“Huh. Nice,” Reeve grunted and resumed watching TV.
She turned to do the same, not surprised to find some brainless action movie on. She snorted. “Who the hell would go to a gunfight in a bikini?”
Steven twisted himself on the couch so he could glare at her. “Just watch the damn show, Navarro.” He turned back to the screen, only to focus on her again a moment later.
“Oh, hey um,” he sat up and cleared his throat. “So, Jimmy called earlier.”
Natalie wrenched her gaze back to her friend, a frown on her face. “What did he want?”
Steven scratched at the stubble on his jaw, avoiding her eyes. “He canceled your extra shift.”
“What? I need that fucking money, and it’s not like we aren’t backlogged with work anyway!” She knew it wasn’t Steven’s fault but she needed to vent.
“Yeah, I know. It turns out he hired his nephew or something. Everyone’s having their time reduced so the nephew can make bank.” Steven looked less than pleased, himself.
“Fuck. KTU isn’t cheap, and then there’s rent, utilities, gas, and food.” She let her head thud back against the wall. After a moment’s contemplation, she reached an arm over to grab the beer from Reeve’s hand.
He let it go without a fight, calmly accepting the nearly empty can once she’d swallowed several large mouthfuls. “I can cover rent for you for about a month if it comes to that, but I know you’ll figure something out.”
“Thanks, Reeve,” she muttered grumpily.
Steven turned back to the screen. The room was quiet as each pretended to watch the movie.
Natalie dug her cell phone out of her pocket with a sigh. Brittney had wanted to meet her at work for lunch the following day, and having to change plans was a good enough excuse to vent a little more.
“I’m gonna grab a beer,” she announced when she’d finished typing. “Anyone else?”
Both Steven and Reeve were quick to nod yes.
She sulked all the way to the fridge to retrieve the two cans and one bottle of beer, then closed the door with more force than necessary. “Fucking Jimmy.”
*****
Natalie slammed her textbook shut and leaned back on the couch. Part of her should be happy for the extra study time, she knew.
It had been two weeks since Steven’s bad news about work, and two weeks of a slowly dwindling paycheck. After three years of school, the money she’d worked hard to save was looking rather scarce. She didn’t want to have to dip more into the savings account than necessary; she had at least three more semesters to go before finishing her degree.
Sometimes she found it funny, how it had taken her nearly ten years to save enough to make KTU a possibility—and yet how quickly that same amount had been slipping through her fingertips like sand since her first semester.
Looking back, she wished she’d charged more for mowing Mr. Denkin’s yard.
Natalie shook herself. It was best not to dwell too much in the past. She could take out a student loan, but she was trying her best to avoid accumulating a heap of debt. Her immediate option was finding more work and, if need be, taking a semester off. She didn’t particularly want to do the latter… but Natalie had learned to live with disappointment from a young age.
“Just another reminder from life that it’s here to kick me in the pants,” she muttered as she stared up at the ceiling.
Worrying about money was beginning to consume more of her thoughts, so much so that she’d begun to have problems sleeping. Steven hadn’t noticed, but she knew Reeve was worried.
Yesterday during a study session, Brittney had even gently reminded her to take it easy. That had been an odd experience for Natalie, having grown used to her role as a mentor.
Her tentative attempts the last week to find additional employment had been unsuccessful. Finding a job at Jimmy’s had been tough enough. Most places still hesitated to hire female mechanics, especially with KTU (and its plethora of male job-seekers) in the same city. As it was, she’d had to put up with a few Mexican “jokes” about stealing jobs at Jimmy’s. She’d probably have to look for something outside of her expertise if things didn’t shape up.
Across the room, her phone began to vibrate. She glared in its direction before hauling herself up to her feet. Of course, she’d forgotten her phone in the kitchen.
She forced herself to hurry. It could be someone calling back about a job. She didn’t blink twice at the unrecognized number, immediately answering. “Navarro speaking.”
