his money during his career. True, he’d thought he’d have at least another ten years to keep putting money into it, but it was still enough for him to move on to the next phase of his life in automotive repair and restoration.
    His brothers had thought he was crazy. His father had simply asked if he needed a hand