Mechanic: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 23)

by Flora Ferrari

  CHAPTER 14

  Dawna

  I’m doing things with him that I’ve never done with anyone before. Things I couldn’t have even dreamed of. I couldn’t even imagine telling my friends.

  After hearing about my time with him they’d ask me, “You mean you got in a car and traveled halfway around the country with a strange guy you never met?”

  How can I explain to them that he never felt like a stranger, not for one second. On one hand he’s so masculine that you can feel his power at all times, but on the other he’s so easygoing that he doesn’t need to stick his chest out and intimidate anyone…me included.

  He’s the perfect combination of testosterone and aggression mixed with a low-key, laid back vibe. It’s extremely rare that those traits go together, and it’s even more unlikely that I met the guy who has them. And as much as I can’t wait to get to L.A., I think again about what’s going to happen when we do arrive later today and this all comes to an end.

  What am I going to say? “Um…we’ll…okay, thanks? I’ll…send you a postcard?”

  Hardly. I know it and I know he knows it to.

  I put on my bra and top as we walk and start looking for the car.

  “Didn’t we park it around here?” I ask. We don’t have the benefit of the shade of the rocks anymore and I’m ready to hide inside that air-conditioned box known as an automobile as we continue to put miles behind us. Miles where we’ll sing along to songs, and just continue this amazing adventure as I get closer to my ultimate goal, Hollywood.

  He jingles the keys in his pocket as he looks down at the ground. I’ve never seen him dejected before. This is strange.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He points toward the dirt and I see the car tracks leading away from the bushes towards the road.

  If I thought I had nothing before, then I really have nothing now.

  CHAPTER 15

  Dawna

  A full hour and a half later we’re walking up the off-ramp praying it’s not a mirage. The sun has been beating down on our heads. We’re drenched in sweat, tired, thirsty, and dangerously close to hallucinating. No wonder no-one stopped to pick us up, not that we saw more than fifteen cars. I know, because I was counting.

  “Can I help you?” the guy at the counter says, looking at us like we might be bank robbers or outlaws on the run.

  “Do you have a payphone?” Mack asks.

  “We may be in the middle of nowhere, but we’re not that far behind the times. Took out our last payphone last year.”

  “Is there a phone I can borrow?”

  “Who you calling?” the man says, squinting at us.

  “El Paso?”

  “That’s not free.”

  “I’ve got money.”

  “Not everything’s about money, mister,” he says.

  “Exactly. That’s why I’ve got to make a call. She’s got the biggest moment of her life tonight and I’m going to make sure I get her there.”

  “Where you going and how you plan on doing that?”

  “California, and by any means possible.”

  The man laughs. “Good luck with that.”

  It’s the only gas station for miles and as much as I want to jump over the counter and strangle this guy, and I can tell Mack does too, we have to work with him.

  “You take Western Union?” Mack says, pointing at the sign on the corner of the wall.

  “We do.”

  “How long does it take to receive it?”

  “After it’s sent we just need the code. About ten minutes usually, at the most.”

  “What kind of car do you drive?”

  “Why do you care what kind of—“

  “What…kind…of…car…do…you…drive?”

  “Old Pontiac. It’s parked out back.”

  “How old?”

  “Nine or ten years.”

  “Does it run?”

  “Like a champ.”

  “Can it get me to California tonight?”

  “All it needs is gas.”

  “You sign over the title, and in twelve minutes you’ll have ten thousand come through that Western Union.”

  “Ten thousand? For my old car?”

  “Any other cars around here?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then that’s the one.”

  “So let me get this straight…you’re going to give me ten thousand dollars for my car?”

  “Price drops by five hundred per minute.”

  “So ten thousand for my car…why twelve minutes?”

  “I need to make one call.”

  “You’re not on the run from the law are you?”

  “Never. Ten thousand fifty, and we’ll take a few of those bottles of juice, some water, and a fresh tank of gas.”

  “And my car?”

  “You’ve got thirty seconds and the price starts dropping.”

  The man’s facial expression freezes as he looks at Mack and then at me.

  I haven’t asked Mack for any of this, but here he is doing everything he can to help me out. Everything. And from the moment we walked in the shop I haven’t even said a word. He’s doing this all on my behalf and without so much as asking for a thank you. I’m never going to forget this, and I don’t want to. He’s turned my dream into his dream. Our dream. At this point I don’t know who’s going to be more proud if I take the stage tonight…him or me.

