by Casey Peeler
“She’s not my boss, or at least not for long,” I say as I take another pull.
Colby looks over and his mouth falls wide open. “Who the hell is that beauty?”
“Landry Mayes.”
“Shit. You’re kiddin’?” he says.
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
“No wonder your panties are in a wad,” he says with a laugh and I punch him in the shoulder.
His eyes cut to Everett and they both look at me.
“Awe, hell nah, I’m out of there as soon as I’ve got enough money for a down payment for my own shop. If he’s going to give it to her, it’s time to get the hell outta there.”
Stella looks at us and to Landry, “Bless it, Jeremiah. You keep telling yourself that, but I’d bet this bar that you’re already hooked.”
Without another word, I grab my beer and walk toward the pool table at the opposite end of Landry. Refusing to look her direction, I rack the balls and try my best to ignore her laugh and the way she says Banks’ name. It’s like nails on a chalkboard. Who the hell am I kidding? She’s got my dick at full attention. I have no idea how I’m going to survive having her in the shop. Hopefully she keeps her ass in the office. Once I break, Colby appears at my side and joins in. I hear Banks laugh. Without realizing what I’m doing, I look toward them and he gives a nod. That fucking prick.
Right on cue, Stella appears with beers and she continues to keep them coming all night long. Before long, we’ve cleared the table, racked again, and as the bar continues to grow with customers, it makes it easier for her to disappear amongst the crowd.
Landry
The moment he walks in it’s as if my body feels him before I see him. I do my best to pay attention to Banks, but let’s face it, he’s still a pretty boy, which isn’t my style at all. As we continue to play pool, I don’t look his direction. After his attitude at the hospital, it’s best if I leave him alone. Things are about to change tomorrow at the shop and I’ve got to keep it separate. I don’t care if every time I see him, my girlie bits get in a tizzy.
As we finish our game, he takes me by the hand and walks me toward the bar.
“Hey, Stella, can we get a couple of shots?”
“Banks, I’m good. I’ve got to drive home and I have work tomorrow.”
“Work? You can’t be serious. You are really going to work at the shop?” he says, eyeing me from head to toe, and that’s when I snap.
“What, don’t think I can handle it?” I question as my hands go straight to my hips.
“Look, it’s rough in there,” he says, motioning his head toward the pool tables. Looking over my shoulder, I see him and that’s went I can’t help myself.
“Banks, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but I am well aware of what and who I have to deal with in Paw’s shop. I can promise you one thing. If you think I can’t handle the shop then you sure as fuck can’t handle a girl like me.” His mouth falls wide slap open. “Hey, Everett, can you grab my check?” He nods and as he brings it over, I pull out some cash and tell him to keep the change as I turn to walk toward the front door. Catching a glance of Jeremiah taking a long pull on his beer, I give him a wink as I reach the old wooden door and if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it when a small smile crossed his face.
Chapter 5
Jeremiah
The moment she looked my direction, I did my best to refrain from smiling. Hell, I’m fucking pissed about the shop, but the way she handled Banks made me want to buy her a damn beer. Shit. Who am I kidding? The way she looked my direction made me want to follow her right out the damn door, but I’m a Drake and I don’t follow any woman. I’m the one that calls the shots.
When the door closes, I look back toward the bar and see Banks standing there speechless. Placing my pool stick back on the wall, I take my beer and walk toward the bar. It’s time to call it a night.
“Stella, how much is my tab?”
“$22.65.”
Taking my wallet out of my back pocket, I pull out a twenty and a ten. Tossing it on the bar, I begin to slide my wallet back in when I hear him fucking talking.
“You better watch yourself, Drake. She’s bad news.”
Looking his direction, I ask, “Bad news? Do you know who the hell you’re talking to? The moment I saw you with her I knew you’d never be able to handle her. Not with those pansy ass loafers you’ve got on.” Everett begins to laugh behind me and that’s when I see Banks try to bulk up. Who does he think he’s messing with? I take a step toward him.
