“That’s not the right hole. You have to stick it in here.”
“I know where to put it in. Go away and let the professionals do their jobs.”
“And I’m not a professional?”
“Not when you wave that thing at me. It stinks.”
I watched Landon, one of the mechanics, and Mason, the co-owner of Drake’s garage, argue from where I was standing in the doorway. Their heads were under the hood of an old car that looked ready to go to the junkyard, and they were bickering while Landon was eating a giant sandwich.
I worked at Drake’s while their receptionist Willa was travelling around Europe with her boyfriend, Jameson, the co-owner of the garage and Mason’s brother. Willa was one of my best friends, and when she found out that I didn’t have a job lined up after I finished college, she asked if I could help out while she was away.
Since I needed the money and there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her, I agreed. I was desperate to get out of my hometown, Humptulips, and to be able to do that I needed to save up some money. The small, sleepy town was in the middle of nowhere America, and if I wanted to get out from under my mother’s thumb, my only option was to move away. Not only had Willa organized a job for me, she also let me stay at her apartment rent free for as long as I needed.
When they stopped arguing to take breaths, I seized the opportunity to call out to them, “Carter is on the phone. He wants to speak to Mason.”
I heard a loud groan, followed by a bang, and then Mason’s head came up from underneath the hood. “Seriously, Starla, what could you have possibly screwed up already? I’m never doing a favor for Willa again.”
There went my hard-won equilibrium. “Excuse me? You’re doinghera favor? Don’t you mean I’m doingyoua favor by helping out while she’s travelling?”
He brushed me off and went inside the office. “We could have hired someone from the temp agency.”
I followed him and stood on the opposite side of the desk. It was always a good idea to put space between me and Mason. Things happened when we were standing too close. Confusing things.
“You mean the temp agency that blocked your number?”
He grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and picked up the receiver. After talking to Carter for all of five seconds, he hung up, then aimed another glare at me and stalked out. Before the door closed behind him, I pushed it open and leaned into the garage. “And my name is Stella.”Misogynistic imbecile.
I would have loved to say the last part out loud, but good manners were a part of me like makeup to a pantomime. So they stayed in my head.
The day was busy, the garage popular, and I lost track of time. I was entering numbers into a spreadsheet when I felt someone watching me. I stopped typing, waiting for the person to speak. Judging by the raised hairs on my arm and the warmth I felt in my belly, it could only be one person. I looked up to confirm my suspicion.
“Is there a reason why you’re back already?”
“I need more oil filters for the Bronco,” Mason said, his stare game going strong.
“Okay.”
“Why aren’t you writing this down?” he asked, the deep timbre of his voice resonating through my body.
“Because I’ll be able to remember oil filters.”
Despite what he thought, I wasn’t an idiot. But try telling him that. He seemed to have cast his judgment already.
“I also need brake pads for the Mustang.”
“Right. Anything else?”
“Spark plugs for the Audi.”
“You got it.”
“You’re still not writing anything down. How do you know how many to order for each?”
“That’s three items. And Willa wrote down how many to order of each before she left. I think I can remember three things.” I sighed.
“Can you, though?”
I ignored his jab and smiled at him sweetly. I had perfected putting a mask in place when I needed to. “Anything else?”
