Chapter One
“Why don’t you just ask him out?”
Savannah looked up from her phone.“Ask who out?What are you talking about?”
Her roommate, Tiffany, gave her a knowing smirk.“Jake, of course – as if you didn’t know exactly who I meant.I don’t get the deal with the two of you, I really don’t.”
“But–”
Tiffany held her hand up.“Don’t even try to deny it.It’s so obvious.And it’s just as obvious that he’s into you.So, why not ask him out?”
Savannah let out a breath.“Because I can’t.You know I like him, and yeah…” She smiled as she imagined Jake’s handsome face.“It’s mutual, I know that.It just … it’s not a good idea, that’s all.”
Tiffany huffed out an exaggerated sigh.“You break my heart, girlfriend, you really do.Here I am hoping that you’re going to get all coupled up and settled down, and all you’ll ever tell me is that it’s not a good idea.”She met Savannah’s gaze and held it.“Whatever you’re hiding, you can share with me.We might not have known each other all that long, but you must know by now that I’m trustworthy.”
“Of course I do!It’s not that I don’t trust you, Tiff.I think I’m just used to solving my problems by myself and –”
“Aha!”Tiffany leaned forward in her seat.She was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, doing her nails.She waved her nail file at Savannah as she spoke.“Finally!I’m getting somewhere – that’s the first time you’ve admitted that you even have a problem.”
“I didn’t!I … did I?”
“Not exactly, but my amazing powers of deduction figured it out.You said you’re used to dealing with problems by yourself.And whatI’msaying is that you’re not by yourself anymore.You have me now – I can help!I mean, I know you have Josh, and his mom, Sadie, and Harvey, and they’re like family, but …”
“I know, thanks, Tiff.And I do trust you.There’s nothing, okay?”
Tiffany’s shoulders slumped.“Fair enough.As long as you know that if you need me – for anything, ever – I’ll be there in a heartbeat; you hear me?We might not have been roommates for long, but you’re awesome, girly.And I’ve come to see you as mine now – one of my peeps, you know?And I look after my own.”
“Thanks.”
Savannah loved Tiffany already.They’d only been sharing the apartment for a couple of months, but Tiff had proven herself to be a great roommate, a great friend, and overall, a down-to-earth decent human being.And after Savannah’s short stay in the city recently, she’d started to believe that there were no decent human beings down there.
“Moving on then, since you’re not going to spill.What shifts are you working this weekend?Are you going to come out?All work and no play makes Savannah …”
Savannah waited.She knew she was a dull girl, but she didn’t enjoy hearing it.It was fair – especially when she compared herself to Tiffany.Tiffany was a city girl to the core – from the purple tips of her bright pink hair, to her tattoos, and her don’t-give-a-shit attitude.And as far as Savannah was concerned, she was amazing.She was like a peacock from the city who’d come to bestow her colors on the dull birds like herself in Summer Lake.
Tiffany’s laughter broke through her thoughts.“Don’t look like that!You look like you’re expecting a physical blow!I wasn’t going to call you dull.I was going to say that all work and no play makes Savannah need a night out with Auntie Tiff.You know you want to – we could have so much fun.We can go to The Boathouse and dance, hang out with the usual crowd – and see if the weekend brought in any interesting tourists for us to play with.”
Savannah shook her head with a smile.Tiffany certainly knew how to enjoy herself.“I don’t have my hours for the weekend yet.”
“Okay, so when you find out what free time you have, let’s make a plan to do something, you and me.We can call it roommate bonding or something.”She narrowed her eyes.“If you say no, I’ll maybe start thinking that you’re not happy with me as a roommate and …”
“Okay!!”Savannah had to laugh.“It’d be fun to hang out over the weekend, but I’ll probably be working in the evenings – maybe we can go for lunch over at the plaza or something.”She highly doubted that she’d have a night off, so she didn’t need to worry about committing to going out to The Boathouse or anything.
Tiffany grinned at her.“You promise?”
“I promise.”
“Awesome.”
~ ~ ~
Jake reversed the tow truck to position the SUV he’d brought in just outside the shop.He should be able to get it onto the ramp and the lift from there.Working alone wasn’t ideal, but he’d started the business on a shoestring and hoped that, with time, he’d be able to bring in another mechanic to work with him.Of course, Harvey managed the office for him, which was a lifesaver, and the old guy was always offering to help in the shop too, but Jake wouldn’t hear of it.
Harvey waved to him through the window from the office and got to his feet.Jake hurried to the door before he could come out into the shop.
“Hey, Jakey.Do you want me to come and …”
“I’m good, thanks.”
