“He hasn’t come back?” I asked.
“Not as far as I know. Allie would have told me if he had.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
ZACH
My first week at Tommy’s shop was great. My new coworkers, Levon and Rich, were a lot of fun to work with. They didn’t seem to mind that I didn’t have the official certification from Harley yet. They were happy to show me things I didn’t know and were surprised by how much I already did. Even the customers were nice. A lot of them were veterans, brought to the shop from knowing the people in the motorcycle club.
Tommy got me signed up for school starting in the fall. Classes went from September until the following April. I would be driving to Bloomfield, which was about an hour north, two nights a week. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced I was ready to separate from the Army. My life was so full of wonderful things. I wanted time to enjoy them, and I did not want to go on another overseas deployment.
I talked to Tommy about it, and he gave me some good advice. His husband, Charlie, also weighed in and said he would help me expedite if necessary. They both told me I needed to tell my CO next weekend when I went for training so they’d have time to find a replacement.
At the end of the day on Friday, Tommy called me into his office. “Have a seat, Zach,” he said with a smile. “Levon and Rich have only good things to say about you.”
I couldn’t help but return his smile. “That’s good to hear. They’re great to work with.”
“So, you’re settling in all right?”
I nodded. “I am. I’m really happy to be working on Harley’s full-time.” I grinned. “I owe Marco a drink.”
“He’s a good man,” Tommy said with obvious affection.
“He really is. He helped me out when he hardly knew me. I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for me.”
“We’re happy to have you here, so we owe him one too.” Tommy picked up a sheet of paper from his desk and handed it to me. “I notice you have a distinct lack of a Harley Davidson.”
I took the paper from him. “I’ve wanted one for a long time, but I never had the extra money to own a second vehicle, never mind a down payment.” On the page was a list of late-model Harleys with two prices next to each: wholesale and retail.
Tommy tapped the paper in my hand. “As an employee of this shop, you can buy any motorcycle in our inventory at wholesale.”
I stared at him, warmth filling my chest. A grin spread across my face. “Really?” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I can finally get a Harley?”
His smile was just as big as mine. “You sure can. We’ll even help you get your learner’s permit and help with driving lessons if you need them.”
I shook my head. “I already have a motorcycle license. I teach motorcycle safety down at Fort Dix.”
“All right then. You could take one home tonight.”
I chuckled. “Probably not tonight.” I waved the pricing page. “I have to decide which one I want and figure out where I can keep it. I live in Ocean Grove, and there’s basically no off-street parking. And you know what it gets like in the summer.”
He nodded in agreement. “I sure do. Charlie and I live in Asbury. Parking is hell in the summer. We’re lucky we have a driveway.”
“I’ll talk to Miguel and see what he says. He’s lived in Ocean Grove a lot longer than I have.”
Tommy raised a curious brow. “Miguel?”
My face heated, and I was sure I was blushing. “My boyfriend and roommate.”
“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,” he said.
“It’s pretty new. I…was trying to figure myself out, and that took a little while.”
He leaned back in his chair. “You’ll have to bring him by so we can meet him.”
“I can do that. Miguel’s a great guy. He gets along with everybody.”
“I look forward to meeting him.” Tommy rose from his seat, wincing a little as he did.
