Secret Need (The Harper Sisters Book 2)

by Satin Russell

  Not that there were many, she thought, stepping into the front door. They’d kept the same cheery colors and sunflower motif, as well as the bank of coffee selections along one wall. In fact, they’d done a remarkable job of restoring the place to exactly the same as it had been before the fire. It was hard to believe the whole area she was standing in had been charred ashes just a few months ago.

  “Liz! How are you doing this morning?” Jackie asked as she spotted her.

  Liz gave her a quick hug. “Good! It’s going to be busy today so I decided to get an early start.”

  “Do you know what you want?”

  “Um, I’ll have my usual – blueberry pancakes, bacon, and a cup of coffee. Oh, and can I get three Italian subs to go, please? May as well pick up lunch while I’m here.”

  “Great. Why don’t you take a seat at the counter while you wait? I’ll grab you that cup of coffee.”

  Jackie moved to get her order in as Liz took a stool at the breakfast counter. Overall, she had to admit, things had worked out to everybody’s satisfaction after the fiasco last winter. She nodded a greeting to Tom in the pass-through window, then turned to her phone.

  A while later, as Liz was happily digging into her pancakes, she heard Cynthia’s distinctive voice and felt her good mood deflate. Liz looked over and wondered what she was searching for. As she watched, Cynthia headed directly back to the corner of the dining room where Alex was sitting. Her stomach dropped. She hadn’t even noticed him sitting there.

  Liz watched the two of them greet each other. Were they dating again? She supposed it was natural they would reconnect. After all, they had dated until he’d been sent to boarding school. And, Liz happened to know, through the local rumor mill, that Cynthia had recently finalized her divorce and was already on the prowl for a new husband.

  What Liz hadn’t counted on was how seeing them together gave her that old familiar sting.

  Was it wrong to harbor a resentment towards the woman who’d made her teen years a living hell? People changed and grew up all the time. Liz knew she wasn’t still the shy, self-conscious girl she’d been back then. In fact, she had worked hard to overcome being the sad, gangly girl who bore the brunt of so much bullying.

  Bullying that Cynthia Monroe, as head cheerleader and most popular girl, had been all too willing to dole out.

  Maybe it had been her imagination that he’d been flirting with her last night. Did it matter? She’d already decided she was going to keep her distance from him.

  Liz hunched down in her seat, frustrated with her train of thought. After taking another long pull of her coffee, she casually tried to peek over her shoulder at the exchange behind her. Her heart lightened a bit when she noticed the way Alex seemed to pull back from Cynthia’s arm.

  He looked up in that moment and caught her eye.

  That same spark of heat from last night shot between them. Lis feigned interest in her phone. Secretly, she began to hope he’d come over or acknowledge her presence. That would certainly give Cynthia a surprise, wouldn’t it? Instead, she watched as he stood up, gave her a slight nod, then walked towards the door.

  Shuttering her disappointment, Liz stared sightlessly at the kitchen. She was good enough to talk to when no one else was around, but it was the same old thing when there were witnesses. Apparently, some things never change.

  Liz struggled to dismiss the hollow feeling settling into her chest. What was she thinking? Just because he had gone to her sister’s house for dinner didn’t mean anything. So, they’d managed to have a decent conversation afterwards and had what she thought was a moment. It was silly for her to read too much into it.

  “Here you are.” Startled from her thoughts, Liz looked up to see Tom standing in front of her with subs and three bags of chips tucked into a to-go sack.

  “Thanks, Tom.” She slapped a bill down on the counter. “This should cover it. I need to head back. It’s Jimmy’s first week at the shop and I want to make sure I’m there, just in case.”

  “That’s right. He mentioned it last night. You going to be teaching him to work on cars?”

  “Nah. He’s not exactly the mechanical type. He’s been helping out with the customers, answering phones, and doing the never-ending paperwork and filing. You know, all the stuff I hate.”

  Tom laughed as she gave him a wink. “Well, good luck to him. Tell them both I said hello.”

