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For about a hundred dollars, I could get either of them to get me back on the road. I would just buy the parts myself. First, I would get one of them to give me a second opinion and tell me what I really needed because these people were not about to play with me.

“If you go through those doors, you will be in the garage. Proceed with caution and make sure to look both ways.”

I followed her directions and walked through the doors out into the garage. It didn’t take long to spot my truck and the mechanic who’d told me with a few hundred dollars and a couple of hours, I would be back on the road.

I marched over to him, ready to give him a piece of my mind. He didn’t notice me because he was talking to a taller man in a black tank top and gray pants that matched their uniforms. They probably thought they were about to cash in, but they had another thing coming.

When the mechanic spotted me, I could see that he was ready to explain himself, but there was no need. I just wanted my keys. The man he was in deep conversation with must have realized that he no longer had his attention because he turned to face me.

I bet flames came out of my ears when our eyes connected. The man whose son didn’t know how to keep his hands to himself stood there looking at me like I had suddenly fallen out of the sky.

“You can just give me my keys. I’m leaving,” I said, turning my attention back to the man that I had given them too.

“I wouldn’t advise you to do that, ma’am. When you came here, your truck was overheating. You could cause more damage to it if you drive it any further.”

“Yeah, well, I’m willing to take that chance. I’m not about to give you crooks all my money.”

“This you?” the dad asked, pointing toward my truck.

“Obviously.”

“What seems to be the problem, Ms. Lane?” he asked.

My eyes narrowed at him calling me by name when I had no idea what his name was. Either way, I was getting the hell out of there and away from him. Was he this handsome when we had that meeting at our sons’ school? I guess I was too angry to look at him then.

I hated the idea of anyone accusing me of not being a good mother. I did the best I could with my boys. Now as I stared up at him with his strong jaw, heavy lidded eyes, and full lips, I felt intimidated. He was uncomfortably sexy in the black tank top that stretched over his broad shoulders and dipped down to his narrow waist.

He stared down at me like I was about to be his first meal of the day. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, but if it had anything to do with taking my money, it would never be good.

His short locs fell over his eyes before he swept them out of his face. While he waited for me to respond, he licked those thick lips, bringing my attention back to his neatly trimmed goatee. Diamond earrings adorned both of his ears, giving his imposing masculinity just a hint of softness. I hated him for being so fine. It almost took me off my square.

“The problem seems to be I already didn’t have money to throw away on getting this truck fixed, and now the lady in there is telling me that the cost of repairs is over double what they initially told me.”

“Sometimes estimates work that way. That’s why we call them estimates. Pat was just explaining how they found that your radiator was bad once they did a full inspection. We can put a rush on the part and get it down here within the hour.”

“You don’t have to rush anything because I don’t have seven or eight hundred dollars to give y’all. Can I please have my keys?”

“With all due respect, I wouldn’t advise you to try to drive this truck.”

“With all due respect, that’s a chance I’m willing to take,” I countered.

“If money is the issue, maybe we can work something out,” he proposed.

For a minute, I just stared at him. Was he trying to give me charity just because his son had busted my son’s lip at school, or did he think I was just some pitiful single mother? I hadn’t forgotten how he threw out the fact that Theo didn’t have a dad.

As I stared at him, the fire in his gaze made me feel strange. I wanted to curse him out, but he was actually being nice. I still didn’t know what his angle was, so I knew I had to be careful. I hated dealing with mechanics in the first place. For several long seconds, neither of us spoke. It wasn’t that I was considering his offer. I didn’t even know what he was offering.

“What are you doing here anyway?” I spat, deciding to keep my defenses up.

“I work here,” he noted.

“Well, your coworker already offered me the employee discount for the parts. I appreciate the charity, but I really have to regroup and see if I can get someone else to look at my truck. I’m sure your boss wouldn’t want you out here offering all these breaks anyway. Or is that what y’all do? Give someone a high price and then pretend that you’re giving them a discount?”

“You’re making a lot of accusations when someone is just trying to help you. I’m sure my boss wouldn’t mind us helping a single mother who’s just trying to run her business.” He shrugged.

“Well, I appreciate it, and I apologize for being so bitchy. I’m just pissed that my truck is putting me down at the worst possible time.”

“Maybe I can help you. I know the boss wouldn’t mind, since I do happen to be the one who owns this place.”