“I get a vibe that he doesn’t want us together. And yes, maybe I could get another mechanic job, eventually, but you know that it would be a while, and not as good as this one. But…” My head fell back against the booth as I shut my eyes.
“You can’t stay away.” He snickered. “Ah, young love. I remember it well.” He sat up when his phone chirped in his pocket. “Excuse me for a second.”
My own phone buzzed in my pocket as Gary stepped outside.
Victoria:Confession: there is no school party. I wanted to cook you dinner, but since you have no appliances, I’m picking it up from my favorite Thai restaurant that’s around the corner from your apartment and meeting you there after work.
Victoria:And the outfit is because I wanted to dress up for you, and maybe to mess with you a little.
Anthony:So that skirt and those boots are for me?
Victoria:They are, one hundred percent.
Victoria:I’ll let yesterday go, for now. But we tell my father by Christmas. Tonight, I admit the secret lovers thing is a little fun, but it’s going to get old really fast.
Anthony:Noted. I’m wishing I didn’t have a line of bikes to work through today. Your ass in that skirt is fucking perfection. It’s going to be tough to focus on anything else.
Victoria:I didn’t think you noticed. ;)
Anthony:Oh, I did, sweetheart. And so did the guys in the garage. If there are any more pickups today, text me rather than go back there.
Victoria:Do you think a bunch of horny mechanics bother me? Please.
Anthony:Other guys looking at my girl bothers ME.
Victoria:Your girl? Possessive, much? Enjoy lunch xoxo
“I don’t think I ever saw you smile that big,” Gary noted as he settled back across from me. “I’m guessing it’s good news on the phone screen.”
“Yes.” I nodded, still grinning like an idiot at my screen. “Well, it could be.”
His smile faded as he folded his hands.
“Ten years earlier, I would have met you on the opposite end. I was this close to being a legal aid attorney when I found out it wasn’t for me and I could do better on this side, especially for kids like you.”
“I’m twenty-one, not a kid anymore.”
“But you were back then. A kid who, yes, made a mistake, but didn’t have the means to properly defend himself against a system all too willing to throw him in jail even with no prior offenses. You have no idea how I wish we could change that, but the best I can do is help you now. You were released early, got your GED inside, and you’re building a good life for yourself now. Your time served is over, don’t give yourself a life sentence of self-hatred.”
“Easier said than done. She doesn’t know, and when she does—”
“And when she does, it won’t be a dealbreaker for her. Same as it wasn’t with Josh. The only person it’s a dealbreaker for is you.”
15
Victoria
“So,I guess you aren’t mad at me anymore.”
I jumped at the sound of Anthony’s voice behind me. I was waiting in front of his building and watched for him to come out of the subway station on the corner but hadn’t anticipated him from the opposite direction.
“Not now.” I picked up the shopping bag full of food where I’d set it in front of me on the concrete. “A few more minutes of freezing my ass off, maybe—”
I turned toward Anthony’s smirk and the bouquet of flowers in his hand. I exhaled a cold puff of air and shook my head.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“They aren’t much, the florist closed early, so this is from the deli. But I thought you’d like the Wonder Woman colors.”