“Natalie, hey! I know this might seem a little weird but it’s Adam Garret. I got your number from Brittney.”
Natalie had to mentally shift gears, not allowing herself to feel disappointed at the lack of a callback on one of her applications. That could come later. “Adam, hey. What’s up?”
“Well, Natalie, I’m glad you asked. I was talking to Brittney yesterday, going on about this old project of mine and how I’ll probably never find the time to get around to it. As I was maturely bemoaning this fact, your name came up.”
“Oh?” Natalie frowned.
Over the line, the sound of Adam clearing his throat was audible. “That’s right. I might not have the time to get to my project, but I do have the resources to maybe get someone else to help me out with it.”
“And what does that have to do with me?” Natalie asked carefully. She suppressed the immediate spark of anger that threatened to ignite into more. Did Brittney have to tell her dad everything?
“Well, before you say no, this project is about a car. A very old one.”
Despite her immediate instinct to reject the offer, Natalie stopped herself. “Go on,” she managed to reply.
“Great. Okay, well, first let me say that this is going to take a hell of a lot of work and I won’t be able to pay you top rates. I was hoping you might cut me a little bit of a deal here since you’re such good friends with Brittney.”
Natalie’s lips twitched. How much did Brittney talk about her, exactly? Adam was smart to make the job offer seem like she’d be doing him a favor.
“What’s the catch here, Garret?”
Adam chuckled. “When I say old, I mean old. The body of the car is in decent shape, but nearly everything under the hood is going to need to be replaced or rebuilt. A lot of these parts were never mass produced. You’re probably going to have to design a few things yourself.”
“That sounds like a lot of work for a friend discount,” Natalie joked as her head swam. The work she did for Jimmy tended to be very routine stuff. Inspections, oil changes, and other simple maintenance made up the majority of her time. The thought of getting to do the kind of work Adam was offering made her skin prickle with excitement. Even with Adam’s warning, the pay would probably be better, too.
“We don’t have to set anything in stone. Why don’t you drive down and take a look before you make up your mind for sure? Worst case scenario, I just cover your travel expenses and the cost of an inspection.”
Natalie’s lips twitched again. “Well, I’m a busy gal, Adam, but I don’t suppose it would hurt to take a look.”
“That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear. Alright, so…”
Chapter Three
Natalie checked the time on her phone again as she went over her mental checklist. She was attempting to cram a lot in on her Saturday off, but she’d survived tough schedules before.
She shoved her laptop into her backpack, adding her charging cable at the last minute. Though she planned to be out of Sage Falls and back at her apartment that night, she might be able to squeeze some homework or studying in.
Adam had mentioned having an extensively equipped garage but she couldn’t resist bringing her own toolbox along. It was better to be safe than sorry, and she was most familiar with her own gear.
One of the first lessons Pops had ingrained in her when she’d wandered into his garage as a knobby-kneed-pipsqueak had been all about preparation. Considering that his lessons had helped her get where she w
as today, she usually abided by them.
She didn’t doubt that Adam would have all sorts of great gadgets. In particular, she was looking forward to potentially using a 3D printer off campus. It would be good for testing out parts for fitting, at the very least.
With a last look around her small room, she adjusted the straps of her backpack over her shoulders and took her hard plastic toolbox in hand.
Reeve was sitting at the kitchen counter in a plain white t-shirt and a pair of grey boxers, hair curly and unkempt from sleep. They’d never gotten around to buying a proper table to eat at since a few stools at the counter got the job done. The extra space was nice.
“You’re up early,” he mumbled as he scooped up another spoonful of cereal.
“Yep.” She nodded and set her toolbox down on an empty stretch of counter. “Going out to meet Adam today to take a look at his old car.”
He nodded and finished his mouthful of food. “You know Thanksgiving is coming up.”
“Yeah. Pops is stoked. He said this year he’s going to try deep frying the turkey. He saw it on TV and can’t wait to try it out.” She grinned as she pictured him donning his welding gear and hefting a heavy bird into a vat of oil.
