by Daws, Amy
Sam chuckles as I fiddle with the zipper under my chin. “I thought you were interesting the moment I heard your voice today, sparky.”
I look over at him, and he’s staring back at me with complete, unhindered attraction. I swear his green eyes have somehow darkened with desire. Oh my heck, maybe I should dunk my head in the lake because I get a really funny feeling between my legs when he looks at me like that.
“I just don’t want you to judge me,” I mumble because if I was judging myself right now, I’d say I’m a silly girl who can’t handle a simple life change without going off the rails and deciding on a whim to become an ice fisherwoman. “Why is it so hot in here?” I ask, unzipping my snowsuit and trying to stop this hot flash from taking over my body. Gosh, maybe I’m going through “the change” like Sam’s mom! Is that possible at my age?
Sam’s silence has me looking over to find him staring at my chest with a downright sinful expression on his face. I look to see what he’s seeing, and my eyes go wide. “Shit!” I exclaim, grabbing the edges of the snowsuit and closing it up quickly. “Motherfetcher, what was I thinking?”
Sam’s laughter is shaking his entire body. “You’re typically supposed to wear clothes under your snowsuit.” He turns his head to try to hide the fact that he’s laughing so hard, and I hate that he looks so cute doing it.
“Ugh!” I exclaim, covering my face in horror because I know Sam got a good eyefull of the hot pink bra I’m wearing under my snowsuit. I had wondered if I was supposed to leave my clothes on underneath it, but it was such a process to get it on that I couldn’t stomach the idea of doing it again just to put my sweater on. And I figured, who would know?
Sam would know.
Because I’m an idiot.
I shake my head, and mumble, “I’m a mess.”
Sam’s still laughing. “Hey, you’re a hot mess at least.”
Nibbler
Most chicks would have bitched about the cold. Most chicks would have bitched about spending $474 on something other than a pair of designer shoes. Most chicks wouldn’t have touched a fish with their bare hands.
This chick…wasn’t like most chicks.
The following Monday, I’m back at work at Tire Depot, but my mind is most definitely not on tires. It’s on all things Maggie, which is actually really fucking embarrassing because I’m thirty years old and the sales manager of a successful company I’ll be taking over soon. I shouldn’t be obsessing over some young chick who happened to look really hot in a snowsuit. And also out of the snowsuit as it turns out.
I could have forgotten about the kiss we shared a lot easier if it wasn’t for the little peep show she gave me as a bonus. For the next two hours we spent fishing together, I had to threaten to dunk my cock into the icy lake every time he got a mind of his own and puffed up a little.
But all these Maggie thoughts are pointless right now because I have responsibilities I need to focus on. Like how I can bring Tire Depot to the next level and set myself up for early retirement just like my uncle.
Tire Depot is a huge car care center that my uncle Terry owns in Boulder. I’ve been working here since I was a kid, back when he and my dad used to run it together. Until they didn’t. Regardless, I have fond memories of coming here after school. I’d always get a soda and a cookie and mosey into the garage to gawk at the nudey calendars posted at the guys’ stations.
Now my uncle is prepping me to take the reins so he can retire and cruise up to Canada on his Harley. The guy is sixty-four years old and ready to drift off into his golden years like the lone wolf he’s always been.
“Sammy!” Uncle Terry bellows my name from his office in the back so loud that I can hear it all the way up in the reception area where I’m working at the high-top customer counter. “Come back here for a sec.”
I save my work and turn to make my way down the small hallway to his office. The walls are papered with classic car posters, various tire awards, and vacation pictures he’s taken throughout the years. Piles of papers that need to be filed cover his desk, but he never makes the time to do it.
I stare down at what he’s holding in his hands, and my blood runs cold when I see my three-ring binder opened in front of him. “This is your business plan?” he asks, scratching his white beard as he flips a few pages.
