I take a quick peek at the fridge to make sure it’s working. I already ate everything I’d packed in my small cooler. A grocery run is going to the top of my priority list after work today. I wander over to the queen mattress pushed against the far corner. It’s sitting on a frame with no headboard. It looks like it belongs in a dorm room or a teenage boy's bedroom.
Kade pulled new sheets out of the cupboard, so maybe I should get the bed sorted first. When I pick up one of the pillows, I can smell him on it. He’s been crashing here more than ‘once in a while,’ I think. It makes me feel better about my decision to take the job. I don’t want him to feel like I’m taking advantage of him, especially since I kinda want to get to know him better.
I change the sheets quickly, except for the one pillowcase, which is a little creepy I admit, then spend a few minutes in the bathroom washing up. I look tired, dark circles under my eyes, but there’s nothing I can do about that. It is what it is. I use water to smooth the flyaways back into my ponytail, pat my round cheeks, then head out.
The entrance to the apartment is at the back of the garage through the locked gates. I have to admit, being behind an extra layer of security makes me feel a little better about this arrangement. The door has a good solid lock, but I’m not stupid enough to think Kade gave me the only key.
I wonder if he understands how much trust I’m putting in him. A single woman taking a job and an apartment from a strange man is the way a horror movie would start. This could be one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done in my life.
But I still can’t bring myself to regret my decision. I want to be here. I’d choose working in a place like this over waitressing any day. And honestly, I don’t have the temperament to work in a restaurant.
Too much politeness. Pretty sure I’d end up with hives after the first shift.
Plus, I want to be around Kade. Which is so stupid to even think about, considering I met the man hours ago. But there it is.
Everything I know about him so far tells me he is a good man. And a man who needs me. Well, needs me in his office at least. I’ve never really been needed by anybody before. Dad loved having me around, and he gave me lots of jobs to do, but I always knew he could’ve done them just as well himself, until he got sick that is. Now, having to learn a new business, spending time doing something completely different from my usual routine, is a great distraction from the grief.
This feels different. This feels like the start of something new. Something big. I have nothing to lose, even if he turns into a colossal asshole and I walk away in a few weeks.
And it beats waiting tables. Let’s face it. I’d end up punching somebody.
When I return to the garage through the back door, I feel like I’ve entered a new world. When Kade took me upstairs, he, Micah, and I were the only people in. Now I count at least five other guys in coveralls working throughout the five bays. I spot Micah in the bay furthest from the office and head toward him. He sees me coming but says nothing. I stop next to him and examine the car he’s working on.
“Man, what a piece of shit.” I mutter.
Micah hums but doesn’t respond. This guy is a tough nut to crack. With his help, we’d unloaded my car in about fifteen minutes. Each man carried more in one trip than I did in three. Even so, I didn’t get a peep out of Micah and that just makes me more determined to figure him out. I have a feeling I’ll have to work for it. Still, I’ve never been able to walk away from a challenge.
“Why would someone fix a car as trashed as this one?”
Micah straightens and looks straight into my eyes. “Love,” he says simply before turning and walking away.
Love?
Mysterious bastard.
I want to be him when I grow up.
The restof the afternoon flies by in a blur. Kade teaches me the accounting program and how to order parts. We help a few customers. The work itself isn’t hard, but Kade’s presence is a huge distraction. He’s always looking at me. Brushing my arm or my back. Leaning close to show me something on the screen. It’s driving me nuts. I would think it’s accidental, but there’s something in his eyes telling me it’s not. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
I’ve had boyfriends before, but this level of awareness of hypersensitivity is completely new. It’s like my body knows exactly where he is at all times. Like little threads of electricity are running between us. It’s weird, and wonderful, and I want more of it.
I hand the last customer of the day their keys, then lock the door behind them. I’m tired, but my body is humming. Leaning back against the door, I lock eyes with Kade.
“You did good, Becca. Fuck, better than good,” he says with a smile. That smile. Jesus. The way his eyes crinkle up. I’d gotten a lot of those today. The scowl hadn’t made an appearance all afternoon. This version of Kade, the smiling one, is a hell of a lot more dangerous.
“You have dimples.”Oops. Off-topic. Danger, Danger.“I mean…thanks. The systems are fairly simple. Other than, you know, the whole car thing,” I wave my hands toward the garage bays, “it’s pretty close to what I did before.”
His smile’s gotten bigger. “Working for your dad, right? What made you leave and come here?” I lean my head against the door but keep my eyes locked on Kade.
“He died.”
The words land between us like a lead weight.
Kade’s eyes tighten in sympathy. He swings his legs off his desk and drops them to the floor. “Fuck Becca, I’m sorry.” He’s leaning toward me, looking like he’s waiting for me to dissolve in a puddle of tears and snot.
“Thank you,” I reply automatically. I’ve heard I’m sorry so many times since he passed. It seems like it should help, should dull the ache, but it never does. It’s still as raw as ever. “It doesn’t seem real sometimes. I pick up my cell to call him almost every day.”
“How long has he been gone?” he asks softly.