  Liz stalked back to the garage, grumpy about what she’d seen at the café. She didn’t know if she was more irritated at Alex for flirting with her last night, or herself for hoping things had changed since they were kids.

  Paul and Jimmy turned to greet her as she walked into the garage, but she wasn’t in the mood. Instead, she just nodded to them both and headed directly to the office/ break room, stashing the sandwiches in the mini-fridge she kept back there.

  “You okay?” Paul asked as she made her way to the first car scheduled for the day.

  “Yeah. Just have a lot to do today and not enough time to do it.”

  Liz was glad she didn’t have to plaster a smile on her face and sugarcoat her feelings with him. Having watched her grow up throughout the years, it certainly wasn’t the first time he’d seen Liz in a funk.

  All she wanted to do was get her hands on a car and lose herself in the work for a few hours. She liked those mornings when she could get in a groove and shut the rest of the world out.

  Cars were infinitely easier to deal with than people. They were like puzzles. If something wasn’t working, it was because a piece was worn or broken. Fix that and you could get the vehicle to run again. Simple.

  People, on the other hand, were another thing entirely. Who could say what made a person tick? And what worked for one wouldn’t necessarily work for another. People were constantly different, never consistent.

  Right then and there Liz decided to put Alex out of her mind for good. She didn’t need to experience the hurt of being a high school loser again. She was now a full-grown adult woman who was accomplished in her own right. There was no sense in rehashing the past.

  The familiar opening strains of Proud Mary began to blare from the speakers, instantly transporting her to childhood weekends and afternoons spent in the garage after school. Now that her father was gone, Paul was all she had as a father figure. He always knew how to cheer her up.

  Taking a deep breath, she felt the tension that had been building in her shoulders begin to release. This was where she belonged and always knew what to do. Liz couldn’t help shooting a little smile toward the older man before disappearing under the car. Gradually, her mood began to improve and her steel-toed shoes once again kept time with the music as she worked.

  Chapter Six

  Alex was happy to see Liz enter the café, and took a moment to admire her. It was amazing to him how much she’d changed since high school. Back then she’d been all skin and bone and scowls.

  He knew he and his friends were part of the reason why she’d walked around with such a large chip on her shoulder. Thankfully, judging by the events of last night, she didn’t seem to be holding it against him. With that thought in mind, he was just about to get up and go talk to her when he heard his name called from the door.

  “Alex? Oh my God, Alex!” The high pitch of the woman’s voice carrying over the rest of the dining room instantly grated on his nerves. It was all Alex could do to paste a smile on his face and turn towards the woman making her way over to him. “I heard you were back in town. Look at you!”

  Something about her looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It wasn’t until she was standing directly in front him that he recognized his old girlfriend.

  He tried to hide his shock at seeing the changes in her, but wasn’t sure if he succeeded. Gone was the chipper cheerleader with the bouncy ponytail. Even from this distance, he could tell she must regularly see the inside of a tanning booth to have skin that color, especially in Maine and this early in the season. Her hair was
a shade of blonde that only came from a bottle and was perfectly coiffed into a sleek, chin-length bob. Had she always had such a plastic smile? How had he ever found her attractive?

  He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as she made no attempt to hide her admiration of him, from head to boots. “Well, you’ve certainly grown up well,” she said after her initial inspection.

  Alex wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Cynthia…what a surprise. How have you been?”

  “Oh, you know.” She waved her hand carelessly. “Still stuck in this place, but otherwise I’ve been well.”

  The tables around him had become hushed and it felt like everybody in the dining room had an ear cocked toward their conversation. He’d forgotten the way gossip could spread in a small town. Alex self-consciously glanced towards the breakfast counter, wondering if Liz was aware of the scene unfolding behind her.

  Green eyes filled his vision. She looked back down at her phone. He wished he could sink through the floor. Belatedly, Alex realized Cynthia had been chattering, but he’d missed the first part of what she’d said. She must have asked him a question, though, because she was standing there looking at him as if waiting for a response.