  It’s settled. This man is too good to me…too good for me. We’re perfect together. We’re a team. This can’t end tonight. Not tonight…not ever.

  CHAPTER 16

  Dawna

  “I tried to get ahold of you all day. You didn’t answer your phone. I’m really sorry, but I had to book someone else,” Bob, the manager of The Hollywood Improv says.

  “Our car got stolen. I came as quick as I could. I don’t have a phone. I don’t have anything.”

  “Let me guess…the dog ate your phone?”

  A big, burly security guard approaches Bob quickly. “Boss, somebody parked right in front of the theater, on the sidewalk.”

  “Tell them to move it.”

  “I can’t find the owners.”

  “Then tow it.”

  “I’m not sure we want to do that,” the security guard says.

  “Of course we want to, why wouldn’t we?”

  “Maybe you should take a look.”

  Bob exhales hard. “Do I have to do everything myself?” He storms toward the front door, pushing it open. “What the…”

  We were in such a hurry to get me here on time we didn’t even bother trying to find an impossible to find parking spot in L.A. We made the plan on what we’d do when we arrived in the half an hour just before we pulled up, and the plan didn’t call for driving around looking for parking.

  “We’re already late. We’re doomed,” I’d said.

  “Do you remember the Welcome to California sign?”

  “How could I forget?”

  “Did you happen to see what was just below it?”

  “Mack, I don’t care about random state line trivia right now. I just blew it. I’m late. I’m not going to perform tonight or ever once word spreads that I didn’t show.”

  “I hate to bring up a sore subject but I really wish we had our phones right now.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  “Because I’d pull up the picture and show you what it said just below the sign.”

  “Who cares what it said.”

  “We do.”

  I raised my palms in the air as to ask, why.

  “Now entering Pacific Time Zone. We gained an extra hour. We’re not late yet. We can still make it.”

  And make it we did, by the skin of our teeth. The show was supposed to start in five minutes from exactly the minute Mack pulled the emergency break out front, just as we rushed into the theater, not even bothering to shut the doors.

  But something happened in that minute since we’d arrived. Thank god for tourists.

  A
group had gathered around our car and was furiously taking pictures. Better yet, a number had made their way over to the box office to ask what the fuss was all about.

  “This is your car?” Bob asks.

  “Since this afternoon,” Mack says. The “Hollywood Improv or Bust” signs were her idea. I don’t use lipstick.”

  Bob grunted something that almost resembled a laugh. When we stopped for gas I had taken a couple of the dollars Mack had in his wallet and bought a tube of the brightest red lipstick they had, using it to scribble some slogans on the car for inspiration.

  “Well, you certainly know how to perform, and advertise.”

  “Sorry, I don’t exactly have the rights to use your club’s name.”

  The man at the box office counter flashed a zero sign towards Bob. “Just sold them all,” he says.

  “I guess we can overlook it this time,” Bob says, just before he looks down at his watch.

  “Those are the clothes you planned on wearing on stage?”

  “They’re the clothes I planned on wearing everywhere. They’re the only ones I’ve got. I mean, I can work them into my act at this point.”

  “You’ve already got some jokes prepared from what happened this afternoon?”

  “Prepared and ready to go.”

  “But you haven’t tested them,” Bob says, knowing it’s a bad idea to let me test out fresh material on his discerning crowd.

  “Life’s a test, and I’ve been preparing for this moment since the first time I ever laughed out loud. I’m ready, and more importantly they’re ready,” I say pointing to the crowd of people who are now rushing in so they’re not late.

  “You bomb your opener and I’m pulling the hook,” he says.

  “You won’t regret this,” I say to Bob, extending my hand for a shake.

  He purses his lips before extending his hand to mine, and shaking. “Well, what are you waiting for? You’re on!”

  I take two steps forward, preparing to sprint before I stop quickly, pivoting and rushing back to Mack.

  I grab his face and kiss him hard. “Thank you. You made my dream come true.”

  He smiles and says nothing. He doesn’t have to. There are no words that express how I feel, and how I feel about him.

  I kiss him once more, and hug him tight.

  “Hurry up before I change my mind,” Bob says.

  I turn and run for the stage. I’m smiling from ear to ear and realizing I just got the Hollywood ending, in Hollywood. It really is a special place. The land of the stars. And tonight is my first step towards becoming one myself.

