by Layla Silver
He turned and held out a hand. “Nice to properly meet you,” he said, smiling.
For a moment, she stared at his hand like she didn’t know what to do with it. Just when Josh thought she wasn’t going to take it, she did, shaking it firmly. But she looked away from him as she did.
“Yeah, I guess,” she said. She glanced at her car. “So, can you fix it or not?”
“There are a couple of things I want to look at before deciding anything,” Josh said. “Just wait here.”
Angie nodded, crossed her arms, and leaned against the car. Josh jogged back to the shop, slipping into the back where Greg, Pete, and Kyle were working, moving back and forth between a Sedan, a Minivan, and an SUV. The smell of grease was a lot stronger here than in the lot.
Greg caught his eye, rolling out from under the SUV that they had on the car lift. “Hey man,” he said, dusting himself off and standing up. “Finally getting out of the office to do some real work?”
Josh rolled his eyes. “The paperwork has to get done. You’re surely not smart enough to do it.”
Kyle, who was crouched on the other side of the vehicle, laughed. “He’s got a point.”
“Whatever. I saw you chatting up that hottie out front. Going to give her a little extra service after you look at her car?” Greg grinned and winked, nudging him with an elbow.
“She’s just a customer,” Josh said.
“Mhm, but that’s never stopped Pete and me from getting a little busy after a job’s done.” Greg winked, then looked over his shoulder. “Right, Pete?”
Pete was hidden behind the Sedan and probably hadn’t heard the conversation at all. He responded anyway: “You got it!”
Josh bristled, a bit of his Bear coming through. He loomed over Greg, making himself look intimidating. “Don’t talk about her like that.”
Greg staggered back. “Alright, jeez, I thought she was just a customer. Relax, bro.”
The clanking of metal drew Josh back into his senses. He wasn’t sure why he was reacting so strongly. She really was just a customer, after all, no matter their history. And that history definitely didn’t matter when she didn’t even want to look him in the eyes.
He left Kyle, Greg, and Pete to their work, grabbing a toolbelt from the back shelf and a rag before leaving the shop and returning to look at Angie’s car. He took the few moments between the shop and Angie to calm himself. Even if he and Angie had just been a fling, he didn’t want Greg and Pete eyeing her up like she was some snack to taste once and discard. Like Josh had already done to her once, albeit unintentionally.
A smile, although obviously forced, enchanted Angie’s face when Josh approached. He almost stopped to stare at her, to admire the refined beauty of her features. She had elegant, high cheekbones and a slender face with full cheeks and red lips. Instead of stopping, he smiled back, tried to look casual, and diverted his attention and his racing heart by looking at the car. Maybe if he did a good job, she’d be impressed, and he’d have more leeway to make up for whatever she was mad about.
He grabbed a bottle of battery cleaner from his belt, then pointed to the battery posts. “See this blue stuff here? It’s corrosion, pretty normal stuff, but it can keep your car from starting properly if there’s too much of it,” Josh said. He sprayed it with the battery cleaner.
Angie leaned in and watched. She seemed genuinely interested.
“This stuff will make it easier to clean off, but there’s a home remedy you can use, just baking soda and water, that works the same,” he said. After a moment, he scrubbed it off with a wire brush and then dried the rest with a rag. It looked good as new.
“Interesting. I’m surprised you’d give a tip like that when I’m sure you charge a fortune for such a simple fix …” Angie said. She sounded half spiteful, half-joking, but Josh wasn’t really sure which until she gave him a charming, crooked smile.
“It’s no trouble. Car health is important, and it can be overwhelming when you don’t know much about it or are just learning. I’m happy to help and don’t believe in charging people for those simple fixes,” he said. He looked up at Angie, whose expression had softened a bit since her arrival. She wasn’t as hostile, looking at him like he was a hated enemy.
“I’m sure your customers appreciate it,” Angie said.
Josh shrugged, feeling a little more comfortable around her than he had when she first appeared at the shop entrance. “So, when did you move here?” he said.
She worried her lip for a while before answering. “Family in the area. I’m not here because I want to.”
“Oh, that’s cool,” he said, trying to buy some time to think of what to say next. It didn’t sound entirely true, moving here for family, but Josh wasn’t about to question her. “By the way … I’m new to the area, just moved here a few weeks ago. I was thinking … I was wondering if maybe you’d show me around some time?”
Angie clammed up, her lips tight, arms crossed. “Sorry, but I can’t. I mean, I’m not—” She sighed, running a hand through her long black hair. It fell between her fingers like ink.
He wondered if it was something she usually did when she was nervous since Josh had noticed he did the same thing.
“No problem.” Josh tried to smile, to act like it was fine, but it wasn’t. He’d gotten his hopes up, only to crush himself. What a stupid mistake. Of course, this little interaction between them wouldn’t change anything, not when she didn’t like him for being a shifter. “Want to try giving her a start?”
She slipped into the driver’s seat and turned the key. The Civic sputtered, failing to turn over a few times before finally turning on. Josh’s heart squeezed. He should have gotten her to start it first before trying anything else. Though he thought it was still good to clean up the battery, the sound told him the problem was deeper than the battery or even faulty wiring.