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I asked how you liked being back in town? When I spoke to your dad last, he mentioned you’re a contractor now.”

  That caught his attention. Oh right. His father mentioned he’d hired her to manage his real estate. At the time, Alex felt like his dad was trying to set them up and resisted meeting with her. The last thing he wanted was his dad to be coordinating his love life. But now he was reminded that assuming she had things under control had been a mistake. It was partly her fault that the home had been vandalized and left in the state which he’d found it.

  Seeing his hesitation, she turned and rooted around in her designer handbag, handing him a card. Alex clenched his jaw as he looked down at the professional photo on her business card. After what he’d found at the house last night, he couldn’t say he was impressed. In fact, he was downright furious. He wondered how many other properties had been neglected under her watch.

  Not sensing the turn of his thoughts, Cynthia stepped closer and laid a hand on his arm. “It’s been a long time, Alex. We should get together and catch up.”

  He pulled his arm from her grasp and stepped out from where she’d hemmed him in. His cool voice had her smile dimming. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to set up a meeting to discuss a disturbing incident that happened on one of Dad’s properties last night. I’ll need to check my schedule, but why don’t I call you and make an appointment?”

  Alex could see disappointment flicker in her eyes at the business-like turn of the conversation, but watched her quickly recover. “Absolutely. We can plan to grab a few drinks afterwards, if you’d like.”

  He doubted she’d want to be social after his discussion with her. Without answering, Alex turned to leave. He cast a glance towards Liz, but she still had her back towards him. He wished he had a moment to go over and greet her, but now he really was running late to his meeting. After paying his bill with Jackie, he quickly strode out the door.

  *

  Hours later, after a successful meeting with the building inspector, Alex decided to take off early. He needed to stop by Liz’s shop to get the starter fixed on his truck, and she’d been in his thoughts since that morning. He wanted to see her.

  Pulling his truck into one of the last spots available in the lot, he walked up to the shop. His pulse thumped to the driving bass line of Royal Blood being blasted from one of the garage bays.

  The space behind the counter was empty. Alex glanced around the front office before peering down the hall towards the bays. There, through the glass door separating the office area from the garage, his gaze snagged on the hottest, tightest, jeans-clad ass he’d seen in a long time…hell, probably his whole life. His eyes roved along the curve, noting the way a wrench and handkerchief were tucked into the back pocket. It was obvious the jeans were a favorite pair, judging by the way they seemed to have faded to a soft white around the edges.

  The way those jeans loved her, she could be a Levi’s advertisement.

  The sound of a throat clearing in front of him broke Alex from his reverie. Jimmy stood looking at him from the other side of the counter, one eyebrow raised. He’d just been caught ogling and it was obvious by the expression on the other man’s face that there was no sense in denying it.

  Deciding it was better to cut his losses before the situation got any more embarrassing, Alex focused on the business at hand. “Hey, Jimmy, nice to see you again. Thought I’d stop by and see about getting that starter fixed on my truck.”

  Jimmy let him off the hook with a knowing grin and turned towards the computer. “Right. Let me check the schedule.” After a brief moment spent tapping keys, he shook his head. “Looks like we don’t have any appointments available until Thursday.”

  It wasn’t surprising. Judging by the number of cars outside, Alex felt lucky she could fit him in this week. “That’ll work. Sign me up.” After giving him the pertinent information, he headed over to the door leading to the garage. “I’m just going to take a second to say hi.”

  The other man didn’t even look up as he plugged the information for the appointment into the computer. “She doesn’t like customers going into the shop,” he warned. “If you get hurt, she’ll have my head.”

  Alex gave him a nod to show he understood, but was undeterred. As he drew nearer, he noticed Liz had started tapping her foot to the music and bobbing her head under the hood.

  He was impressed with the wave of sound that poured over him when he opened the door. What he’d heard in the office had been a fraction of the volume currently hijacking his senses. How on earth could the little unit sitting on the workbench produce so much volume?