“Um…yes,” I reply, rubbing the back of my neck and shifting nervously. “But I wasn’t ready for you to see it yet. I’m not quite done.”
He looks up to me with a serious look in his eyes. “Well, this is a much bigger idea than the customer comfort center.”
“Yes, it is,” I acknowledge his reference to the first proposal I presented to him almost ten years ago.
I was fresh out of college with all these business classes swirling through my head, and I got the idea that providing complimentary beverages and snacks to our staff and customers would cultivate a positive company culture. Enter the customer comfort center, which resulted in a huge boost for business.
“So when do you want to go through this with me?” Terry asks, eyeing me seriously. “I’m not going to be around much longer, you know.”
I nod somberly. “Yeah, I know. Give me another week or two, and I’ll be ready.”
“Good,” he replies, closing the binder and handing it to me. “I look forward to it, Sammy.”
When he stands up and pats me on the back before making his way toward the shop, I exhale with relief that he didn’t totally flip out on me about this. I’ve been buying my uncle out of Tire Depot for the past five years, with plans for me to take over. But the contents inside this binder are a much bigger venture.
Tire Depot is the perfect future for me. I fucking love this place. The smell of tires and grease, complimentary coffee and baked goods, plus decent, hardworking guys earning an honest living for their families. It’s a good gig. I’ve come to really care about my employees and their families, and there is nowhere else I’d rather be. But I have dreams that would take us to the next level, and if I can get Terry’s blessing before he leaves, I’ll feel a lot better about things.
I exit his office and make my way back to the counter when a female voice interrupts my thoughts. I look over and see my best friend’s girlfriend strolling into the tire shop as if she owns the place.
“Michael! Did Shelly finish my book yet?” Kate asks with a big smile for my top salesman as she rests her elbow on a short stack of display tires.
“She did! And you were right…I totally got lucky.” Michael high-fives Kate.
Kate laughs and nods knowingly. “I told you! She’s gotta take a break from those self-help books and read something dirty. It’s life changing!”
Chuck steps out from behind the counter and approaches Kate next. “Hey, Kate…next time you’re here, can you bring me a signed copy of one of your books? My girlfriend’s birthday is coming up.”
“Definitely, Chuck! I have a cool book sleeve I’ll give you that matches it. It’ll be the perfect gift.”
“Awesome,” Chuck replies with a relieved grin.
Kate takes her time greeting my other two salesmen, and I can’t help but marvel at how she has completely fucking charmed my entire staff now. A romance novelist and a tire shop…it’s a fucking weird combination, but hell if it doesn’t just work.
Kate’s journey with Tire Depot is a funny one. This past summer, Kate was suffering from a case of writer’s block and started sneaking into our waiting area to write because that was where she got her best words in. My buddy, Miles, happened to catch her in the act, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Kate’s been living with Miles for a few months, and the two of them come into Tire Depot together almost every day. Miles works in the garage, and Kate works in the customer comfort center. It’s so fucking cute, I could puke.
Kate finally reaches me at the end of the counter. “Hey, Sam,” she chirps happily as she adjusts her laptop bag on her shoulder to free the red hair trapped beneath the strap. “What’s going on?”
> “Nothing much, Kate. How are you?”
“I’m good,” she replies and hooks her thumb over her shoulder. “I stopped in the garage to look for Miles, but I didn’t see him.”
“Our shuttle driver was sick, so he ran someone back to work,” I reply, gesturing to where our courtesy van is usually parked. “He should be back any minute.”
“Cool,” she says, dropping a set of keys on the counter. “I have my girlfriend, Lynsey’s car here. It needs an oil change.”
I nod and begin to punch Lynsey’s name into the computer. “Are you ever going to stop bringing other people’s cars in for a service?” I ask with a shake of the head.
Her brow furrows. “Why on earth would I do that?”
