I wouldn’t say the only thing holding me back with Mikey is fear, though that’s definitely there. Something is telling me I need to be cautious with her. I mean, we’ve only had a few brief encounters. She doesn’t know me, let alone trust me. I’ll earn it if she lets me.
I think about what Merv said about tasting her, savoring her, and while I don’t think he meant it in a salacious way, my mind runs to the gutter. I’m dying for a taste of her. I already know if I ever get the honor, I’ll want to take my time. I wouldn’t stop tasting her until my tongue is sore and she’s sweaty and begging me for a break.
Mikey bursts through the door, breaking me out of my dirty thoughts, and I shift in my chair, trying to hide the semi I’m now sporting. My stomach rumbles loudly just as she opens her mouth to speak.
“Oh my god, you must be starving! I’m so sorry you’ve been here all day. I’m sure you heard the conversation about the brake pads and—” Her own stomach rumbles, and her cheeks flush.
I can’t help but grin. “I promise it’s fine, and I’m not upset. I’m guessing you didn’t get much of a break to eat today?”
She shakes her head. A few tendrils of hair have slipped from her ponytail, framing her face. “Pat tried to let me, but we needed to get the brakes done before he—you know what? I probably shouldn’t be talking about other customers. Or my hunger. Very unprofessional of me.”
“I don’t mind.”I’ll listen to you read a dictionary as long as you’re talking to me.
Mikey bites her lip before releasing it and shaking her head again. “So, I checked the fuel pump, checked the ignition coils and the starter and didn’t see an issue. There’s a bit of build up on the spark plugs. They’re fine for now, but I would keep an eye on them over the next year. After that, I checked the electrical box and noticed your fuel pump relay fuse had a water mark around it? Those don’t usually short without a reason, so that’s why it took me a minute to find the issue. I replaced the fuse, and it should be working fine now. We took it for a spin around the parking lot to double-check, and everything looks good.”
“Perfect. Thank you for squeezing me in.”God, don’t say that.“I mean, making time for me. I really appreciate it.”
Mikey waves me off. “It’s not a problem.”
“What do I owe you today?”
“It’ll just be seventy-five. I can get you rung up over here.”
She walks around to the reception desk and sits, clicking around on the computer while I stand at the counter and wait. She hands me the form to sign for the work done, then puts the card reader up on the counter, and I input my card.
“Would you like a copy of your receipt?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
Mikey nods, handing me the receipt to sign. “Well, you’re all set to go.” She gives me a smile.
“I need my keys back, actually.”
“Oh gosh, you’re right. I assumed Patrick gave them back to you when he took the van around. Let me go grab them from him.” She rushes out the shop door. A few minutes pass before I hear a muffled curse.
When she comes back, she’s got her phone pressed to her ear and a scowl causing an indent between her eyebrows. “You can’t take the customers’ keys home with you, dipshit! How long will it take to get back here?” She pauses, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Fine. Be fast, please. Mr. Valentine’s been here long enough.”
She takes a deep breath, “I’m so, so sorry. This is totally unprofessional. Patrick accidentally took your keys with him when he left. He says he can be back in about twenty minutes. I’ll refund you for the?—”
“No, no need for a refund. It's okay, Mikey, really. Accidents happen.”
Mikey bites her lip again, gnawing at the tender flesh with her teeth, drawing my attention back to her mouth. I’m desperate to know what her lips feel like, taste like. “This isn’tsomething you should have to be dealing with. If you want to leave us a bad review that would be totally reasonable, or I can get Merv and?—”
“Mikey, I swear I’m not upset.” The opposite, actually. This is the perfect opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with her without the pressure of asking her on a date. I even have the perfect excuse. “Do you think the van is unlocked? I have some sandwiches and sides in a cooler. We can eat while we wait for Patrick.”
4
August
Is this man serious right now?
“I—” I don’t know how to respond. I expected him to be pissed off and yell at me for Patrick’s lack of organizational skills. I know I would be peeved if this happened to me. Walking off with a customer’s keys? Unacceptable. He’ll be getting an earful from me, that’s for sure.
“Do you not like turkey sandwiches? I think there’s some potato salad. I know Ruby packed some chips and grapes, too. Oh! And I have more of the cookies from last time.”
Is Ruby his wife?My eyes track to his left hand, noticing the lack of ring or tan line.
It doesn't matter if he’s married. He’s not asking me out. He’s simply being a kind human, offering me food because my stomach decided to embarrass me.
