by J. H. Croix
“Drive safe,” he replied with a wink. “And I hope Emery feels better soon.”
“Thanks,” I repeated. Reaching for Emery’s hand, I tugged her to the car and turned back to wave at him after I buckled her in.
Emery happily sucked on her lollipop on our way home. “I like that guy. He’s nice.”
“Yeah,” I told her, still distracted. “He is nice.”
But nice or not, I couldn’t let him do that without at least giving him something in return. It wasn’t how the world worked.
Chapter Eleven
Evan
Phoenix was in an even better mood than usual when I got to the shop on Thursday morning. A few of the other early birds were lounging around the counter as he joked around with them.
When I approached, Phoenix looked up and caught my eye. Grabbing something off the counter, he held it up to me. “Check it out, boss. I won ten dollars on a scratch off. I’m rich.”
“We’ve all got to start somewhere, I guess,” I joked, leaning in to see he was holding up a blue scratch card with golden bells on it. “Don’t spend it all in one place.”
Phoenix threw his head back and laughed. “Are you kidding? I’m going to use this money to retire. I should be able to get myself a nice…”
He trailed off and one of the workshop assistants piped up. “A nice burger from a fast food joint to celebrate your retirement. You’d even get some change.”
“Too bad I won’t be able to retire with only change.” Phoenix shook his head in mock sadness. The other guys went back to work, and Phoenix rummaged around in the cupboard overhead for my coffee mug. “You okay, boss? Doesn’t look like you got much sleep.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t okay, and I hadn’t gotten much sleep. Worries about my father were swimming around in my head. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the worry free. I kept seeing him in that jumpsuit, so powerless that he had to ask me to do something as simple as going to a bank and moving some money around.
Only it wasn’t a simple task at all. It was getting involved with whatever the fuck he really had going on, and I didn’t want to touch that with a ten-foot pole. Sonny and Niki had already gotten sucked in so damn deep into Dad’s shit, and Jeremy had learned the hard way why it was better to stay away from Dad, his money, and the people who wanted it.
“It’s nothing,” I told Phoenix. He slid over my coffee, but I could see the questions in his gaze. “It’s been a bad few days. Personal stuff, nothing about the shop for you to worry about.”
He nodded and then pointed at a run-down muscle car someone had dropped off that morning. “Want to bet I can guess the design the owner asked to be stenciled onto her once she’s running again?”
I forced a smile, knowing he was trying to distract me. “That’s not fair. You were here when it got dropped off.”
“Nope. Just heard some of the guys finishing up with the owners. I know he wants something painted onto her, but I didn’t overhear what.”
“Fine,” I told him, not because I gave a shit but because he was right. I could use the distraction. “Tell me about the owner.”
Phoenix launched into a description of a middle-aged man wearing a leather jacket several sizes too small. Despite having not seen the customer when he came in, I could picture him clearly in mind. I knew the type.
“Too easy.” I laughed. “Before I tell you my guess, what’s our bet?”
Phoenix pursed his lips and moved them from one side to the other. I raised my wrist and tapped on my watch. “Clock’s ticking. Better name the bet or I’m gonna…”
I stopped talking, my brow furrowing when I saw Sadie walking into the shop. What the hell was she doing here?
Phoenix smirked when he saw who had caught my attention, sighing heavily in an attempt to cover his laugh. After rounding the counter, he strode over to the car in question and popped the hood—without a tool in hand or the work sheet of what had to be done on the car.
I smacked his side and lifted a brow when he looked up, letting him know I knew what he was up to. He shrugged and went right back to it. When I turned, I saw Sadie making a beeline for me and went to meet her halfway.
“Hey,” I said, looking over the top of her head to see if she’d driven here. “Is everything okay with your car? Is it acting up again?”
Shaking her head, her cheeks tinged pink as she looked at me. “No. It’s fine, working like a charm. I wanted to bring you this.”