“Banks, you don’t want to do that tonight,” I say, giving him a warning.
“You know you can’t keep running that trap of yours. One day someone is going to not take your shit.”
Laughing, I look at him. “Well, that’s not today because I could whoop your ass with my eyes closed.”
“No worries, I don’t need to. I plan on seeing Landry tomorrow, and when I show up at the shop and she tells me she’s sorry, I’ll have her screaming my name by lunch.”
Something inside me snaps. Taking a step toward him, I grab him by his collared shirt and walk him backward toward the door. Someone opens it as I push him outside and toss him against the side of building.
“You listen, and you listen closely. You will not come by the shop tomorrow, and if I ever hear you talk about her like that again, I will cut off your fingers one by one. You got it? She is not to be fucked with.”
He doesn’t say a word as I let go of his shirt and take a step back before walking toward my truck, and that’s when I see the Camaro and her eyes meet mine. I don’t say a word or crack a smile. Instead, I walk toward my truck, climb in and drive toward the shop.
Landry
The moment I got into my car, I noticed that Sadie, my best friend, had called. Quickly, I call her back before leaving the parking lot. As it continues to ring, I see the bar door swing open and burst out laughing when I see Jeremiah slam Banks against the bar wall.
“Landry, what the hell is so funny?” she questions.
“Oh my gosh, Sadie, I’m going to have to call you back.”
“Like hell you will!” Quickly, I fill her in and when Jeremiah turns to walk toward his truck, I do my best not to look at him. However, when his eyes meet mine, I feel as if he did that for me. Why? I’m not sure. “Hello? Landry? You there?”
“Oh yeah, sorry. I kinda got caught up watching the fight go down.”
“So you mean to tell me that the guy from your Paw’s shop just whooped the guy’s ass you were playing pool with?”
“That’s about right.”
“Damn, girl. Why can’t I have your luck?”
“What do you mean?”
“Twenty bucks says mechanic boy has the hots for ya.”
I begin to laugh until it hurts. “Sadie, that’s fucking Jeremiah Drake, and he wants nothing to do with me.”
“Yeah, don’t kid yourself. He just whooped a guy’s ass because of you.”
“I don’t know that for sure.”
“You can’t tell me it didn’t have to do with you, but I can tell you that being his boss isn’t going to work out,” she says.
“I already know that. He had no problem telling Paw that either today.”
I talk to Sadie a few more minutes when I realize that I’ve got to get going. Putting my car in reverse, I drive toward Paw’s. As I pass the shop, I notice that the lights are on and Jeremiah’s truck is parked out front. What the hell is he doing?
“Sadie, he’s at the shop. I’m going to see what he’s doing in there this late at night.”
“Girl, he’s prob just pissed and taking out his answer on a big piece of metal.”
“True,” I say as I continue to drive past the shop, deciding that I can have this conversation tomorrow. As I approach the stoplight, I tell Sadie bye and pausing a moment, I do a U-turn and drive right back to the shop.
Pulling into the shop, I pull the door and realize it’s
locked. Well, at least that’s a plus. Digging out my keys, I finally find them and open the door to be knocked down by some classic country music blaring on the radio. What the hell? Metallica, yes, but not George. I almost want to laugh. Looking around, I don’t see him anywhere, but when I hear metal hit the floor, I know he’s at the opposite end under the hood of the Impala.
Trying my best, I prance quietly toward him on the tips of my toes, trying not to let my heels click. Once I’m at the car, I see him on the dolly underneath the car. I don’t say anything. Instead, I stand there with my arms crossed and wait for him to notice me.
Jeremiah
The moment she walked into the building, I felt her, I didn’t have to slide out from under the car. When she tried to be sneaky walking toward me, I wanted to belt out a laugh. Instead, I kept working and when she paused in front of me, I had a decision to make—do I keep her waiting, make her think she’s in control, or scare the shit out of her?
“Can you hand me a ratchet extender?” I ask her as I slide out from under the car and see her standing to my right with her arms crossed.
“What are you doing here?” she questions.
