It’s barely two days later when Gage’s name appears on her phone, ringtone blasting cheerily. Minnie stares down at it in horror. She screens the call impulsively, sending him to voicemail. She’s not ready! What was she thinking,heck, she wasn’t thinking-
After another moment, Minnie hisses a faux curse under her breath and clicksdial.
“Hey,” Gage breathes into her ear with relief, leaving Minnie with a physical reaction she can barely restrain. Her heart speeds up and skips while her skin flushes. Her desire for him and his betrayal are mixed into something she wishes she didn’t feel.
Why did he have to make a mess of her?
“Yes?” Minnie says in reply, not certain she has it in her to say much at all. She sits ramrod straight on her couch, clutching the phone to her ear with white knuckles. She’s torn between wanting to hear him speak and wanting to simply hang up and cry about what he did to her all over again.
It’s exhausting. Feeling this way isexhausting. A part of her doesn’t want to feel at all, but she’s no robot.
“I was,uh, callin’.” The unsure cadence of his speech is not normal for him. Usually, he oozes bold confidence. It seems her knowledge of who he truly is has made him feel ashamed.Well, good, Minnie thinks with a hint of vindictiveness.
Gage clears his throat and tries again. “I was callin’ to see if you ended up getting the oil changed on your car. Last time we spoke about it, when you made dinner? You mentioned youmight want me to do it for you? Cuz,uh. If you don’t get it done…well, you haven’t done it in two years, so, you’re waaay overdue.”
He’s such a gearhead.
The words fall into the dark ocean between them.Why would he call me about something so asinine, Minnie finds herself thinking, mouth pursed as she considers this odd turn in events. Then, it occurs to her that this is his way of trying to see her.
…and she needs to determine if she’s going to let it happen.
“I haven’t gotten it done, no.” Minnie bites her lip and considers. “You know I’m terrible about cars.” Taking her car to the shop wasn’t top priority for her, because she always felt like she didn’t know if the mechanic was taking advantage of her lack of knowledge and her submissive demeanor. She never quite knew what to ask or how to advocate for herself, so she avoided it as much as possible.
Her father would gladly take it in for her, but Minnie still has some pride.
There’s a smile in Gage’s voice, and a part of her melts to hear it. “I know.” He says nothing else, just simply waiting on her to make the move, but Minnie finds herself unable to ask, unable to say the words. As if realizing this, Gage presses again, “Would you like me to come fix it up for you? So, you don’t have to take it in? I remember you originally wanted me to work on it this weekend, before. Well.Before.”
Before I found out who you are?Betrayal coils again, right behind her ribs, aching.Before I found out what you did?
There’s a bitterness crawling up her throat, and Minnie finds herself saying something positively cold. “You know. The way I look at it, you owe me one, don’t you? Please do come over. I’ll have my car in the driveway for you.”
There’s a sharp, wounded inhale on his side of the phone. Instead of snapping back, he seems resigned to the cruel truth of her statement. “Yeah. Sure thing, Minnie.” Then, as if to even thescore, he finishes with, “You’re polite even when you’re slingin’ razorblades, Princess.”
Face red, Minnie doesn’t find a good comeback. There’s a shiver down her spine. Inexcusable.
When he saysprincess, she can hear it through a mask with a skull on it.
When he hangs up, Minnie finds herself gasping for air, a sob trying to weasel its way into existence. It’s simply not fair. Why did she have to fall in love with the very man responsible for making her who she is today?
She closes her eyes and tries to figure out how she’s going to handle having him over again.
I’m not ready.
There’s a sharp knock on her door, familiar in cadence. She always knows when it's Gage now. Dread and excitement are at war in her chest. She wants to see him. She never wants to see him again. She can’t make up her stupid mind.
He’s ruined me, and I’m never going to be alright.Minnie thinks as she walks to the front door with all its locks.First, he traumatized me. Then, he made me fall in love and broke my heart. It’s not fair.
Gage is standing in the morning light, the sun beaming behind him as he stands on her front stoop. The broad set of his shoulders and the menacing black ink of his tattoos make him into an imposing figure with very little effort. Although today, he isn’t posturing or trying to stand tall. There’s a singular hint of a slouch to him, as if he’s making a concentrated effort to seemless.
“Are you alright?” Minnie finds herself asking out of habit. Good manners and all. “You look tired.” He doesn’t; he just looksmiserable. She’s not the type to just come out and bluntly sayyou look terrible, sir.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He makes an effort to straighten up, as if that will hide any hint of vulnerability. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Shrugging, Minnie-the-lion says, “I don’t know, nor do I particularly care.” She brushes past him to go to her driveway where her car sits waiting. She tries to ignore the crisp scent of his masculinity and how being so close still makes her core clench with interest. Hiding that shameful part of herself deep, Minnie holds out her keys to him and says, “She’s all yours. Knock yourself out.”
When he takes the keys from her, his hand brushes hers. There’s a flash of warmth against her skin, causing Minnie to inhale sharply.
He sets to work, gathering his tools from his truck, such as the oil pan and the fresh oil. The hood is popped in short order, and he’s got a jack under the car. Minnie sticks around to watch him for a moment, simply observing, vaguely curious about how he’s going to go about doing this. Working on cars, or working on anythingphysically, hadn’t been her father’s strong suit. Any time something went wrong around the house or with a car, her father simply paid someone else to deal with the issue.
