I stepped in close, close enough to see the different shades of brown in her eyes. “It’s officially my favorite,” I said, voice low as I leaned in and kissed the edge of her jaw. “It’s probably a good day to check up on the house, too, right?”
She blinked up at me, eyes wide and warm. “It probably is.”
That soft little smile played on Harper's lips again. God help me. I could spend the whole day kissing her senseless. But I forced myself to lean back, tossing her a clean rag.
“C’mon then,” I said, nodding toward the car. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Shortcake.”
She came to stand beside me, and I swear I could feel the heat coming off her skin even without touching her. But I kept my focus—mostly—on the task at hand.
“I was gonna just do a quick oil change,” I said, grabbing the rag and wiping my hands again on instinct, “but the second I got under the hood, I knew she needed more than that. Two of the belts were looking pretty worn. The fluids were dangerously low. Battery terminals corroded to hell.”
Harper nodded, trying to soak in every word. But I knew most of that was probably gibberish, which was okay. I would teach her more at a different time. For now, we will stick to the basics.
“So,” I continued, “I topped off the fluids, cleaned the battery, and I’ve got new belts coming in on Wednesday.”
To fit under the car, I had to use a car jack to raise it up. I made sure all the tools were where we both could see them, since I would have to talk her through this. I got down on my back and slid under the truck with practiced ease.
“You’ll wanna move the pan right under here,” I called out, reaching for it. “Then loosen this bolt—make sure you’ve got the towel ready. It’ll pour fast.”
She knelt nearby, pushing the oil pan under the truck,handing me the wrench, and watching my every move. She was eager to learn because the next thing I knew. Harper was lying next to me under the car. I pointed at the bolt and began to work.
I cracked the bolt, and thick, black oil streamed down like a waterfall into the pan. It was always so satisfying to watch. After the oil had drained, I asked Harper for the oil filter I had left on my workbench. She slipped from under the car and looked for the filter.
“Cam, is it this one?”
“Baby, I can’t see it. Can you show me?”
“Oh shit, yeah, sorry.” She knelt down next to the car and showed me the object.
“Good girl.” I praised, a smile plastered on my face. “You are a natural. Scoot back under here.”
She smiled and made her way back under the car. I replaced the filter, and then I let her tighten the drain plug. I checked her work to make sure it was tight enough. Of course, it was because my girl was made for this.
“Alright,” I said, following Harper and sliding out from underneath. “Now the fun part. New oil.”
I showed her how to lower the car jack, then I handed her the funnel and the fresh jug.
She looked at me, holding the large bottle. “All of it?”
“Every last drop,” I said, wiping my hands with a new rag. I pointed to where it needed to go.
She unscrewed the cap, set her shoulders, steadied the funnel, and started to pour. No hesitation. A little bite of her tongue between her teeth as she focused.
God. Kill me now.
When the jug was empty, she stepped back and wiped her hands on a rag I offered her. She was smiling so wide that I was expecting her to complain that her cheeks hurt.
“That was—actually so fun.” She bounced a little on the ballsof her feet, her joy contagious. I couldn’t help but smile. “Can we do another one?”
I chuckled, reaching to tighten the cap and double-check all the levels.
“We can work on yours,” I said, shooting her a wink. “After we swing by your place to check on things.”
Her eyes lit up even more—like she was a kid, and I’d just offered to take her to Disneyland.
And I’ll be honest… I wasn’t sure if it was the car, the company, or the smile she was wearing—but at that moment, I’d have changed the oil in every single engine in town if it meant she would keep looking at me like that.
We were both scrubbing up at the old utility sink in the garage, hands stained and smelling like oil and citrus soap. She kept bumping into me, hips brushing mine.