“Because I told you that my uncle doesn’t care that you write your books in our waiting area. You post about us every time you’re here, and we’ve seen an increase in business since you started writing here. I charted it out.” I lean across the counter and grab the keys from her to clip them to the service order I’ve just printed. “And we aren’t doing any new advertising, so I know you’re the reason for the boost. You’re essentially a micro-influencer for Tire Depot, and you don’t even know it…which makes it that much more authentic. Authentic advertising is what sells. And you sell, girl.”
“That’s awesome!” she exclaims with a big smile. “Do you think your uncle will give me more of those koozies for my readers then? They flip over those things.”
I drop my head down and laugh. “You kill me. You want to be paid in koozies?”
“And complimentary beverages and cookies, of course.”
I shake my head. “Whatever you want, Kate. Honestly, though, we should probably be paying you. You’re a marketing dream come true.”
Kate scoffs. “No way are you paying me! This is good karma I’m working on, Sam. Don’t you ever just do something nice for someone just because?”
My brows lift as I instantly think of taking Maggie ice fishing. I’ve never taken anyone ice fishing with me before. Not even Miles, and we do tons of stuff like that together. But ice fishing is different. It’s a thing I’ve always done on my own ever since I quit going with my dad. I hadn’t even thought about what a big deal it was to take Maggie out there with me until right this second.
“Earth to Sam? Come in, Sam!” Kate states, waving her hands in front of my glazed eyes.
I look up and shake my head. “Sorry, I was just thinking about this order I need to place.”
“You were?” she replies, leaning across the counter and eyeing me in speculation. “Because from the looks of it, I’d say you were daydreaming. I’m a writer, Sam…that makes me highly qualified to spot a daydreaming moment.”
Suddenly, the door by the comfort center opens, and Miles’s big, tall frame fills the entrance. “Babe! What took you so long to get here?” he asks, striding over to Kate with a furrowed brow. “I dropped you off at Lynsey’s over an hour ago.”
She rolls her eyes. “Lyns and I just got to talking…no need to worry.”
Miles growls in his chest. “When your best friend is neighbors with your douchebag of an ex…I worry.”
Kate shakes her head and stands on her tippy toes to kiss Miles on the cheek. “Relax, I didn’t even see Dippy Dryston over there. Lynsey is just having some boy problems she needed to talk out.”
“Mmmkay,” Miles grumbles as he drapes a possessive arm around his girl. “It’s not you I don’t trust. It’s that asshat of an ex you have.”
Kate turns accusing eyes on me. “Seriously, Sam, I’ve told you Miles can’t have caffeine after nine, or he gets all caveman-y.”
I hold my hands up. “I’m not his keeper! You’re the one living with him now, so that makes him your problem.”
The truth is, Miles and I haven’t seen much of each other these past few months. He’s in the honeymoon stage of his relationship, and I’m not about to begrudge him of it…even if it’s not something I ever want for myself.
Kate narrows her eyes at me and then looks up at Miles. “I’m going to go write now unless you were planning to club me over the head and drag me away.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Miles says, waggling his brows at her.
I can’t help but groan out loud. “Seriously, you two…get a room.”
Kate giggles, shoving Miles as she strides toward the customer comfort center with her laptop bag in tow.
Miles props his elbow on the counter and watches her leave. “I wasn’t even worried. I just love getting a rise out of her.”
“You guys are gross,” I mumble as I punch some numbers into the computer. “You’ve been living together for months. I thought the gross stage would be over by now.”
“Not even fucking close,” Miles murmurs. I have to swallow the bile that bubbles up my throat as he asks, “So what’s up, man? How was your weekend?”
“Good actually. How about yours?”
“Mine was good too, but that’s normal for me.” He winks like a creep. “Why was yours good? I thought you were just working and ice fishing. Did you catch a shitload or something?”
I rub my lips together and nod slowly. “Something like that.”
Miles eyes me carefully. “I know that look.”
“What look?” I ask, and I can’t hide the shit-eating grin on my face.
