Those baby blues blink at me once, twice, and then his arm gives the flashlight a shake.
“Sure thing, buddy.” I make my way to his side, taking it from him.
His eyes linger on mine for a split second longer before falling back onto some dark corner of my engine. “Hope I’m not interrupting. I just need you to hold that for a bit.”
“I was just reading.”
He’s quiet for a long moment, and I assume the conversation is over, but then he asks, “You like it so far?”
“Yeah. Got to the part where she decides to transition to a vampire for him.”
“Stupid on her part, wasn’t it?”
I shake my head, though he’s not watching me. “She was in love. Maybe it was dumb, but it makes sense for the story. It’s necessary for her growth.”
“I guess.” He curses, sucking on an injured finger before returning it back to wherever he’d had it before. “She rearranged her whole future for him, though.”
I shrug, maneuvering the flashlight to shine wherehis hands are working. “Sometimes it takes a little prompting by someone else for us to know what’s best.”
He pauses for a moment, rising up to look me in the eye. I swallow hard, steadying the light even though he isn’t using it at the moment. "Everything she loved was in the daylight. She let go of that for him.”
“I mean, yeah, you’re right. But what if it’s only what shethoughtshe wanted? And no spoilers because you finished the book and I’m only halfway through.”
“Then I don’t have anything to say.” He leans back under the hood, freezing to glance back at me mid-movement. “She was foolish. That’s all I’ll say.”
“You wouldn’t understand it. You’re not a romantic.”
“Point it here,” he says, gesturing sternly to some dark corner of my engine. Obediently, I turn the flashlight to light up the area as he continues to work. “Who says I’m not romantic? I can be romantic.”
I adjust the light. “I’m not saying you can’t, but in terms of grand gestures, turning someone so you can spend an eternity together is the grandest.”
He stands up straight then, his back stiffening as he arches a brow my way. “And things like folding forgotten laundry aren’t romantic gestures? Little things matter too.”
“I mean, maybe. I guess.” My breath catches in my throat as I think about the times my laundry had been so neatly laid out for me atop the dryer after I’d abandoned it. I thought it was just Ty trying to keep a tidy house, but was it his way of showing… affection? “Maybe to some people.”
He chuffs. Leaning back under the dark hood.
“All I’m saying is that I can admire her for knowing what she wants and committing to it,” I say.
Ty takes a while to respond, his hands twisting and tightening things I’ll never know the name of. “I guess. I mean, the vampire got what he wanted, so who am I to judge? They both ended up happy in the end despite the whole final battle against the dynasty thing, right?”
I take a few steps back, his words like a shot through my chest. “I don’t know, Ty! I haven’t finished it!”
He stares at me over his shoulder, a smirk finding his perfect lips. “My bad. No spoilers. Sorry, I forgot.” He nods toward the engine. “I need you to light it up here.”
I roll my eyes and follow his direction with the flashlight. Clamping my lips shut, I watch him troubleshoot. Ty is attractive, there’s no doubt about it, but seeing him work with his hands does something to me. “Do you like tinkering with cars?”
“Not sure if tinkering is the right word, but—” He shrugs, tightening something. “Sometimes. It’s not like it’s a hobby, but it makes me feel useful. Used to take care of my mom’s and Maggie’s cars before I moved.”
“Does Johnny do this for your mom now since you aren’t there?”
He shakes his head. “No, but I send a few hundred dollars home to her every month to make sure someone can. Maggie too. Anthony isn’t a handyman.”
It warms my heart that Ty is still thinking about his family despite the miles between them.
“I think that’s sweet,” I say.
He doesn’t stop working. “What’s sweet?”