  CHAPTER 17

  Mack

  Bob stands next to me in the back of the club, his arms crossed as he stares at the stage with a look that’s half disapproving and half curious.

  Dawna begins her set, but I don’t even hear her joke. I’m just staring at her face. There are different levels of happiness in life, but it’s rare when you see someone who is truly on cloud nine. Someone who’s exactly where the want to be in the world, doing exactly what they want, at the absolute perfect moment.

  That’s her. That’s now.

  But the strange thing is that I feel it too. I’ve been fortunate enough to experience success in my life, but this feels different. Knowing I had a very, very small part in her success strangely feels better than any success I’ve had on my own.

  And in this moment I first realize what life is all about. It’s all about making others happy, sharing, helping people achieve their dreams and then blending into the background and watching as they do and as the spotlight shines right on them…literally. Getting those goose bumps right along with them, even though you’re safe in the grandstands of life. But I can feel her excitement. I’d swear I feel it just as strong as she does, and it’s because of everything we’ve been through together.

  We met yesterday as two people, and somewhere in those many miles that brought us from there to here, we became one.

  I hear a suppressed laugh disguised as an exhale and look back at Bob just in time to see him pulling his smile back. She got him. The guy who’s seen and heard it all and she just made him laugh.

  She’d worked on her material during the drive today, but not much. She’s winging it right now. She’s a natural, and by the reaction from the crowd she’s definitely got talent.

  And then I laugh too. It just occurred to me that I’d never really heard her jokes. Sure, I spent time with her and saw her sense of humor first hand, but that’s something entirely different than standing on stage with hot, bright lights in your face trying to convince a crowd full of people who paid for dinner, drinks, and to laugh harder than they have in a long time that they made the right decision.

  Everyone here tonight made the right decision, and they let it be known when she gets a standing ovation as she leaves the stage after her act.

  I am so proud of this girl. So amazed and so grateful we’ve had this time together, but it’s clear to see she’s on her way to greatness.

  There’s no way I can hold her back. She doesn’t belong in El Paso, she belongs here…under the bright lights in the big city.

  They love her here, and she loves them. As much as I want to love her to, and I know I already do, I can’t. She’s just starting her career and she can’t have me holding her back.

  I’ve never been so sad, or so happy.

  But right now I’m just going to enjoy this. These moments don’t come along often, and I’m going to enjoy this one with everything I’ve got.

  She shoots out from behind a curtain running along the inside of the club and runs toward me, her arms open wide.

  “How’d I do?” she says, as we hug so tight it’s a wonder we’re even able to breathe.

  “Perfect.”

  “Really?”

  “Always. I already knew you were perfect before you stepped on that stage. Now they do too, and soon everyone will.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Mack

  “Brunch break?” I ask.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  We were up early and already on the road to San Francisco. Dawna’s performance had gone over so well that Bob had called up to Punch Line San Francisco and Cobb’s Comedy Club. She’d be opening on back-to-back nights…starting tonight.

  This morning she’d insisted she could take the train, but I wasn’t having any of that nonsense. We started this adventure together and we’d finish it together.

  And by finish I mean finish, and the way things were taking off for her, there was no end in sight.

  I park the car and we walk down to the beach. Now I see what all the fuss is about when people talk about Santa Barbara. Everywhere you look it’s a postcard. I could get used to this California thing real fast.

  “That looks good,” I say, noticing a peaceful spot in the sand.

  “How are we going to get brunch over there?” she smiles.

  “You’ve got the comedy covered, and I’ve got the magic covered.”

  “Magic?”

  I give her a wink. “Do you like the waves?” I ask as I sit down in the sand. She follows suit.

  She turns towards the ocean, still confused by my comments. I’m just trying to buy time, and thankfully I don’t need much.

  A gentleman approaches us from the side, quickly moving toward us.

  “What does he want?” she asks, appearing nervous.

  “Maybe we should ask him…or maybe he’ll ask us.”

  I feel her hand reach for mine and take it. I squeeze it tight, letting her know I’ll be here for her and that she can always count on me to keep her safe.

  “Can I take your order?”

  She looks perplexed, turning to me.

  “Like I said. I’ve got the magic covered.”

  “Mimosas and scrambled eggs and avocado on toast for starters would be perfect,” I say.

  “Got ya. I’ll be right back.”