He smacks his hand on the counter. “Don’t hold back on me now, man. You and I have chased our fair share of girls around Boulder, and you’re giving me the ‘I just got laid’ face!”
I press my lips together and remain silent. Miles and I did have some fun times together after he broke up with his ex. We made a regular thing of beers after work and girls after dark. But since I’ve started working on taking over Tire Depot and he’s started spending time with Kate, we haven’t talked as much as we used to.
Miles lifts his brows, his blue eyes expectant as he says, “Oh come on, give me some details. I haven’t been out with you for months. I know nothing about your love life anymore.”
I freeze and stare at him.
He stares back. “I’m really embarrassed that just came out of my mouth.”
“No shit,” I reply.
He rolls his eyes. “It’s not my fault, man. I’m living with a romance novelist. She has me like…verbalizing shit now.”
“Do you get to verbalize dirty shit too, I hope?” This is a question only a true wingman can ask. It’s my responsibility to make sure my buddy’s balls stay intact.
“Oh yeaaah,” he answers with a creepy leer. “But come on, I feel like a dick because I haven’t talked to you in a while. Give me some details.”
“Like what?”
He leans across the counter, and says softly, “Like what positions?”
“Come on, man,” I groan.
“What?” he balks. “It can’t be any crazier than the shit my girl writes in her books.”
I exhale heavily and prepare for the assault that’s to come when I tell him the truth. “We didn’t hook up…we just kissed.”
Miles slow blinks at me. “You’re smiling like that over just a kiss?”
I touch my jaw because I hadn’t even realized I was smiling. “It was an epic kiss, I guess.”
He blinks again, clearly unable to process my response. “Okay, so where’d you meet this epic kisser?”
My smile grows. “Marv’s.”
Miles face contorts. “The bait shop?”
“Yep.”
“Did she have all her teeth?”
“Fuck you, man. She was hot. Like smoking hot.”
Miles chuckles disbelievingly. “Okay, so what happened after this epic kiss?”
“Well…not much, but I’m hoping it’s just the start.”
“Huh, interesting,” Miles replies, his brow furrowed deep in thought.
“Why interesting?”
“Well, you never take anyone seriously.”
“Who said I’m taking this one seriously?” I scoff, feeling my shoulders rise defens
ively.
“The way you’re telling this story, it’s clear this chick is different than your typical one-night stands. I’m not judging either. I think that’s awesome. You turn thirty-one on Saturday, so you’re no young buck anymore.”
“It doesn’t matter how old I am, asshat. You know I’m not doing serious. I have enough women who depend on me already. I don’t need another one…even if she is an epic kisser,” I state firmly because it’s the truth. If I’m not doing stuff for my mom around the house, I’m helping my recently divorced sister with her kids or running interference between all of them because a household full of women is never short on drama. “You’re just pushing a relationship on me because you’re prepping to pop the question to your ball and chain.”
Miles’s face falls, and he leans forward to shush me. “Shut the fuck up, man. She’s right around the corner,” he says, pointing at the comfort center.
“She can’t hear me from in there…but hey, did you find a good hiding place for the ring? I can still hold it if you want,” I state, lowering my voice to calm him down. I may not want a relationship myself, but it doesn’t mean I don’t fully support his. Kate’s the best thing that’s ever happened to Miles.
Miles grins. “I put it in my toolbox. She never goes in there.”
“Perfect. But you’re still holding off on popping the question?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to rush this. Things are perfect with us right now. Living together is great. I just couldn’t see that ring and not buy it, ya know?”
“I get it, man. Your chick is into tires, and a circular diamond is a rare find.”
“Just like her,” Miles says, getting a dreamy look in his eyes that makes me want to nut punch him. Shaking away his thoughts, he asks, “So when are you going to see this chick again?”
“Maybe this weekend…at least, I hope.”
“Cool. Well, keep me posted if she turns into more than another one-nighter, all right?”
“She won’t.”
