“If you’d want to help out at the garage sometimes.I know you’re busy at the restaurant, and I don’t want to—”
Her laughter hit him right in the chest.“Yes!”
He laughed with her.“Just yes?Just like that?”
She nodded enthusiastically.“Not only yes, but hell yeah!I loved working there whenever I could, when Art still owned the place.If you need any help, you let me know, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.I’d love to help you.”
He glanced over at her.“I’d pay you and everything – I’m not looking for a favor.”
“You don’t need to.You’d be doing me a favor.Seriously.”
“That’s good to know, but Iwillpay you, okay?It’ll only be for jobs that need an extra pair of hands.”He gave her a rueful smile.“Or when I can’t figure it out for myself and need to call in the mastermind.”
She laughed again.“I’m no mastermind.You have to remember; Art was the closest thing to a father or grandpa I had.I hung out at the garage to…” Her smile faded, and she changed tack.“The days I spent with Art were some of the best of my life.”
Jake simply nodded.From what Josh had told him, she used to hang out with old Art whenever she had free time away from caring for her mom.Eventually Art had given her a part-time job after school so she could earn some money – for food, not for teenage girl stuff.
He wished he could tell her he knew, but if she wasn’t ready to share it herself, saying so would only hurt.He just had to hope she’d trust him enough to let him in someday – and until then, he’d wait.
Chapter Four
The restaurant was busy on Friday night, but as usual there was plenty of waitstaff to keep everything running smoothly.Savannah liked that about Taryn, who owned the place – she always scheduled more staff than she needed.It made life so much easier for all of them.They could take breaks, cover for each other, and didn’t need to cut corners just to keep up.There wasn’t the same level of stress that Savannah was used to.It made for a great atmosphere; there was lots of laughter.Taryn was a good boss – tough, but fair.
As Savannah stood rolling cutlery in napkins – she wasn’t used to official breaks and liked to keep busy on hers – Taryn came to stand beside her.
“How’s it going?”
“Great, thanks.”She had no reason to feel nervous, but that didn’t stop her.
Taryn chuckled.“I thought we got along.I’m not as bad as they make me out to be, you know.”
“I don’t think you’re bad at all.”
“Why are you so nervous then?”
“I don’t know.I guess just because I’m not used to having a boss.”
Taryn cocked an eyebrow.
“I mean, sure, Alan who owns the diner was my boss, but he was hardly ever around.When I was on shift, I was in charge.And I did have a boss where I worked in the city, but he… wasn’t nice.”
“I’ve never been described as nice.”
“Maybe not, but you’re fair – and you care about your staff.”
Taryn nodded.“How would you feel about running an errand for me?”
“Sure.When?”
“Right now.”
Savannah checked her watch.“My break’s almost over; I’m back on in a few minutes.”
“I know, but this is more important.We have plenty of cover tonight.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Make a delivery for me.”