“No good,” Angie said, sighing. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. “Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.”
“I’m sorry,” Josh said. She looked really upset. “There are some other things I could try, but from the sound it was making, I think the problem is worse. It’s a good thing you brought it in. It might not have lasted much longer without repairs.”
Angie opened her eyes and leveled her gaze with him. “How long will the fix take, then?”
“A few days at most, I doubt we’ll have to ship anything in.” He closed the hood and took off his gloves, wiping sweat from his hands onto a clean rag. “We’ll get it back to you as soon as—”
“Oh man,” Angie said, her voice low. “I can’t be without a car that long. I have a job, a—” Her eyes widened. “Responsibilities.”
Josh flinched, almost certain that was a jab at how irresponsible he’d been when they met.
“There’s not much I can do about the time. I’ll do my best, but you’ll probably need some replacements,” Josh said. “If you really need a car, it won’t be any trouble to let you use one of the shop’s spares.”
She hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Of course. They’re around for all our customers in instances like this,” he said. He made sure to say all our customers, diverting back to the mindset where she was just a customer, so he didn’t make her uncomfortable again.
It seemed to work, and she hopped out of the car, this time handing him the keys. They went back to the office in silence, and he had her fill out the necessary paperwork to leave her car here and take one of theirs. Once it was all settled, he handed her the keys to Greg’s blue Mitsubishi Lancer. Partially out of spite, partially because they were just lying there.
“Thanks,” she said, sounding uncertain, but then finally left.
Josh watched her cross the parking lot through the glass windows. Even though things hadn’t gone the way he wanted or planned, he was glad to have seen her again and was excited at the prospect of her coming back. He pictured them hitting it off all over again, taking her home for some fun
between the sheets, reminding her of what they’d had before … then claiming her as his own, starting a family with her.
He’d have to finish his house before any of that could happen. Most of the foundation was in place now, but it was still far from habitable.
Angie hopped into the Lancer, and Josh’s breath caught. He stood, staring at the blue vehicle through the window, watching her pull out and disappear down the road.
For a few minutes, he stayed like that, staring at the spot on the road he’d last seen her.
He almost didn’t want to believe it, but his heart told him it was true. There was no other explanation.
Angie was his mate.
Chapter 4 – Angie
Angie sat at her desk, staring blankly at her computer screen. One of her many work spreadsheets was open, just a basic expense report and analysis, something she did almost weekly for her day job at the crappy local software company. It was normal stuff, something she shouldn't have had any trouble with at all, and yet she had stared at it for hours now, the screen's haze blinking in and out along with her focus. Every now and then she'd move her mouse in an attempt to work, but it never lasted more than a few minutes.
She couldn't stop thinking about Josh.
For the last two days, it had been like this. She hadn't expected to see him ever again, let alone at some random auto shop on the edge of town—one she'd visited out of pure chance. What were the odds?
And what were the odds that he still made her feel the way he had back then?
She gave up on trying to work and held her face in her hands, careful enough not to mess up her makeup. It'd been a while since she had been this stupid, not since that magical night she and Josh had spent together all that time ago. Since then, she'd had him in her thoughts, always regretting that she burned that paper and couldn't contact him to tell him about Emma. She'd always told herself that it wouldn't have mattered, that he didn't seem like the fatherly type, anyway. Men like him used women, sucked them dry, then abandoned them.
It was what happened to her mother, and Angie had been determined never to let that happen to her. She'd done a pretty good job of it, too, until she met Josh.
Josh ...
She shook her head a bit, ran her hands through her hair to tidy it up a bit, and then stared at her screen again. The numbers on the new spreadsheet were the costs associated with a computer program meant to streamline the company's workflow, and there were dozens of different licenses and charges involved because one was needed for each employee, then different versions were needed for different sectors of the company ... But none of that mattered to Angie right now; all of the numbers blended into one.
Her focus drifted in and out again, and she tried her best not to think about Josh at all, instead numbly typing numbers into their boxes, only to get distracted by a thought about Josh. She had to double and triple check each number, more often than not finding that she’d gotten it wrong.
All because she couldn’t get Josh out of her head. The way he looked at her, the way he talked to her ... was it possible that he was still attracted to her?
That was nonsense, of course. From his reputation, he wasn't the type to dwell.
And in any case, it was a good thing that Emma's daycare had asked for the car seat the day she brought the car in, or else Josh would have seen it. What if he’d asked about it? Asked about her child? Her child’s age? Would he have come to conclusions?
The computer screen went black from being idle for too long. She wiggled her mouse to wake it up, then clicked on her email, hoping that maybe words would be easier for her to process than numbers while old memories wouldn’t leave her alone. The first mail in her inbox was from her boss, and her eyes glazed over as she read about expected quarterly returns and wanting her to make projections for the future so they could make the necessary adjustments.
Her mind discarded the email, and instead settled on those brief memories she had of her and Josh together. Them making out outside a hotel room, her back pressed against the wall while he kissed and nipped at her neck, hoisting her legs up so she could wrap them around his waist ... the feel of his rough hands on her thighs and breasts through her shirt ...
