by Gina Cole
“So, did you like the rodeo?”
“Not really.”
“Why?”
“It’s not my thing, I guess. I hate seeing people hurt.”
“Why’d you come then?” he asked, looking surprised at her answer. She realized that people must go for the thrill of excitement and the sport. While it was exhilarating, it wasn’t her thing. She’d rather sit at home watching Jeopardy or some old re-runs.
“Well, because I could go and I’ve never been before. I could check it off my bucket list that I’ve gone to one and satisfied my curiosity.”
“Nice.” He nodded approvingly with a smile. “People should want to do things and experience life. I like that. Want to dance?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you! That’s what people do at these things. They dance.”
“I really can’t…wait!” she balked as he took her hand and led her out onto the floor. She pulled back nervously, feeling her stomach rebel briefly. “Wait! I’ve never been dancing. I can’t dance!”
“You don’t have to then. I will lead us, and you just let me do the dancing,” he offered politely with a teasing glint in his eyes. “Think of it as another one for your bucket list, Miss Charlie. Allow me and relax. You look plain scared of me and a little bit of boot scootin’.”
“I’m not scared of you!”
“Good, now loosen up and enjoy it.” Jack spun her around once and pulled her into his arms. Laughing, she waved a finger at him knowing he’d won this round and bested her. He took her hand in his and put it on his shoulder. The other, he held in his other hand gently. Jack’s free hand came to rest on her hip, causing her to jump and him to grin widely.
“Relax, remember?”
“I am relaxing!” she protested. His warm hand was creating havoc in her. She had no idea that his hands were that big and warm. It practically swallowed her hand, making her feel incredibly delicate. Glancing up at him, she saw the red lipstick mark was still on his cheek but faded. “You didn’t wash it off?”
“Why would I?”
“Your run is over.”
“Doesn’t mean I want my luck to end. I’m hoping that it’s still working.”
“I’m not sure I have any luck at all, much less good luck.”
“Maybe you are my good luck charm.”
“Maybe it was skill that kept you from getting maimed today.”
“Are you gonna hurt me?”
“No? Why’d you ask that?”
“Well, I thought maybe that good luck kiss led me to you again – and yet here you are threatening to maim me when I’ve been on my best behavior. Maybe I should act different?” he teased, pulling her closer into his arms.
“I’m not going to maim you…I was talking about that crazy-looking bull from earlier.”
“Pity. A fellow can wish, can’t he?”
Fiercely blushing at the intimate tone in his voice, she smiled lightly at his sweet words. Jack Seguin was a charmer for sure. He could have been a complete jerk and his good looks might have swayed her, but this was heady. He was gorgeous and engaging, completely focused on her for some odd reason.
Becoming silent, she stared at his shirt in order to avoid those mesmerizing eyes and concentrated on her steps. Red and blue check with pearl snap buttons. Double stitching on the seams. Yup, nice shirt, she thought moving blindly as he guided her. The dance seemed to be fairly simple and easy to follow. A few steps forward, a few shuffles back. A small turn and repeat. Before she was ready, the song was coming to an end.
“Think you are up to another dance?”
“I’d like that.”
“Good. Come here,” he invited and held out his hands. Instead of moving into the same position, he practically hugged her causing Charlie to stiffen up at the closeness between them. Glancing up, she saw him watching her carefully. “This one’s a slow song. Relax, little one, and look around. We are gonna do the same thing, if it’s okay with you?”
Nodding, she peeked at the others and saw several women with their heads rested on the other men’s shoulders or chests. Jack was tall, and her head reached the bottom of his chin easily. No wonder he called her little one. She was compared to him and liked the endearment much better than him calling her Lady Luck. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back into his arm and practically melted at the feeling.
“That’s perfect,” she heard Jack say as his throat and chest rumbled under her ear. She could hear his heartbeat and that drowned out any of the song for her. The combination of his cologne, the scent of his skin and the feeling as he held her was incredible.
His arms were wrapped around her waist and carefully rested on her lower back where it was appropriate. He seemed like a gentleman and she really liked it. They swayed for a short amount of time and, suddenly, the song was over. She didn’t say a word when he didn’t let her go and instead continued to hold her for the next song without asking. They danced silently, and Charlie felt such peace in his arms. Hearing an uproar around them and feeling Jacks arms loosen, she pulled back and recognized the music.
“Oh! I know this one!” she exclaimed happily, feeling like she fit in finally with the crowd.
“You didn’t know the last few?” Jack asked, laughing in surprise.
“Nope. But this one? This one, I love and have on my iPhone.”
“Show me what you got then, little one,” he teased at the upbeat music. Gaping, she stared at him.
“I told you I can’t dance.”
“Pretend you are alone, at home, and listening to your iPhone. What would you do?”
“Well, I’m certainly not going to whip out a screwdriver and sing to you!” she quipped bluntly, mortified at the idea of just cutting loose and dancing like a wild child to the quick paced country song.
