“I know I already said it, but thank you for hiring me,” I tell him as I set my bag down.
“Seriously, don’t worry about it. We all need a little help sometimes. Just promise me that when it’s time and you can, you’ll help someone else out when they need it,” he says as he takes a seat next to me.
“I can do that.”
“Good. Now, do you want to start with billing or ordering parts?” he asks, getting straight to business.
I have to stop myself from calling out to her as I watch her walk away. All I want is for her to turn those pretty brown eyes my way.
She’s married. Not only that, but she’s on the run. The last thing she needs is a guy like me sniffing around.
Still, something about her intrigues me. Not only that, but I have a lot of questions, even though I know it’s not my place to ask.
I want to know if the kids liked their school supplies. If Emily liked her Moana lunch box and matching backpack. If Tanner liked the hockey-themed shit that I got for him. Thanks to my sister, I know they like those things, but I still want to hear if I did a good job, if I picked out what they would have.
My mind drifts back to when Bertha called.
It was the usual check-in, as it has become since Jane came here, but then she mentioned some of Jane’s worries. It kills me she feels she can’t talk to me about them, but I am grateful Bertha is there for her when she doesn’t want me to be. I just hope that someday she’s comfortable enough with me to bring up her concerns.
So when she mentioned sending money for me to go pick up school supplies, I snorted and told her to keep her money. We argued for a good five minutes about it, but in the end, I told her that when she dropped them here, they became my responsibility, and I would take care of them no matter the cost.
Then she asked me the one question that had me freezing.
“Do you like her?”
I didn’t answer her then, but the question has been plaguing my mind ever since. Do I like her? I don’t really know much about her, but something is drawing me toward her. There is something about her and those kids that makes me want to take them in and never let them go—never let them know pain and suffering. I wish I could erase the past from their brains. I can’t, though, so instead I will show them what a good man is. That way, they never question it again.
“You good, man?” Gunner asks, jerking me from my thoughts.
I clear my throat. “Yeah, I’m good. Why?”
“You’ve been staring at the office door for five minutes like you’re contemplating your life choices,” he tells me.
“The only choice I’m contemplating is why I decided to move here. Shit, I’m already sticky as fuck from the humidity.”
Gunner shoots me a look like he doesn’t believe a word that’s coming out of my mouth. Then again, I don’t blame him.
He opens his mouth to say something, but someone else speaks up.
“Hey, who’s the new girl in the office with Smoke?” Jagger asks as he walks up to us.
“Jane,” Sloane says from under the hood next to us.
I look over at her and shake my head. Jesus Christ, my head was so in the clouds that I didn’t even know she was right there.
“She’s hot. Anyone know if she’s single?” Jagger asks.
“She’s off limits,” I snap.
Sloane straight up starts laughing, and Gunner smiles.
Shit.
“She yours?” Jagger asks.
“Don’t go there, man. You don’t want to risk Mac’s wrath,” Tank says from somewhere in the shop.
“She’s a friend, and she’s going through some shit. The last thing she needs is your punk ass sniffing around,” I tell him.
