‘Good gracious no. I can’t wait for you to start. I’m rather excited now about having someone to halve my workload andchat with in the daytime. Not to mention looking forward to not feeling so drained in the evenings.’
Georgina placed a hand on her chest. ‘Oh that’s a relief.’
Marcus handed Georgina a pen and notepad and a measuring tape. ‘Jot all your measurements down on here. I’ll give you some privacy while I make tea. Have you got time for a cuppa?’
Georgina shook her head. ‘Sorry Marcus, no I haven’t. I have to be somewhere in five minutes.’
‘No worries. Just let yourself out if I’m not back. You’re still alright with the days we arranged, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, those three shifts are perfect for now.’
Marcus smiled warmly and nodded. ‘Good. I’ll see you tomorrow then...bright and early.’
A grin spread from ear to ear on Georgina’s face. ‘You will. I can’t wait.’
Marcus disappeared to make his tea and Georgina quickly took her measurements over her clothes. As she left the dog grooming parlour, she had a text ping alert.
I’m here at the seafront.
Where are you?
A small smile tugged up the corners of Georgina’s mouth. Since her first day answering the phone at Matt’s garage, she hadn’t been able to get him off her mind. The weekend had seemed so long. Normally, it flashed by in a blink of an eye, but the last one felt as long as a week as she counted down the days to see him again.
Georgina searched for the pickup truck, but the only vehicles parked along the seafront were cars. A hand appeared out of the window on the driver’s side of one of the vehicles and waved. She cupped her hand over her brow to shade her eyes from themorning sun and squinted to see who it belonged to. There was no mistaking Matt’s large silhouette inside the car. Georgina waved back and self-consciously headed towards the vehicle, knowing Matt’s dark eyes would be following her every inch of the way.
As she approached the silver car, the passenger door was pushed open from the inside. Georgina opened it fully and peered inside. ‘Thank goodness. It is you. Where’s the pickup truck?’
‘It’s parked up at the garage. I’ve come straight from home this morning. This is my car.’
Georgina slid into the passenger seat and closed the door. She looked around her as she clicked her seatbelt in. The car was immaculate. There wasn’t a speck of dust to be seen. The smell of new leather and cologne filled the car, and she felt a little giddy as a surge of excitement filled her chest.
‘I hope you don’t mind, but I have to pick up a car part before we go into the garage.’
Georgina turned to look at Matt properly and suddenly noticed he wasn’t in his work overalls, he was wearing his own clothes. Her stomach did a loop-the-loop. He was ruggedly handsome in his oily work gear, but in his own clothes, he was drop-dead gorgeous.
‘Not at all. This is one of my allocated days working for you, so as long as you're alright with me coming along with you and not being in the garage answering the phone, then...’ She finished her sentence with a shrug of her shoulders.
Matt drove out of Seagull Bay and turned onto the main A road heading for the city. Georgina’s brow drew together as she looked from the road to Matt’s profile. It was as though he could sense her unasked question, and he glanced her way as he spoke. ‘I need to pick up a specialist part from the city.’
‘Oh. Okay.’ Georgina settled back into the plush leather seat as Matt pushed his foot down on the accelerator. She was quite impressed by his driving skills and decided to let him know. ‘You are a very proficient driver.’
‘Thank you. I’ve been driving from a young age. Dad paid for me to have private off-road lessons. I guess he wanted me to be enthusiastic about driving so that I’d want to work at the garage.’
Georgina smiled, ‘Method in his madness, eh?’
Matt laughed. ‘Something like that... It worked. I love cars.’
‘He must be a very clever man.’
Matt glanced at Georgina with a smile that made her knees go weak. ‘What about your dad? What does he do for a living?’
‘He’s a plumber. Apparently, he’s actually done some work at your garage.’
Matt’s eyebrows drew together. ‘Really? Oh...is he Tom? Tom Shelley?’ Georgina nodded. Matt’s features burst into a smile. ‘No way! Your dad is Tom?’
‘Yes.’
‘Wow. What a coincidence.’