“Working. What are you doing here?” I banter back.
“Checking to see why you’re here. I’m not paying you overtime.” I begin to laugh.
“You gonna hand me that extender or what?” She moves to the tool box and hands it to me. “Never wanted the money.”
Sliding back under there, I finish what I’m doing quickly as she squats down to see what I’m working on.
“Can I ask what the hell that was outside of Barger’s?”
“Just a friendly reminder, that’s all.”
“I can handle myself.” Sliding back from the car, I stand and wipe my hands on the worn towel then lean against the work bench. “Don’t,” she says, pointing her finger at me as she takes a step toward me. If she knows what’s good for her, she’ll stop right there.
“I’m very aware you can handle yourself, but that fucker decided to mess with the wrong Drake brother tonight.”
Her head turns in question. “What do you mean?”
“It doesn’t matter. Look, I’m going to finish up here and head out. I don’t expect overtime, but I do expect you to stay the hell out of my way in here.”
“Why’s that?” The way she says it, I know what she’s implying and I’ve got to refrain from pressing her ass against the hood of this car.
I stand to walk past her when she steps in front of me. “Landry, don’t do that unless you’re ready to play in the big leagues.”
She looks up at me, “Jeremiah, I’m not that little tomboy anymore and I was made for the big leagues.” Fuck.
As her eyes linger on mind, I say fuck it. Taking step toward her, I pick her up and turn her toward the car. As I find the hood, I sit her on it gently and look her in the eyes. The aqua color has me falling deep into a sea of never turning back. Bending down, my lips meet hers and I take them in mine. I don’t play nice and neither does she as we tangle our lips together. When she bites my lower lip, I about lose my shit, but then it hits me. I can’t do this, not with her in here. Taking a step back, I turn and walk out the door, leaving her there alone.
Landry
What the fuck just happened? I went from being on the best high of my life to all alone in the shop. How can he do that? I’ll be damned if I play this game with him, and once I’ve got myself together, I don’t bother turning off the lights. Instead, I lock the door and head home. Tomorrow morning, it’s on.
As my alarm goes off, I shower and get ready for work. Sliding on my worn jeans and a tank that I can care less if it gets dirty, I make my coffee and get ready to go to the shop when Paw calls.
“Hey, pretty girl! They’re letting me blow this joint. Can you come and get me?”
“Of course.” I think about calling the shop but don’t worry about it. Arriving at the hospital, he’s discharged and insists on going by the shop before going home. Unsure of how this will go with Jeremiah, I follow his wishes.
Arriving at the shop, I’m shocked to see Banks’ car in the parking lot. I shake my head. “What’s up, pretty girl?”
“Banks. Jeremiah roughed him up pretty good last night at Barger’s on my account.” Paw doesn’t do anything but stare. “What?”
“Landry, honey, the only time a Drake boy roughs up a guy for a girl is when they’ve fallen.” I start to laugh, but he doesn’t. “I saw it happen with their father, Charles, and with Everett not too long ago. That boy’s got it bad.”
“Doubtful. He made that pretty clear. Did you know he works in here when he’s pissed about stuff?”
“Don’t we all?”
Pausing, I think about it and know he’s right. “I guess so, but Bank’s has to be stupid to walk in here today. He’s liable to get pressed in a vice.” We both laugh as I go around to help Paw out.
Walking into the shop, Paw looks around to see that we were right about Banks. Jeremiah has him against a wall with a wrench in his hand.
“Boys, that’s enough,” he says and Jeremiah lets him go. A flash of relief covers his face when he sees Paw.
“Banks, what the fuck do you need?” Paw asks.
“I brought Landry some breakfast. That’s all.”
“Mayes, that might be the case, but I told that fucker to stay away from her after last night.”
I snap. Looking at Paw, I know I’ve got to keep it together. Instead, I ignore him and let Paw have a few minutes around here. Once he’s content, I look to Jeremiah and Davis. “I’ll be back shortly. Banks, fuck off,” I say as we walk out the door.
