Page 35 of Not Until I Found You

Ryland grins, shaking his head. “Listen, she’s going to be running like new after I replace this ignition coil. She’s as reliable as they come. Unlike some people, who wouldn’t know reliability if it hit them in the face.”

I raise a brow. “Hey, I’ll have you know I’m perfectly reliable. Just…selectively so.”

“Selective is code for laziness,” he mutters, tightening a bolt.

I laugh, knowing his words aren’t true and that he’s only poking fun at me. I jab him lightly in the shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that. But seriously, you might want to think about getting a new truck.”

“Nope.”

“Not even after driving mine for two weeks?”

“You know what they say about Chevrolet… Can-Hear-Every-Valve-Rattle-On-Long-Extended-Trips.”

“Ha-Ha. What about a Dodge, then? I saw you eyeing Luke’s the other day.”

“Drips-Oil…Drops-Grease-Everywhere.”

A loud cackle escapes me. “Alright, alright. I get it.”

Ryland shakes his head before getting into the driver’s seat. “Alright, moment of truth.” He turns the key, and the engine coughs, sputters, then roars to life.

I blink at him, impressed despite myself. “Well, I don’t believe it. Looks like it really was a bad coil.”

Ryland pumps his fist. “I told you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t get too cocky. This only bought her a few more weeks of grace.” I grin, shaking my head.

“Hey! You got the truck running,” someone says from behind us.

Ryland and I turn toward Maxinne, who’s bending down to give Sven a pat. She straightens and smiles brightly at us. As her eyes dart to me for a heartbeat, I feel it again. That tug in my chest that I’m always fighting to ignore. I stand there, staring at her, momentarily dazed.

“It needed a coil replacement,” Ryland announces, shutting the truck door behind him. “I’m Ryland. I’d shake your hand, but…” He holds up his grease-stained palms.

“It’s fine. I’m Maxinne,” she chuckles, eyes moving past Ryland and landing on me for a split second. My pulse quickens in response, so I force my attention back toward the engine. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Ashton.”

“Hopefully all good things.”

“Mainly good things.” She grins as her gaze drifts to the truck. “Ashton mentioned you drove an old Ford—or as we call them, Fix-Or-Repair-Daily.”

I tilt my head back to laugh loudly. “You hear that, Ry? She gets it.” My smile grows as I face Maxinne.

Ryland claps me on the shoulder. “I don’t care what anyone says about this truck. If she was good enough for our grandfather to drive, she’s good enough for me.”

Maxinne’s smile falls. “Your grandfather’s truck? Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry for saying that. I didn’t mean to⁠—”

“Max, it’s okay,” I assure her. “I’ve been giving him crap about this old truck all day.”

Her brow creases with worry, and my hand twitches to reach out to take her hand, to reassure her it’s really okay. I glance down at the ground instead, noticing the worn sneakers she’s wearing and the backpack she has sitting next to her on the ground.

“Are you about to go hiking?”

“Yeah?” she answers, sounding more like a question.

“Alone?”

“Yeah.” She shrugs casually.

I suppress a groan, reaching behind my neck to give it a quick squeeze, and a tightness settles into my shoulders.