“Yo, Fernando,” Orlando said before Fernando could finish that thought. “I need you out there in the shop. Got something I need you to help me with.” Orlando dropped the paper he’d been reading back onto the desk. He walked out to the shop area, motioning for Fernando to follow him, because he didn’t mean later; he meant now. As soon as they were outside and far away enough he was sure she couldn’t hear, he turned around to face him. “You hitting on the new hire?”
The guy smirked instantly. “Hell yeah, she’s got this sweet but hot-as-fuck demeanor like she doesn’t even know it—”
“Don’t,” Orlando said with a purpose. “She’s got a boyfriend and I don’t want any problems.”
Chuckling, Fernando shook his head. “Well, her boyfriend better watch himself. Letting that sweet but hot little thing work at an auto shop full of guys isn’t the smartest. I’m not the only one who’s been eyeing her.”
Orlando put his hand on Fernando’s shoulder and squeezed probably a little harder than he first intended. “Listen. I know we’ve never had any young girls working here, but there are sexual harassment laws. I’m not about to get sued because any of you dumb asses start sniffing around her and make her uncomfortable.” Fernando eyed him suspiciously like he knew this might be more than just Orlando’s fear of getting sued. But Orlando didn’t give a shit. Last thing he needed was for one of these idiots to come on too strong, make her uneasy, and have her walk.
“You want me to tell the guys?”
“You can,” Orlando said, taking his hand off Fernando’s shoulder and starting back to the lobby. “But I’ll be holding a team meeting when she leaves.”
As irritated as Fernando’s hell yeah response had made him, Orlando was smiling as soon as he walked back into the lobby. Danica smiled brightly at him as she held the phone to her ear. She had that same proud expression as she’d had earlier when she’d handled herself beautifully on the phone. Feeling the irrepressible pull her smile alone had on him, he was already headed her way.
Orlando reached the counter just as she hung up. “I see you’re getting it. Everything going good?”
“Everything’s fine.” She shrugged as she rolled her eyes slightly. “I can admit now I was nervous. Never worked with or around cars and such, but so far it’s been pretty self-explanatory.”
“Good—”
“Excuse me.” A heavyset woman smiled at Orlando apologetically for having interrupted then turned to Dani. “Can you tell me how long the wait would be right now to get an oil change?”
“Sure.” Dani got right to it, tapping at the keyboard in front of her.
Orlando’s phone rang, and with Dani being busy suddenly, he walked away to take the call from Felicia. He’d already noticed one missed call from her earlier. “Hey, what’s up?”
“I’m on my last break, and I just remembered why I called you earlier.”
As Felicia told him about the classic but beat-up car the attorney she worked with had just bought, Orlando tried to pay attention. But he kept glancing back in Dani’s direction. After the lady who’d asked about the oil change walked away, a guy had walked up to the counter to inquire about something. Minutes later he was still there, both arms resting on the counter as he leaned over and said something that had Dani laughing.” . . . this summer, right?”
Orlando shook his head, glancing away from Dani for a moment to focus on whatever it was Felicia was asking him. “What?”
“You said the expansion of the shop should be done by this summer, right? So, by then you’ll have more help and therefore the waiting list for the restorations won’t be as long?”
His eyes were back on Dani’s sweet smile, as she continued to chat with the guy at the counter. Orlando took the guy in, deciding he wasn’t anyone he recognized, but clearly his interest in conversing with Dani was more than just business the way he wolfishly smiled as he listened to whatever it was she was saying.
“Orlando?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m here.” Feeling like an ass, Orlando attempted to make sense of Felicia’s previous question. Why she was asking about the shop’s expansion. He didn’t realize how much he’d tuned her out.
“He’s not in a hurry.” She went on before he could answer. “He just wanted me to ask because he’s been doing his research and apparently has heard really good things about your shop.”