The phone rang, pulling her from the tempting memory. Her body was flushed, her heart racing. She took a moment to collect herself, steadying her breathing, which had turned raspy in the wake of the memory. A quick glance at her cell's screen made her mood go from distracted, confused, and somewhat aroused to annoyed.
TK's name glowed on the screen, vibrating in tune with the phone's buzzing. The vibrating grew more intense, and Angie's annoyance steadily grew into anger. She had a good enough reason to ignore the call; she was at work. He could just call her back later.
But if she ignored him, there was nothing to stop him from kicking her door down and taking everything she'd worked so hard to build up. There would be nothing she could do to stop it.
With a shaking hand, she picked up the phone and pressed it to her ear. It was silent for a moment before TK decided to speak.
"Angie, dear! I didn't think you'd pick up," TK said. He sounded much friendlier than he really was, much too happy for her taste, especially considering the greedy snake he was.
"Don't call me that," she snapped. He had no right to talk to her like a child, or like someone he cared for when all he wanted from her was money. "What do you want?"
"Always the same thing with you, dear, it seems," he said and had the audacity to pause for dramatic effect. "The money you owe me, of course. Or rather, the money your mother owes, which you've been so kind to take on yourself."
Angie scoffed and tapped her heel against the side of her desk in irritation. The clacking only made her more upset, but she didn't stop, only hit the desk harder. "Quit the shit, TK, I didn't agree to anything. You're just some sick asshole with nothing better to do than harass me. I don't have any damn money, and I certainly don't have any money for you."
She hung up, her arms trembling, and clutched the phone to her chest while she breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. Would TK ever leave her alone? At this point, Angie doubted it. He'd been harassing her at least once a week for almost five years now, ever since she'd graduated high school, basically. How he even knew to start bothering her instead of her mom was unknown to her, too.
At some point, the wasted time had to outweigh the amount he could ever get back from her. Her mother had worked hard to pay off the money that she had owed TK, but for the past years, TK had claimed that they now owed him rent over the money that her mom loaned all those years back. It ran into the thousands, and Angie barely made enough to support her and Emma, let alone pay him that amount. Not to mention that the whole rent thing was complete nonsense, something that TK had come up with after the fact.
Her phone rang again. This time it vibrated right into her chest, disrupting the steady beat of her heart. Was it TK again? She answered without looking at the screen, her emotions still running high, ready to yell at him again, but managed to resist snapping at him as she answered.
"Hello?" she said, her voice wavering just a bit.
"Hey, Angie? This is Josh."
Her heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, she couldn't breathe. She sucked in a breath, completely forgetting that she should respond. Why was he calling her? Did he know she was thinking about him, fantasizing about that night all over again?
"This is Angie's number, right?" he said, this time sounded a little confused.
Of course, he would have her number now. She'd given it to him when she filled out the paperwork at his shop. Her car. He was calling about her car; this had nothing to do with the craziness she got up to in her head.
"Yeah, it's me. Sorry. A little tired," she said.
"No problem. I just wanted to let you know that your car is ready for pickup,” he said.
Purely professional. Not a hint of that husky voice that’d whispered in her ear when they went into that hotel room more than tw
o years ago. She must have been imagining things when she’d seen him at the shop.
“Sure. I’ll come over after work. Thanks,” she said, and then hung up.
Instead of clutching the phone to her chest, she calmly placed it on her desk. Her monitor had gone back to sleep, and Angie stared at the hazy reflection of herself. Her heart quaked with a thousand confusing emotions, but fear was what surfaced. Fear. Fear of wanting Josh when she knew she shouldn’t. Fear of him discovering Emma. Fear of him hating her when he found out that he had a daughter.
She looked at the clock: 3:45 p.m. She was supposed to be in the office until 4:30, then pick up Emma at 5. Since she hadn’t gotten much work done in the last two days, leaving early should be the last thing she wanted to do. But if she left at her usual time, she’d have to pick up Emma before grabbing her car, or else Josh would see her. And that wasn’t an option.
So Angie gathered her things and left the office.
***
Her gray Honda Civic was out front when she pulled up in the borrowed Lancer. Despite the borrowed car being objectively better than her own crappy car, seeing it made her smile. It’d been her car for years, the most reliable of a string of even worse vehicles. Maybe all of them would have lasted longer had she had the patience or time to learn how to maintain them, or the money to have a shop do that, but that was beside the point. Maybe she could have Josh teach her a few more tricks.
She scanned the lot as she pulled in, not spotting Josh anywhere, but she supposed that it made more sense for him to wait inside. The spot the Lancer had been parked in before was empty, so she pulled into its spot, killed the engine, and sat there. Just for a few moments, long enough to quell her nerves and check her makeup in the mirror.
Why she even bothered was beyond her—it wasn’t like she would see him again after this. She’d pay for the repairs and leave, maybe spend some time daydreaming about him for a few weeks. Then she’d come to her senses and forget about him. Like she had before. Almost.
