She nodded, “Of course, babe! I have to get ready for work, anyway. I’ll talk to you later, okay? I love you, Pinkie!”
I laughed, “I love you too!”
I hung up our video call and headed inside for class.
35
CAM
Owning my own auto shop was the best decision I had ever made. The people I hired were reliable, respectful, and pretty damn good at their jobs. I guess it also helped that I could pay well.
Andy Rivera was my shop manager and had been for nearly eight years. She was twenty-one when she started here, and I became her mentor. She was like the bonus little sister I didn’t know I wanted. We knew each other on a pretty personal level, but I always preferred to keep some stuff quiet. That’s just who I was as a person, nothing against them. It wouldn’t benefit anyone, so what was the point of telling them I was practically in a polyamorous relationship with my sister's best friend and her contractor?
That was until I saw him pass my decorated shop window. As he pushed open the door, the bell rang overhead, letting my staff know a customer had walked in. Tucker had a shit-eating grin and a bag of takeout. He was on his lunch, given that he was still wearing his uniform. Tuck wore a jacket with his company logo, ‘Cove Construction’, faded blue jeans, and steel-toe boots. His dark, long hair hung loose and messy, as if he hadtucked it under a hat all morning. Knowing him, he hid it under his old, worn cowboy hat.
God, he was pretty.
I stood up from behind the front desk to greet him. Noting the confusion on my face, he blurted out. “Hey, I got a free hour for lunch. I brought tacos. Do you have time?”
I was speechless; no one had ever done anything so sweet for me. This was probably normal in relationships, but fuck, the gesture made my chest tighten.
I was falling for this man.
“Uh, sure. Thank you.”
A smile spread across his face, so big I assumed his cheeks would hurt. As he began to speak again, my shop manager turned the corner facing us.
“Of course, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t bother you on my lunch break?”
Last time I checked, he never asked me, and I never asked him. A blush shot across my face as my brow shot up in confusion. Before I could answer, Andy cleared their throat. Their face turned a dark shade of red, knowing they weren’t supposed to hear that. I looked from Andy to Tucker, wide-eyed. Tucker rubbed the back of his neck nervously as if Andy was going to scold him.
By no means was anyone in my shop homophobic, but in a small town, you typically know everything about everyone, so this had to be a shock.
I cleared my throat. “Andy, do you need something?” My voice didn’t even sound like itself. I don’t know why I was so nervous. I kissed this man in front of his employees, in public, before.
“I-I heard the bell, just coming up to see if the customer had been helped. Sorry. I won’t tell anyone.”
I knew Andy was uncomfortable, knowing she had heard something she wasn’t meant to. Accidents happen, and I wasn’ta monster. Plus, the last thing I needed was secrets in the workplace.
I shook my head, giving Andy a gentle smile. “No, it’s okay, really. It was going to come out sooner or later.” I waved them over. “So, this is Tucker,my boyfriend. Tuck, this is Andy, my shop manager.”
Tucker gave a wave, a smile showing off his chipped tooth, and a small tip of his head. “Hey, nice to meet you. Sorry for barging in, but I need to steal your boss for lunch.”
I rolled my eyes. “If you need me, don’t hesitate. You know, my office is always open.” I walked around the small counter that separated Tucker and I then grabbed his hand.
“Don’t worry, Cam, all good. I think we can spare an hour without you. I’ll let the guys know you’re in a meeting.” She said with a large smile. “I am happy for you. In all the time I have worked with you, this is the first time I am meeting a significant other.”
“Thanks, Andy.” I smiled, tears pricking the back of my eyes. I walked past my shop manager, hand in hand with Tuck, down the hallway to the left of the desk and into my office. Pulling him into my office, I shut the door behind us.
My office was a decent size and resembled my room in how organized it was. Walking in, there was a window on the opposite wall of the door that looked out to the parking lot. To the left was my desk, my chair closest to the wall, and two chairs on the other side of it. I had a large filing cabinet that sat next to the window. It was pretty bare besides that. There was a picture of Wren and me on my desk, next to my computer, from a few years back, and a couple of signed documents from the owners of the cars that were currently being worked on.
Tucker, being himself, walked over and sat in my chair.
“So, this is how the other half lives, huh?”
I laugh, “What? Dude, look around, I’m barely in here. And don’t you have an office too?”
He smiled at me. “I do, and it’s as bare as yours.” He pointed to the walls. “We should start taking more pictures.”