Taking in what she just said, Orlando attempted to pretend he’d followed along with all she’d been saying. Thankfully, his guess appeared to have nailed it. Chastising himself for getting so preoccupied he’d missed half of what Felicia said the first time, he paid attention this time as she went on about the car. He was about to wrap it up with her when she asked one more thing. “So, was the baby okay?”
The guy finally walked away from the counter and Dani. Orlando could now give Felicia his full attention. “What do you mean?”
“This morning when we were on the phone, you had to go because your mom was calling on the other line. You sounded worried.”
“Oh, yeah.” He stopped before stepping toward the noisy shop. “She was just asking about the food I didn’t pack him.” Deciding he preferred to take the rest of the conversation outside—away from the lobby—he stepped out and told Felicia about the tip he’d gotten from Dani about the baby food. Again, he was mindful not to gush too much; though he was already smiling midway through it.
“Dani? I thought you said her name was Danica?”
“It is.” He cleared his throat. “But I found out today she also goes by Dani.”
“Today? So, she and your mom are watching Baby O together?”
“No.” Orlando started through the shop. “She’s the new temp here at the shop. She’s sitting in for Talia until the doc clears her to come back. If,” he added, remembering what Nine had said about thinking that was it for Talia. “The way things are looking, Talia may not come back to work at all.”
“Oh . . .” Felicia was quiet for a moment before adding, “Well, I guess that answers the other question I didn’t get to ask before you had to hang up this morning.”
“What’s that?”
“I was gonna ask if you’d done a background check on her. But I guess the temp agency takes care of that for you, right?”
The question had him stopping in his tracks. The thought hadn’t even crossed his mind up until that moment, and now he felt stupid—irresponsible. He’d been so caught up on how impressed he was by Dani he’d neglected something so crucial. Nine was waving him over from where he stood across the shop, walking around his latest project. “Uh, yeah. Listen I gotta go. Nine’s waving me down. I’ll talk to you later.”
For the next couple of hours, he got busy with work. It wasn’t even until Dani stuck her head into the shop to let them know she was leaving that he thought about it again. Nine smiled, taking a bite of his burrito after Dani was gone. He wiped his mouth, glancing back at the lobby area. “Crazy how it all worked out, huh? We got the help we needed so bad, and you got yourself a sitter.” Putting his burrito down on the paper bag he’d taken it out of, Nine walked around inspecting his latest masterpiece. “Still needs some tweaking, but I think we got ourselves another winner here.”
Nodding in agreement, Orlando took in the old truck, but his mind was on something else again. “Yeah, I think so too. Listen.” He rubbed at the beginning of his afternoon stubble. “You uh . . . you do a background check on Dani?”
Glancing up at him, Nine started to scrunch his face, shaking his head, but then his expression changed. He peered at Orlando curiously. “No, why? You think I need to?”
“Well, no, not for the shop. I think we’ll be okay. But I’m just wondering, ya know, because she’s gonna be watching Little Man. Shouldn’t I?”
Nine’s brows furrowed. “She say something to you that makes you think you need to?”
“No. But isn’t it the responsible thing for a parent to do? Make sure whoever’s watching their kid isn’t dangerous?”
&n
bsp; This time Nine scoffed. “That sweet little thing? Dude, she just turned twenty-three. How much of a background can she have? Plus, she works with kids and is working on getting licensed. Pretty sure that wouldn’t even be an option if she’s got background issues.” Orlando watched without responding to that as Nine shook his head, taking another bite of his burrito. A couple of the other guys came over to check out the almost finished truck, and Nine got preoccupied with them. They all stood there talking about the truck and other projects they’d be starting on while Nine finished his food, and then Orlando started back to the lobby. He needed to check in on his mom and Little Man.
“O,” Nine called out just before Orlando got to the lobby door. Orlando stopped and turned back to him. “Up to you, man. I can run her through security like I have with some of these crumbs if you want me to.”
Thinking about it for just a second, Orlando shook his head. “Nah, I’m good.”