His laughter rolled over her and made her grin. Instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her against him, where she could still hear the rumblings against her ear. Instead of dancing slowly, he took faster steps to meet the music but didn’t leave the gap between them like there once was. They danced the rest of the night together in much the same fashion until Beth found her.
“C’mon, Cinderella, it’s way past my bedtime and I have pumpkin beer at home screaming my name,” Beth yelled, yawning widely without a care in the world. She didn’t even bother to cover her mouth, giving anyone nearby a glimpse of her molars complete with one filling. Beth was always bold and relaxed. Charlie envied her and was willing to bet money that her friend had not shied away from letting loose on the dance floor.
Pulling away from Jack, Charlie smiled shyly. “I had a great time, but I drove tonight. Thank you for the dances.”
“Thank you for spending time with me and for keeping me safe today.”
“I don’t think I did, but you are welcome anyways.”
“Can I have your number?” he asked quickly. This surprised Charlie because she assumed he was travelling with the show and just enjoying the company for the night.
“Sure. What’s yours? I will call so you can just save it instead of searching for paper and a pen.”
Jack rattled off a phone number, surprising her with a nearby area code. Maybe he didn’t travel with the show after all? Dialing, she called and let it ring several times. Hanging up, she smiled and allowed herself to be dragged by Beth off the dance floor. Waving, she smiled and knew that she was going to talk to him again – soon.
7
The moment Charlie was back in her truck, the barrage began. The flurry of questions from Beth was overwhelming and she understood why she was asking so many. This was so out of character for her. It was all normally work, work, work and cars…never a guy.
Most guys were intimidated that she worked on cars or simply used her to get work done on their car. She felt like she needed to keep what was personal…personal! The scent of his aftershave? The way his hands held hers? She shared what she could with her friend but there wasn’t much to tell. They didn’t talk much, and she didn’t w
ant to be cross examined on how she felt while she was being held by Jack.
Dropping off Beth, Charlie thanked her for coming and promised to keep her informed if anything else occurred. Just then, her phone lit up with a text, causing the two women to look at each other in surprise.
“Spill it! What’d he say to you?”
Glancing at the phone, she smiled softly at the simple message. It was perfect and not overly mushy. She could hear the timbre of his voice as if he were right here and said the words aloud to her.
“It says ‘Sweet dreams, Lady Luck’.”
“Ha! He doesn’t really know you, does he?”
“Nope!” she said with a weak smile. “Not at all.” He may not know her, but it was apparent that he knew how to get to her. And she fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. “Just a simple goodnight, see? Get some rest and I will holler at you later.”
“You better! Goodnight, chickie.”
“G’night.”
Charlie pulled out of the driveway and headed back to her little garage. Pulling into the parking lot, the motion detector light came on and she hurried inside. Setting the locks and the alarm, she headed upstairs to draw herself a bath and brush her teeth. She was so relieved that he didn’t kiss her. Relieved and dismayed. She felt like she had distinctly missed an opportunity tonight even if it was a night of firsts. She dropped a bath bomb in the running water and took a second to text Jack back.
Goodnight, Cowboy. Thank you for the dance.
Staring at the screen, she wondered if she should say more. Instead, she saw he was typing, indicated by the three dots hovering on her phone screen. She waited patiently as she scrubbed her teeth with a toothbrush. Spitting into the sink, she heard the ding and knocked her phone into the bath by accident.
“SHIIIIIIIT!” she screamed aloud as she fished the renegade phone out of the hot, soapy water. Racing to her tiny kitchen, she threw it in a bag of rice faster than humanly possible. Sealing it, she felt her frustration bubbling to a head as she hoped and prayed it would still work.
This was her third cell phone in a year. The first fell out of her pocket and landed in a pan of hot oil, lesson learned. The second phone flew off her dash and out the window when she was taking an exit ramp too fast. Another lesson learned. This time, she’d just put the darned thing in bubble wrap on a tether cord. If her phone didn’t boot up tomorrow, she didn’t know what she was going to do because she had about emptied her savings.
Turning off the water, she glared hatefully at the bathtub that awaited her. She took two Tylenol and stepped into the water, sinking low. As much as she hated the fact that her phone could be fried, the water pulled the stress from her body. There was nothing she could do now other than wait and pray that Jack would understand why she wasn’t responding to his text message.
The next morning was nothing but utter frustration. The phone wouldn’t boot up and, according to the representative at the cellular store in town, there was nothing to be done. They also wouldn’t sell her another phone until she paid off the balance on her current phone. That was not going to happen this week unless she got a big job fast. Heading back to the garage in a funk, she aimlessly thumbed through the yellow pages hoping to find that Jack’s name was listed so she could explain. She was sick to her stomach at the sudden loss of communication with him…and angry at herself for the clumsy mistake. Sure enough, Jack Seguin was unlisted.
Sighing heavily, she opened the garage doors and flipped on the open sign. She certainly didn’t want to wish misfortune on anyone, but she hoped someone would come by sooner rather than later. Using the landline she had at the garage, she called Beth and found herself tearing up on the phone.
“Aw, sweetie! Want me to come and get my oil changed again?” Beth offered through the receiver.