“That’s cool. As long as Steven isn’t allowed to help.” He grimaced and rubbed his left thigh. After a pause he licked his lips, his eyes focused on his bowl. “You think Pops would be okay with having Tori’s new boyfriend there this year?”
She studied him for a moment. Though Pops and Reeve weren’t particularly close, they had a good relationship. “You know your uncle, he’s always open to more company.”
“She’s never brought a boy around the house, though. Hell, I can’t even call him a boy. He’s my age, but I guess he seems like a pretty nice guy. I don’t know if I like him yet, but I do know that if I don’t invite him Tori won’t come. What does someone in his twenties want with an eighteen-year-old, anyway?” He swirled his spoon through his milk, still not looking at Natalie.
Natalie paused. She couldn’t comment; her own couple (attempts at) relationships had always been with older women. She cleared her throat and stepped closer to him, briefly studying the movements of the silvery metal through the whiteness of the milk. She slid her eyes up to observe his face and then punched his shoulder.
“She’s a rebellious teenager finally living in her own space. She still loves you, dipwad. The new boyfriend is just a shiny distraction. Invite the guy, we’ll all keep an eye on them.”
Reeve grinned and looked up from his bowl, all signs of vulnerability gone. “Sounds like a plan. I can’t always be the bad guy.” He leaned back to stretch. “Brittney going home for turkey day?”
“Yeah, I think so. Mrs. Garret’s a pretty good cook, so.”
He raised his bowl up to his lips, loudly gulping the milk down. “You should probably get going,” he grunted as he got up to add his bowl to the ‘dirty’ side of the sink.
She glared at him and shook her head. “Yeah, yeah. Try not to let Steven sleep all day, alright? He’ll keep us up all night tinkering on some random shit.”
Reeve turned to face her, crossing his arms over his chest and giving her a pointed look.
“Alright!” She blew out a breath and hefted her toolbox again. “Thickhead,” she grumbled affectionately.
She was smiling as she loaded up her El Camino. Thanksgiving was one of her favorite holidays.
As the car rumbled to life, she patiently waited for her phone to pair to the modified radio she’d personally installed. As much as she loved the classic car, she equally loved her digital library of music. A few taps had her massive collection playing with shuffle on, and she hummed along when a song by Hole came on.
The drive would take an hour and the sun was barely visible above the horizon, but Natalie felt surprisingly good about her day.
“Let’s do this,” she muttered to herself as she backed her car out from its spot.
*****
Adam was all smiles and twinkling eyes when she pulled up the long driveway and parked alongside his white pick-up truck.
As she parked, he meandered from the porch over to her car, steaming mug of coffee in one hand and the other tucked into the front pocket of his worn jeans. He sipped it as he waited for her to grab her things.
“Is that a ’76? The Classic. Looks like you’ve got one with all the bells and whistles too.” He gave it an appreciative once-over and gestured to the black stripes on the side of its red body.
Natalie grinned as she hip-checked her door closed. “Yep. This is my baby, I restored her myself. Not many people appreciate the El Caminos, but I needed something with the bed space and getting a truck isn’t really practical in the city.”
Adam tilted his head toward his truck. “Brittney had told me you’d restored your own car but she didn’t know the model. It’s why I thought you could help me with this.” His smile put her mind at ease. It wasn’t a pity hire. “But, yeah, I know what you mean about the parking. Any time I have to take my truck there for business I always get annoyed trying to fit it into those tiny spots they claim are parking spaces.”
“Exactly. I know downtown is old, but you’d think they’d widen the streets a little since it’s been a couple hundred years since they were first designed with horses in mind.” She leaned back against her car and shifted the weight of the toolbox against her thigh.
Adam noticed the movement with a blink, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “Oh, hey, let’s get you settled in the garage so you can put that down.” He reached into his pocket and removed a plastic key fob, pressing the button and watching as the left garage door clanked open.
