Sober meant stewing in the rage and hatred that had taken root inside me.
At least while drunk, I didn’t have to sit with the fact that this might be my life forever.
CHAPTER 21
maverick
Three days a week, I worked atWB Auto Care.It was a good way to fill my time, and I liked working with my hands. The challenge of figuring out cars was a nice reprieve, and I had a knack for it. At least the owner, Frank, thought I did. I was just grateful for the opportunity to learn a usable skill from him.
I was under a car when the nicest pair of shoes I’d seen in a long time stepped up next to me.Harley.What was he doing here?
“Now, what the hell did you have to pay Frank to get him to let you back here?” I asked without coming out.
“I said I was your friend,” he replied. “He looked like he didn’t believe me.”
I chuckled.Sounded about right.I wasn’t exactly known for my friendly demeanor around here. Mostly, I kept to myself. Frank probably let him in here just to prove Harley was lying.
“Yeah, that’s Frank for you.” Grunting, I tightened the last part I was working on. The son of a bitch was testing my patience. I slid out from under the car and paused as I stared up at Harley. He was well put together for a guy who’d been drunk the night before—though, somehow, that didn’t surprise me. Still, the soft gray cardigan and light jeans were a good combination on him. It sure as hell beat the car grease and overalls I was wearing.
“Hi,” Harley whispered with a slight smile.
“Hi.” I sat up, scooting back on the board to keep some space between us. “How’d you find me, Harley?”
“I stopped by the bar, and they told me that sometimes you work here,” he said.That was a lot of effort to put into finding me.
“What’re you doing here?” I couldn’t imagine a good reason for why he was here, other than maybe to thank me for putting him in a cab.
“Uh…I have the afternoon off. At least for a little while. It’s just a few hours.” He awkwardly shoved his hands in his pockets.Jesus fuck, he was cute when he was nervous.“Do you want to get a coffee?”
Did I want to…what? I stared at him—scrutinized him—as I tried to figure out what the motive was behind the question.
“As in…” I prompted for clarification.
“Not a date!” Harley exclaimed, his voice rising a notch and making me laugh. He cleared his throat before trying again. “It’snot a date. I just… I’m going to leave now. We’re going to forget this happened.”
Cheeks flushed bright, he made a beeline for the door.
“Hold up, now, princess,” I called after him as I got to my feet. When he turned, I said, “I can give you thirty minutes. That’s my lunch break. I usually go down the road to pick something up, but we can sit and eat. That okay?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, “yeah, it is.”
“All right.” One lunch wouldn’t kill me.At least, I hoped it wouldn’t.
“He’s so old!” Harley hissed, leaning across the table to avoid being overheard.
“Did I not mention that he’s sixty-three?” I laughed as he shook his head. “Certainly changes the story, doesn’t it?”
Most days, I grabbed lunch atSparrow & Sagejust to catch up on town bullshit with Eduardo. For a man raising twins alone and running a café, the man knew everything going on with everyone. Gossiping with him had become something of a pastime, and I usually got free food out of it, too.I always left a damn good tip in the jar on the counter instead.
“But Kathy has to be…”
“Forty-one,” I finished for him. “Love knows no boundaries.”
“I have so many questions,” he muttered.
“I could probably answer them for you.”
“Just…how?”