  Strangely, Paul, working in the next bay over, didn’t seem to mind. Alex yelled, trying to get Liz’s attention. On his third attempt, the song abruptly ended, leaving his voice to hang in the air like a roar.

  Liz shot up and promptly smacked her head hard on the hood. “What the hell?” She snapped, before turning and noticing Alex standing behind her. “Oh, Alex.”

  Alex felt like an idiot. Why had he thought it was a good idea to stop in and say hello? “Shit. Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  Another song started to fill the air and Liz rushed over to pause the track. “Kind of hard to hear with the music sometimes.” She was still rubbing her head, but didn’t apologize for the volume.

  “Yeah, I noticed. It’s almost five, are you getting off soon?”

  Liz stayed a few paces away from him and gestured towards the car. “Probably not. I still have quite a few cars to look at.” She looked down at her scuffed boots. “You bringing your truck in to get the starter fixed?”

  Alex shifted the weight on his feet. Something was wrong. She hadn’t looked directly at him once since she’d noticed he was there, and she seemed more fascinated with the rag in her hand than with him. He wondered at the change.

  Glancing back at the office, he said, “Yeah, I got off a bit early. Your next available appointment for the truck isn’t until next Thursday. Plus, I wanted to see if you’d like to have dinner with me.”

  Liz’s head popped up and he finally got a good look at her. There was a light smear of grease across her left cheek. “Thursday?” She scowled. “Jimmy’s still new. Let’s go check the schedule. I might be able to get you in earlier.”

  Surprised by her reaction, Alex trailed behind her back to the office. She hadn’t even acknowledged the dinner invitation. Damn, he’d thought there might have been a spark.

  “Hey, Jimmy!” A thread of tension and irritation laced her voice.

  The other man swallowed and glanced over towards Alex. “Yeah?”

  “Did you just say we can’t get to Alex’s starter until Thursday?”

  He gestured at the computer. “Your schedule is packed, Liz. Besid
es, don’t forget Uncle Paul is taking a half day on Wednesday and will be gone the rest of the week.”

  Alex watched with interest as Liz bit her bottom lip. “Damn, I did forget that.”

  Paul walked in from the garage, catching the tail-end of the conversation. “I’d offer to stay, but those fish aren’t going to catch themselves.”

  Alex looked at Liz. “It’s not a big problem. I can deal with a finicky starter for a few days.”

  Right as the words left his mouth, the bell hanging above the door chimed and another man walked in. He hesitated by the threshold when he saw how crowded the small office was. “Uh…”

  Liz turned and greeted the other man with a warm smile. “Hi there. What brings you in today?” Alex felt a slight pang of jealousy. The woman who had been so cool and distant a moment before transformed instantly. Was he the only one she was keeping at arm’s length?

  He watched as the other man immediately responded to her smile with one of his own. “Oh, uh, well…I just bought a vehicle from a police auction a few weeks ago and the damn air conditioner doesn’t work. Pardon my language.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I should have known better than to buy a car “as-is”, but with my limited funds, it was the only choice at the time. Now it looks like it’s going to cost me more money, anyway.”

  Liz made a sound of commiseration. “That sucks, but we do offer payment plans to help cover the cost of repair. What kind of car is it?”

  “2007 Ford Explorer.”

  Paul started choking and broke into a coughing fit.

  “You okay?” Liz turned and pounded him on the back.

  After another moment to catch his breath, Paul nodded, “Yeah, yeah, sorry about that. Why don’t I go outside and take a look at his vehicle? I can get him sorted out.”

  “Sure, although I probably won’t be able to take a look at it tonight.”

  Paul waved his hand in dismissal. “We’ll make it work.” He turned back to the customer. “If you leave it overnight, we could probably take a look at it first thing, before tackling the other cars. Depending on how much work is needed, we’ll be able to make an appointment from there.” The client had already begun to nod as the two men walked out to the lot.