Beryl shrugged. She thought of the moment when Jake’s arm brushed hers and the noticeable electric current that had sizzled excitingly over her skin. She intended to test that reaction the next time she saw him. When she picked up the bracket from his shop, she would casually initiate contact to see if there was another spark.
She couldn’t wait.
Jake drove to his small house at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac to put his groceries away and pack a simple lunch before driving to Dark Matter Metal & Leather.
He wanted to get started on the project for Beryl as soon as possible. He had promised to complete it in a day. He would likely work into the night to ensure it was ready tomorrow. Jake couldn’t wait to call her. Couldn’t wait to see her again.
According to Frederick, before his stay in the hospital, Jake would come and go from his workshop using the private entrance at the rear of the building. The only time he entered the retail part of the shop was briefly in the afternoons or if he had an appointment with a customer who wanted a unique or large item made.
Since he’d gotten out of the hospital, Jake had taken to entering the shop through the front door and stopping to check in with Frederick before sequestering himself in his workshop to complete the projects he’d left behind along with his memories. Still, he’d known the projects were his. He looked forward to finishing each and every one of them.
Jake walked into the shop, his eyes immediately finding Frederick behind the counter. “Good morning,” he said, closing the door behind him.
“Good morning, Jake. Good to see you.” Frederick had said the same thing to him each and every morning. Jake knew he genuinely meant it.
“I have a new project that I picked up at the grocery store, of all places.”
Frederick smiled. “Leave it to you to find work to do at the Supernova Supermarket.”
“I know I have other projects with deadlines, but I’d like to squeeze this one in. Beryl is desperate to fix her ice machine. I really want to help her out quickly.”
“Beryl?” Frederick’s eyebrows went up.
“That’s all you heard?” Jake asked.
“Yep.”
Jake smiled. “She’s the owner.”
“And is she pretty?”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Yes. But she also needs my help and I want to help her.”
“That’s good enough for me.” Frederick paged through the project book and said, “The next piece you’ve promised isn’t due until early next week. So no problem with your special project for…Beryl.” Frederick seemed way too happy about his new project, but Jake grinned.
“Good. Thanks for checking.”
“My pleasure. It’s good to see you excited about a project for once.”
Jake stopped. “This is the first time I’ve been excited about a project?”
“Well, you were often happy to help people, but today you seem ready to leap into the air with joy to get started on Beryl’s project. So,that’snew.”
Jake considered his words. “I guess I am excited. I didn’t realize I wasn’t before.”
“That’s not to say you wereunhappy. I don’t mean to imply that. It’s just good to see you so cheerful. Before, it sometimes seemed to me that you were very otherwise focused. Perhaps something I didn’t know about weighed heavily on your mind. You simply seem less stressed since you returned, which has to be a good thing, right?”
Jake wondered what he’d been so focused on. Perhaps it was good he didn’t remember anything beyond two weeks agoif it made him a stress monster. He shrugged it off and put his mind on something that did give him joy. “Right. Thank you, Frederick. I’m going to get started on Beryl’s project. Do you need me for anything today?”
“Nope. You’re good to go.”
“Excellent.” He left the retail space, determined to tuck himself away in his workshop for the day to create a bracket for Beryl. He couldn’t wait to call her to come pick up the item. And if his arm happened to brush hers in the process, all the better.
He would look forward to the electric sizzle it was sure to create.