She thrust a basket she was carrying out at me. A real old-school wicker type thing with a blue and white checked cloth inside. She seemed to be waiting for me to take it from her, so I did and pulled back on the cloth to peek inside. “Cookies?”
The pink on her cheeks deepened. “Yes. Emery and I baked them for you guys to say thank you.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” Though they looked exactly like the type my mom used to make, big and golden brown with chocolate chips in them. Some had sprinkles on them. Emery’s doing, I guessed. “These look delicious.”
Her lips curled into a smile, and her eyes darted to her feet. I had the insane urge to reach out and lift her face to mine. For some reason, I didn’t like that she felt shy with me. Weird. “It’s not much. It’s certainly not six hundred dollars’ worth, but it’s what I had.”
“These are perfect,” I told her, plucking one out and sinking my teeth into its buttery goodness. I groaned involuntarily. “I haven’t had anything like it in years.”
If it got out that I was repairing cars in exchange for baked goods, I was in trouble. Coming from Sadie, I had to admit I didn’t mind it. “Much better than six hundred dollars.”
The flush on her cheeks spread. It was adorable. She fidgeted with her hands and finally met my eyes again. Hers were a deep shade of green, a perfect fit with the auburn curls hanging loose past her shoulders and her fair, smooth skin.
“They’re not better than six hundred dollars,” she said, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.
I held the cookie up to her. “This is the kind of goodness you can’t buy. Trust me.”
“I’m glad you like them.” She brushed a curl behind her ear and glanced over her shoulder. “I should go, I just wanted to drop those off. I know you’re busy.”
She started backing away from me. I didn’t want her to do that at all. It didn’t make a lick of sense, but the woman had gotten under my skin. I wouldn’t deny she was hot—hell she was blazing hot—but it wasn’t only that. She carried a warmth that I savored. Before my brain kicked into gear, I spoke. “I’m busy now, but would you like to have dinner with me sometime?”
Her eyes widened, confusion wrinkling her brow. “Dinner? With you?”
“That’s what I asked. Just tell me when you’re free. I’m usually done by six most nights,” I said with no idea where that was coming from. A date? When was the last time I’d asked a girl out on a date? Staying away from gossip was my thing, yet here I was, inviting it to come right on in.
Sadie looked as shocked by my invitation to dinner as I was feeling, but then she bit her lower lip—which didn’t do a damn thing for the state of my body, already humming at the sight of her—and shook her head. “It’s nice of you to ask, but I’m going to have to say no. I don’t have any free time. Two jobs and a daughter, remember?”
Riiiight. Instead of letting it go like I probably should have, I pressed on. “Both of you have to eat at some stage, so if that’s the only reason you’re saying no, then let me make dinner for you and Emery one night. How does that sound?”
She smiled, but it wasn’t a happy or a “yes” smile. It was sad and didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Thanks for the offer, but I shouldn’t. I’ll see you around, okay?”
I nodded. Watching her leave was harder than it should’ve been, more so because I had no idea when I would see her again. If I would see her again.
Phoenix guffawed behind me. “The great Evan Lovett strikes out. I never thought I’d see the day.”
>
I wiped my face clear of whatever regret I felt at Sadie leaving and turned to face my best friend with an “I don’t give a shit” grin. “That’s only because you’ve never seen me step up to the plate before.”
“No offense, dude, but that wasn’t exactly impressive.” He laughed. “I guess you’re not good looking enough for her.”
“Fuck off, Phoenix.” I flipped him the bird and went to the array of tools he had spread out on a bench beside the muscle car. “Let’s get to work, shall we?”
“You’re the boss,” he replied with a chuckle.
“Damn straight I am.” We both got into the job, but my mind wasn’t on it. Somehow, Sadie had gotten to me. Big time.
Up to my elbows in the distinct smell of oil with car parts all around me, all I could think of was how I was going to make a plan to see her again. I didn’t know how yet, but I was determined it would happen.
