“No!” her mom gasped at the precise moment dust hit me in the face.
No… not dust.
I opened my eyes, my gaze flicking down.
Yup, I was covered in fucking glitter. Purple and silver flecks of it clung to my hands, my shirt, my jacket, and I didn’t need to look to know it was in my hair and all over my face.Fucking hell.
I blew out a slow breath, pushing back against my temper as it flared. I wasn’t an angry person anymore, but every once in a while, it tried to get the better of me. This was one of those times. She was just a little girl, and I kept reminding myself of that.
“I am so, so sorry!” her mom rushed to say. “Aria, what did we say about throwing glitter at people?”
Just how often did this happen?
“There!” Aria exclaimed, unaffected by the expression on my face or the panic on her mother’s. No, she looked real damn proud of herself. “Now, your wish will come true.”
“I didn’t make a wish,” I said, because why not? I was already covered in glitter. There was no changing that fact, and I wasn’t about to yell at someone’s kid.
“It’s pixie dust, silly!” She giggled. “You don’t make wishes. It just knows what your heart needs, and then it gives it to you.”
“And what does my heart need?” This ought to be good.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I’m only six.”
“Mhmm.” I nodded slowly as I stood back up. “Well, thank you for that.”
“I am so sorry,” her mother whispered. “It’s her way of thinking she’s helping.”
“It’s fine,” I said. It wasn’t fine. This shit was going to cling to me until the fucking armageddon.
“Is there anything I can do to… make it up to you?” she asked. I could see the wheels turning in the poor woman’s head as she tried to figure out how to fix it. I could only imagine how many people this kid had thrown glitter at in the name of pixie dust.
“Just…” I wasn’t even sure what to say. “Just have a good day.”
I turned and left with the sounds of Eduardo’s laughter following me. I couldn’t blame him. In the café window, I caught a glimpse of myself. I looked like a walking craft store.
CHAPTER 77
maverick
The goal was to get intoTorque & Timberwithout running into anyone—at least long enough to burn my clothes, shave my beard, and peel off the first layer of my skin. Glitter was the scourge of the world. I hated it. Hated. Hated. Hated it. I had no idea why anyone thought letting children play with glitter was a good idea.And why the hell was some kid walking around with her pockets full of glitter?
Sure, she was a cute kid, but that only marginally made up for the face-full of glitter I was sporting. I couldn’t let anyone see me like this. I’d lose all my authority over my employees if they caught me looking like a fucking troll.
And that whole plan counted on my employees and Roxy somehow not being at the shop before me, which never happened. Even with a back door, they’d still clock my ass the minute I opened it. My only hope was to sneak in somehow unnoticed.
All those hopes were dashed by the sight of Nyla Jones standing out front and leaning against the brick wall with a cigarette between her fingers. Nyla was the best damn mechanic I’d ever met. She was also hands down the scariest woman I knew, and I loved her all the more for it.Except for now.
The slow smile spreading on her face instantly irritated me.
“You,” she began, “look like you let a stripper take your face for a ride.”
“I’m still your boss,” I warned. At least I tried to sound threatening. It wasn’t who I was as a boss.
“Mmm,” Nyla hummed. “Not looking like that you aren’t, Disco Ball.”
Oh, I was never going to live this down.
“There was no stripper involved,” I said.