When we get in the car, Paw starts to cackle. “What’s so funny?”
“You. Your mama would have a fit if she heard you say that.”
“Maybe, but it’s the truth, and if you’re gonna work in a shop like that you’ve got to be able to handle yourself,” I say to him as I take him home.
Once we’re home, I get him settled and ask if there’s anything he needs. He promises he’s good. I make him a tomato sandwich for lunch, pass him the remote, and tell him I’ll be home a little after five. He tells me to take my time and that Ben next door will be close if he needs him. Kissing his forehead, I tell him I love him and drive back to the shop.
Chapter 6
Jeremiah
The moment the door flies open, I know it’s her as I shut the hood on a Camry and start to take the keys to the owner, but she yells for me to go to the office. Shit. Tossing the keys to Davis, I follow her in there and have no clue what’s about to happen.
As I enter the office, she shuts the door and stands there looking at me.
“Yes?” I question.
“What the fuck is your problem?”
“What do you mean?” I say, unsure of the right answer because let’s face it, she’s a woman, and I’m wrong no matter what I say.
“You do not get to be my keeper. You got that? I can handle myself without your fucking help.” I smirk. She’s hot when she’s mad. “Knock that smirk off your face,” I say to him but he keeps letting it shine and it’s making it hard to be pissed.
“How about you knock it off?”
“Not on your life after last night. It’s pretty obvious that I’m some damn game with you, and just so you know, I’m not a prize to be won.”
“You think it’s a game?”
“What else do you call it? You just walked away last night.”
“Maybe I did that to save both of us.” A look of confusion crosses her face. “We both can’t be in charge here and I can promise you that you don’t want what’s in front of you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because no one does. I’m a Drake.” As I reach for the door knob, she takes a step forward, looking me in the eyes.
“Maybe I’ve always wanted a Drake.”
“Landry, we all want what we can’t have,” I say as I start to turn the knob and walk out, when the office door slings op
en and Davis is standing there white as a ghost.
“Sorry, but Landry, it’s Mr. Mayes. You need to get to the hospital.” She doesn’t move, so I take over.
“Davis, close up today. I’m taking her.” Taking her by the hand, I pull her from the office and out the front door.
Landry
The moment that Davis begins to speak, I have no idea what he’s saying. Everything was okay when I left a few minutes ago. I can’t think, move or process anything.
Before I realize what is happening, Jeremiah has me by the hand and he’s pulling me out the door and to his truck. My heart begins to pound as I climb inside the truck and he closes the door. He calls someone and I soon realize it’s his brother, Beckett.
“What’s doing on, bro?” he questions.
“I’ve got her and we’re on the way. Tell him she’s on the way.”
When he closes the phone, he looks my direction and doesn’t say anything. Instead, he takes my hand in his and is quiet the entire way. The quietness makes me sick to my stomach.
“Jeremiah, is he okay?”
He looks my direction, “I’m not sure. Beckett said that Ben went to check on him and when he got there, he wouldn’t wake up.”
Tears begin to fall down my face and my insides start to shake. He never lets go of my hand and when we arrive at the hospital, I can’t move from my seat. He comes around and opens the door. I can’t move.
Without another word, he takes a step toward me and places his hand on my cheek. “Whatever has happened, you can get through it. I’ll help you. I love him, too.”
What in the hell did he just say? “How can you say that? You don’t even know me, and you want out of the shop. I already know that.”
“Look, now’s not the time, but that man in there, he’s like a dad to me. He took me under his wing, showed me the ropes, took over when my Pops passed. Am I pissed you showed up? Hell yeah, but I’ll get over it. He’s what’s important and if he wants you to take over, I’ll have to deal with it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Now’s not the time, Landry. We’ve got to get in there.” Shaking my head, I slide out of the truck and he closes the door behind me. Taking his arm, he places it across my shoulder and pulls me in. Something about this moment is surreal. All I’ve wanted since the moment my eyes met his was to feel what it’s like in his arms, but I’d give anything if this wasn’t how it happened.