With a quick nod, Nine was back to yapping it up with the guys as if he, too, wouldn’t give it another thought. In all fairness, Orlando would be leaving Little Man in the hands of Felicia as well. Orlando hadn’t known her that long either, and he wasn’t planning on running a background check on her.
Orlando decided he’d go with his gut. Nothing about Dani said dangerous. In fact, if anything, his son was probably in better hands with her than anyone else who’d be helping Orlando with him.
Chapter 9
Danica
Glancing up, Danica’s eyes met Nine’s. He was peering at her a bit strangely just as the lobby door opened and Orlando walked in. Though after being around him just one day, Danica had already picked up on the fact that he was by far the most playful of the three owners. “You’re not a registered sex-offender or felon by any chance, are you?”
Feeling her heart nearly stop, Danica tried desperately not to freak out and give anything away. Nine burst out laughing when Orlando pushed him away from the counter. “Ha, ha.” Orlando shot Nine an annoyed look but quickly turned to Danica and explained. “Before this one says anything stupid, the only reason I asked him yesterday if he’d run a background check on you is because, midway through the day, it dawned on me it’d never even been discussed. We don’t always run one when we hire. Just play it by ear, especially since most of the guys we hire are ones that come recommended by a trusted source. But the circumstances with you were a little different. Everything happened so fast I was just curious. That’s all.” He glanced at Nine with a near glare but then turned back to Danica, instantly softening his expression. “No background check necessary. We’ll go with our gut on this one.”
If Danica hadn’t been so busy trying to breathe normally, she might’ve been able to appreciate the beautiful smile coupled with a heart-stopping wink he indulged her with. Even minutes later when Orlando still stood there talking about the baby, Danica struggled to calm her ongoing pounding heart. As soon as he excused himself to get to work and walked out of the lobby, she rushed to the bathroom.
Once in the stall she let out a trembling breath and proceeded to muffle her crying in her hands. She was afraid someone might walk in and hear her then rush off to report a possible injury or sick person in the ladies’ room. It took her a long while to get her emotions in check. She just couldn’t believe her luck. She was home free. She’d been so sure her bubble would be burst at any moment and she’d be banned from the baby’s life forever. Now she’d be holding the baby in her arms again for sure tomorrow. It felt almost as if her reunion with the baby was meant to be, the way everything kept falling into place as it had. “Thank you, Jesus,” she whispered as she gathered herself, wiping away her tears one last time. Stopping just before she pushed the stall door open, she did a quick sign of the cross and closed her eyes as her mother’s stern reminder came to her. Always ask forgiveness for your shortcomings and weaknesses. God forgives, but you must be genuine about your remorse.
Danica closed her eyes. She knew she hadn’t been able to follow through with all the lying she’d planned to do, but she was still keeping some very significant things from Orlando, and it just felt so wrong. “Please forgive me, God, for any necessary lying I’ll likely have to do. But you know better than anyone how much this means to me and that there is nothing I’d ever do or say to put my Oreo’s life in danger.” Pressing her lips together, she did another quick sign of the cross again as she walked out of the stall. Just because she was asking for forgiveness didn’t make it right, and she knew it, but telling Orlando the whole truth was completely out of the question still.
As expected, her face was a mess when she looked in the mirror, and she washed all her makeup off. What a waste of the extra time she’d taken on her makeup that morning. Thinking fast because there was no way she was getting the swelling around her red eyes down now, she did her best to get her story straight in her head before walking out.
She wasn’t even at the counter yet when Orlando walked back into the lobby from the shop. The smile he wore flattened as soon as he laid eyes on her. “What’s wrong?”