She came across as soft-spoken and sweet, yet I’d seen first-hand what a firecracker she could be. She was fiercely independent, stood up for herself, and managed to keep a hint of vulnerability in there that softened the edges.
Truth be told, she intrigued me. And she was the first woman in a while I could honestly say had done that to me. I had to see her again. I just had to figure out how.
Chapter Twelve
Sadie
“Sadie!” my boss snapped from the kitchen, sticking his balding head through the serving hatch. “Your order’s getting cold.”
God, the man could be a prick. Most of the time, he wasn’t so bad, mainly because he wasn’t at the diner all that often. But today he was here, and he was truly letting his attitude rip.
I carried my tray to the serving counter where he’d deposited my next order about thirty seconds before starting in on me about it. Another customer was already busy paying when the bell to signal the order was ready rang out. All I did was take his money and wish him a good day.
Collecting my order that, God forbid, couldn’t be cold since it consisted of such time-sensitive dishes as a salad, hamburger, and fries, I smiled sweetly at my boss. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Ray. I was ringing up a customer.”
“Make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he barked, his heavy square glasses sliding down his nose in his agitation.
“Sure thing, sir,” I replied, rolling my eyes when I turned away from him. Next time, I would leave the customer trying to pay and would see how happy dear Mr. Ray was when they walked out without paying. But no one’s order would wait for thirty extra seconds ever again.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell my boss any of that since I couldn’t afford to be fired on the spot. I was a master at keeping my thoughts to myself. Sighing, I went to deliver the order with the fries still steaming when I set them down in front of a young couple. “Here you go, folks. Let me know if you need anything else.”
My shoes pinched my feet as I turned. The last half of my shift was always the worst in them. Today, it almost felt like they were picking up on Mr. Ray’s discontent with me and were exacting their own revenge on his behalf.
Today and tomorrow. I just had to get through those two days, and then it would be the weekend, and I would have the whole day to spend with Emery. I only had to push for two more days.
A few minutes before the end of my shift, my internal motivational talk cut itself off when a familiar head of shaggy brown hair ducked into the diner. My steps faltered. Was that…?
Evan lifted his head, green eyes seeking mine out. He waved and sat at a table in my section. I walked over to him, my stride bolstered with false bravado I definitely didn’t feel. “Are you following me?” I asked, striving for a teasing tone.
He frowned. To his credit, he looked as surprised to see me as I was to see him. “Unfortunately, no. I didn’t know you worked here.”
I arched an eyebrow. He raised both hands and shrugged. “I swear. I didn’t know. It’s good to see you, though. I was stopping by for some breakfast. I haven’t been here in years, but they used to make this egg and bacon sandwich that I woke up jonesing for.”
Smiling, I handed over a menu and pointed at the picture right on top. “It’s our famous Cypress Special, I’m guessing?”
His eyes lit up. “That’s the one.”
“Coming right up,” I told him. “Would you like something to drink?”
His eyes dropped to where my pencil was tapping against my notebook. I hardly ever needed to use the thing to record orders since they were mostly quite simple, but I liked having it around to keep my hands busy when I was tempted to fidget—like right then.
“Just a water,” he said.
“Trying to watch your weight?” I joked before I could stop myself.
Evan smirked and patted what appeared to be a very flat stomach. “It’s good to live healthy. That’s what all the bacon on that sandwich is for too—my health.”
I laughed softly and nodded. “Bacon should be its own food group. For us healthy types anyway, you know?”
“You paint the placards, and I’ll round up some trucks. We need to stage a protest somewhere to ensure it’s given its rightful place in the food hierarchy.” He managed to keep a straight face while he said it, but a ghost of a smile touched his lips when he was done.
“Emery would be thrilled to be in charge of painting placards.” I played along with the joke, enjoying the easy banter we had going. “I hope you’re okay with a couple of misspelled words and more paint on the floor than on the signs.”
