It’s my turn to roll my eyes. “Sure, Li. Whatever you say.”
“Enjoy your date tonight. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Is there anything you don’t do?” I ask, because he’s an animal and the phrase doesn’t fit him.
He laughs and shakes his head. “I’m game for everything and anything.”
“You’re also a dumbass,” I tell him, and it’s his turn to give me the middle finger before he stalks out.
I glance at the clock, and it’s a quarter to seven. I have only a few minutes to straighten up the mess Liam made and the few half-filled coffee cups that have sat out so long they have mold growing on top of the liquid.
I make quick work of the small things, opting to throw out the used mugs. We should really use paper, especially since we get called away a lot to help stranded drivers. Ceramic mugs don’t fit in the truck’s cupholder, and I’m not one to reheat my coffee when I get back to the garage after.
“Hello!” Lulu’s voice echoes through the garage, and my heart leaps inside my chest.
I take a quick glance around the bays and our office area, and things are the best they’re going to get. I can’t sugarcoat it. It’s a working garage filled with grease, dirt, and tools everywhere.
“Back here,” I say, heading toward her voice. She must’ve come through the front that’s only used by customers.
As I round the corner, she walks through the garage entrance, and we nearly collide.
“Hey,” I say, suddenly nervous, which isn’t like me.
We haven’t seen each other since the day we met, but we’ve been texting here and there, though nothing too much.
“This is super cute.” Her gaze roams around thegarage, not stopping for much longer than a second on certain areas. “This is a dream job for me.”
I can’t stop my entire forehead from pinching down. “Are you feeling okay?” There’s no way a dirty place like this could be called a dream job by anyone, especially her.
“I’m fine, but this—” she waves her hand around “—is an organizer’s paradise. The challenge of it all.”
“You’re an odd bird, Lulu.”
“Normal is so boring, Oliver,” she says with a playful smirk. “Can I look around?”
“Yeah.” I motion toward the area behind me. “Look wherever you want. I’ll just sit at my desk and observe.”
She sets her bag down on an empty chair near the office area. “How long have you been here?”
“We bought the business ten years ago from my stepdad’s buddy.”
“Impressive. What were you? Eighteen?”
I let out a bark of laughter. “I wish. I was twenty-five and just out of the military. I had saved up some cash while I was in there and figured, why not own my own business.”
“Wait.” She spins around, staring straight at me as her eyes roam over my face. “That would make you…”
“Thirty-five.”
“Damn,” she whispers, and that one word is like a dagger to my heart.
“I know I’m old.”
She reaches out, placing her hand on my arm. “No, not old. You’re aging like a fine wine, Oliver. I wouldn’t have pegged you for a day over twenty-eight.”
“And you are?”
“Twenty-four,” she replies.