Feeling overwhelmed with the stupid emotions again, she brought her hand over her mouth. She shook her head, as her brows pinched involuntarily but couldn’t come up with even one of the lies she’d armed herself with in case she needed to. “Same ongoing issue I’ve been dealing with for months.” To her surprise, a few seconds later, she was in Orlando’s big strong arms as she sniffled against his gloriously hard chest. The roller coaster of emotions she’d felt in a matter of less than a half hour had her nearly dazed. Before doing her research on the baby’s father, she’d assumed he was in his early twenties. So, she’d been pleasantly surprised when she found out he was almost thirty and likely much more mature than she was expecting. The day she’d gone into the shop with Ted was the first time she’d been that up close to him, and she’d gotten to see firsthand just how much a full-grown man he was rather than the kid she’d been worried about handing the baby over to. Now she stood here in his arms, getting an even bigger dose of just what a grown-ass, strapping man Orlando really was. Danica felt completely overwhelmed by the wild train of emotions. She’d gone from completely panicked to so overjoyed with relief it’d made her emotional, and now . . . She wasn’t even sure what she was feeling, but she was sure tingly insides were not what she should be feeling when she was dealing with such an emotional personal issue.
“You don’t have to share if it’s personal,” he whispered against the top of her head. “Just know you can come to me if there’s anything I can do.” How was it possible that she’d gone from a crying mess to her legs nearly giving out on her and her insides going wild in less than a few seconds? This was insanity. She had to gather herself before she was struck by lightning. “You don’t have to stay here either, Dani,” he said sweetly as he rubbed her back. “Go home and deal with whatever it is that’s going on.”
Just getting a taste of what an embrace from this man was like had her eyes rolling to the back of her head in ecstasy. But hearing him call her Dani had her inadvertently smiling against his chest. You’re so upset you’re crying remember, you idiot!
Snapping out of it, she wiped what she was sure was a ridiculously enamored and completely inappropriate smile off her face. But she couldn’t immediately bring herself to pull away from him just yet. Allowing herself to indulge a little longer, she took another deep breath of his heavenly scent.
“What happened? What’s wrong?”
She was forced to pull away after hearing Nine’s concerned voice, and she wiped at the still lingering tears.
“She’s just upset,” Orlando said before she could respond. “But it’s personal,” he added with finality as if Nine might ask what about.
Nine’s eyes went from Orlando’s to Danica’s and he frowned. “Do you need to leave?”
“I told her she could if she wanted to.”
“Yeah, go home, if you have to,” Nine immediately agreed, glancing around at the counter. “Looks like you alread
y got us back on track here.”
“No.” She shook her head. “It’s nothing too bad really. I’m just way too emotional about it, but I’ll spare you the details.” She smiled softly, trying to remember one of the cliché phrases people always used at times like these. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? I’ll be fine.”
Orlando nodded, still looking genuinely concerned for her. He touched her shoulder gently. “Well, if you think staying here is better, then that’s up to you. But just know, if at any minute you feel like you gotta get out of here, you’re free to go.”
“Thank you.” Danica glanced up at him and smiled, sniveling away the finally dissipating emotion. The rest of the day Danica concentrated on work. Every now and again she’d remember that in just one day she’d be holding the baby again. Just before the end of her shift, her phone rang, and it surprised her to see who it was. Glancing around because this was not a call she’d want Orlando to hear, she was relieved to see he was far enough away and he and Nine looked completely engrossed in what they were working on. Feeling a bit unsure, but at the same time curious, she answered,”Hello?”
“Hello, Danica,” Blaine said cheerfully. “My father told me you two are going through a bit of a rough patch. Sorry to hear it, but I’m sure you’ll work it out.” Danica’s lips opened, but she couldn’t think of how to respond to that. Before she could, Blaine went on. “I have some good news for you. I spoke to the district attorney, and given how perfect your probation has been, your excellent grades and all, he’s agreed to hear your case sooner than we thought. It’ll likely take a few more court dates because this guy’s a real stickler, but it should happen.”
Feeling her heart sink, because this was great news but there was no way Danica could afford him anymore, she said, “Blaine, your dad and I broke up. It’s not just a rough patch. Not sure if he explained, but I moved out and . . . we’re not going to work things out.” Swallowing back the emotion, she exhaled. “I-I can’t afford you anymore.”
Orlando: Boyle Heights #4 Page 9