He shrugged, his eyes sparkling with humor. “It’ll be tough, but I’ll get over it.”
“It’s a hard knock life,” I said, noticing Mr. Ray glowering at me from the serving hatch. Straightening, I said, “So the sandwich special and the water then?”
Evan nodded, his eyes following mine to Mr. Ray. “Perfect, thank you.”
I delivered two more orders before I swung by Evan’s table again to bring him his sandwich. “I hope it’s as good as you remember it being.”
“No doubt,” he said, but he wasn’t looking anywhere near his sandwich. He was looking right at… me. I felt blood rush to my cheeks. Evan smiled, giving his head a small shake. “Thanks for this.”
“You bet.” I rushed away from him to busy myself with refilling sauce bottles and redistributing condiments to empty tables. Just as I’d thought the other day, being around Evan was dangerous for me. He was too tempting. I didn’t have a life that allowed any room for romance. At all.
When he asked me out when I brought him the cookies, I’d been close to saying yes. I really, really wanted to. Until I remembered how busy my life was. I didn’t have time to date. My sole focus was Emery—rightfully so.
I worked to be able to provide for her needs and spent what little free time I had with her. It was so much less than she deserved and yet the very best I could do. Even as I thought it through, the idea was banging around in the back of my mind that maybe going out to dinner with Evan wouldn’t have been such a bad idea.
He was handsome, respectful, funny, and a business owner. He had so many things going for him, yet all those things that made him a catch weren’t why I liked him. I liked him because of who he was, the little I’d seen of him so far. There was that and the burning, yearning need that spun through me whenever we got close.
If there was even a tiny bit of room in my life, I would’ve said yes to him in a heartbeat—in every heartbeat—but I was full up. Going out to dinner with him when I didn’t have time for anyone else in my life would be unfair. I didn’t want to lead him on.
My subconscious whispered to me that maybe he wasn’t after time in my life. Maybe it was a romp between the sheets or whatever the cool kids were calling it these days. My body liked that idea very much, spinning like a top at the thought of it.
Fortunately, my brain knew better than to let my body rule what we did. As much as I adored my daughter, she was destined to be an only child. And that was saying nothing about the actual baggage I dragged around when i
t came to men. No. One-night stands weren’t for me. I didn’t have time for a relationship, and I certainly didn’t even know where to start with one.
The safer, more sensible thing to do was to keep my distance from Evan. If I did that, he couldn’t tempt me to try something that had no chance of growing into something else. Even Emery knew seeds needed water and sunshine to grow.
In a relationship, water and sunshine consisted, at least partly, of time. It was one of the things I just didn’t have. Along with the winning lottery numbers and enough money to retire early and spend my days sailing around the world with Emery.
When I returned to Evan’s table to check on him, he was finishing up with his food. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and patted his stomach again. “That was as good as I remember it being. Exactly what I needed today. Thank you.”
“You should thank Bob,” I told him. “The chef. He’ll be happy with the compliments.”
“Please pass them along then.” He grinned. He reached out to catch my hand when I turned to leave. “I know we’ve already talked about this, but I wanted to ask again.”
My heart sank to my feet. “Evan, I—”
“I know you said no, but I have to ask again.” He wagged his finger between my chest and his. “There’s something here. I want to get to know you better.”
Blown away by his frank honesty, I gaped at him. “You’re certainly… persistent.”
“Depends. Is this case, will persistence pay off?” A ghost of a smile seemed permanently etched on his lips. I sensed there was a lot more to Evan than met the eye, sensed something simmering below the surface, a hint of sadness or worry.
I shook my head. I couldn’t be the person to dive into him and find out who he was. As much as I wanted to—and sweet hell, I wanted that chance—but there was fantasy, and there was reality. My life was a living, breathing embodiment of cold, hard reality. “I’m sorry, Evan. I don’t have time for anyone else in my life. Between my jobs and Emery, I barely have enough time to take a longer shower when I have to shave.”