Natalie’s lips parted in surprise when he turned the lights on.
Neat rows of grey shelves and metal pegboards were festooned with every type of gadget and tool she could imagine in a home garage—and some she usually only saw in professional ones. Splitting the double garage was a sturdy metallic work table with benches and, on the far side, she spotted the 3D printer resting on a long counter.
She clutched the handle of her toolbox tighter, the hard plastic biting into her skin with the force of her grip. It was like her first time at King Technical University all over again.
To the left she spotted a large drop-cloth covered car she assumed to be the one she’d be working on, and she hurried to one of the many workbenches to set her tools down.
“Yeah, I’ve been collecting this stuff for years. It’s kinda funny. I worked hard to have all these things, but I work so much that I almost never get to use any of it.” He turned and gave her a wistful smile. “Maybe when I retire, huh?”
She forced a corner of her mouth up into a reasonable attempt at a smile. “Maybe, yeah.”
He sighed and looked around before moving to the car and removing the white fabric. A cloud of dust erupted around him, making him cough.
“See? It’s been that long,” Adam admitted sheepishly. “As I mentioned, this needs a lot of work. If you agree to it, I think this could keep you pretty busy for a while.”
Natalie didn’t say anything, her eyes drinking in the late ‘40s to early ‘50s vehicle. “I've never seen anything like this,” she admitted in awe. The lines were gorgeous, the front one long sleek curve with two smaller ones topping it and molding back into the body like gently cresting waves.
She reached out a hand to trace along the dips and curves of the light blue exterior, enjoying the thought of getting to rebuild everything under the hood while maintaining the distinct look. Restoring the paint some wouldn’t hurt, either.
Adam patiently waited for her to finish her inspection. He smiled. “Yeah, this is kind of a family heirloom. Luckily the guy I bought it from had no idea what this meant to me. My grandfather worked for one of the really old car companies that only lasted a few years after World War II. He designed this prototype but the company went belly-up before they could go into production.”
He turned to admire the car. “I hardly remembe
r my grandfather but I couldn’t resist getting it.”
“That’s pretty cool, Adam.” Doing more admiring of her own, Natalie could understand his connection to the vehicle. “I guess engineering runs in the blood.”
He chuckled, the lines around his mouth deepening. It was only when his attention wandered to his watch that the smile disappeared. “I’d love to stay and take this beauty apart, but I have a flight to catch. The house is open if you need anything, feel free to help yourself. Maddie will be back this afternoon from the clinic. There’s a mini-fridge over there with some drinks and small snacks thanks to Maddie. She insisted once I told her you’d be working on the old G-47s.”
Natalie was a little disappointed he had to leave so soon; it had been a while since she’d gotten to hang out with a real gearhead outside of school that wasn’t Steven. “Thanks, Adam. I hope you have a good flight.”
He offered her a wink and a wave, and then Natalie was alone. She let her gaze roam the garage interior at a much slower pace, shaking her head when she noticed a heavy duty winch-and-pulley system for hefting large, heavy parts.
“Man, it’s a shame he’s never around to enjoy all of this.” There was a profound moment of silence as she soaked in her surroundings, feeling like a visitor in someone else’s dream. She shook her head and brushed a hand over the stylized metal font on the side of the car that read G-47s.
She’d never heard of the model, and the insignia on the front hood was from an unfamiliar manufacturer. Excitement bubbled up in her chest as she opened the driver’s door and sat inside to look around.
The seats were in surprisingly good condition, though she was certain Adam would probably want a lot of updates to the coupe’s instrument panel and dash. Each car had a personality, and the G-47s was no exception. She’d do her best to keep that intact during her restoration.
With a hum, she exited the car and walked around to pop open the hood. She was happy to note that it still had the metal rod to keep it propped it open. She nibbled on her lower lip as she looked over the ancient parts and clicked her tongue. “Man, this really won’t be cheap to fix up.”
Meeting Mrs Garret Page 3