“No, but I appreciate it. It’s my own fault and I just wanted to vent.”
“Well vent away, my dear!”
“I think I’m finished unloading on you.”
“Beer-thirty tonight?”
“Good God, Beth. Are you an alcoholic? I think I have one beer a week and that’s on a rough day. I’m at two so far this week and feeling pretty bad about it.”
“Meh. What else is there to do in suburbia?”
“Point taken. Sure. I’ll boo-hoo my evening away in alcohol with you. Bring jammies in case we are beyond driving.”
“M’kay, Mom. Seriously, I know better.”
“I know, I know.” Charlie spotted a tow truck pulling into her parking lot with a large Ram truck on a hook. It looked pretty roughshod and she could see fluid dripping from underneath the front of the cab. She disliked the tow truck driver because he always pushed for a date with her, but a smile here and there brought her steady business. She needed the work but it made her feel like a tease, something she wasn’t in the slightest.
“Hallelujah! Work just came in on a hook. I gotta go! See ya, bye!” Charlie rushed out and hung up the phone. Flying out the door of the garage, she smiled and waved.
“Whatcha got today, Buddy?” Charlie greeted. She held back a grimace as he spat a wad of tobacco out of his window. Buddy’s Wrecker was the only towing facility in town and unless the vehicles had body damage, he dropped them off here first. He was just itching for a chance to go out with her.
“Mercy, Charlie! If that is how you greet me, I might think you were sweet on me!”
Biting back a groan and shiver of disgust, she saw that he had tobacco bits stuck in his wide, toothy smile. Buddy was nice and polite, but he wasn’t Jack for darned sure. Sweaty hair and a dingy ball cap hid his grimy forehead. The coveralls he wore daily did not hide a thing. They were pulled tight across his slightly expanding middle and looked like they’d not seen a washing machine in years.
“Just saying hello to a longtime friend who brought me a present on a hook,” she replied amicably and hoped he would take the hint. Buddy’s smile dropped and was replaced with a frown.
“Friend? Girl, you know we could clean up in this town together?”
“Buddy, I appreciate it as always. I just really am not looking for a relationship and you know that. You’ve always been there for me anytime I’ve needed you.”
“Yep. Just wish you’d need me in other ways, too,” she heard him mutter aloud as he stepped out of the truck. She wasn’t sure if he intended her to hear him or if it was a slip of the tongue. He was getting bold in the last few weeks. She had just kept pushing him away and would continue to do so. Especially until he got the hint and separated business from pleasure. She swallowed back a gag thinking of Buddy and pleasure in the same sentence.
“No owner today?”
“Nope. AAA dispatched me out to the sticks to get this one. Fuel pump,” he said simply as he worked on removing the truck from the hook. Charlie grinned. According to Buddy, they were all fuel pump issues or batteries and that was very rarely the case. Unfortunately, once he told the owner it was a fuel pump, it made it tough for her to convince them otherwise because she was a girl. Stereotypical, yes. Honest? Absolutely.
“Does it crank?”
“Yeah, you should be able to get it in there on a lift.”
“Great.” That would make it so much easier to find out what was going on with it. If she had to push it, she’d need Buddy’s help. The last time he helped her push a car, he ended up hanging around for an hour before he was called out again. She just wasn’t up to the small talk today. Opening the door, she breathed deep the woodsy smell and sighed. She just adored that scent. Clean and fresh. Turning the key, she heard the truck give a mighty groan and then nothing.
“Thought you said it cranked?”
“I thought it did. Lemme give you a push and you steer. Got any coffee, Charlie?”
“Yep. Sure do. Did you get the owner’s info?”
“Got a name and number for you – that’s it.”
“That will work. Ready?”
“Sure am, put her in neutral and let’s get it inside. Coffe
e sounds really good about now.”
A sharp stick in the eye sounds better! she thought and pulled the steering wheel heavily to turn the large vehicle. There would be no getting out of having coffee with Buddy unless there was an Act of God at this point. She was so glad to have the truck right now to look at. Unfortunately, that meant pushing the Camaro out so she could still work. She only had two lifts in the garage and the Camaro sitting on one of them was a waste of space. But at least it was running now, she thought. That would make it much easier to get it in and out of the garage in the evenings.
Pulling forward slowly, she got the truck into place and yelled for Buddy to stop. Setting the emergency brake, she got out of the truck carefully so as not to scratch the doors on the lift posts. “Cream and sugar?” she asked politely.
“You know how I like it: sweet,” he started with a knowing grin.
“Just like I like my women,” she chimed in, rolling her eyes at the worn cliché. He was consistent, she had to give him that. Every time he saw her, he made a comment. If this was it today, she was out of trouble.
Pouring coffee into two cups, she handed one to him with the lidded glass jar of sugar she kept out for customers. Sprinkling creamer in her own cup, she set it down and exchanged with him simply to avoid touching his hands. They were grimier than hers and she had been tinkering on the Camaro while she waited for the next job. Taking a big sip, she sighed in delight at the taste.
“Truck belongs to a Jake Seguin and the number is…” he droned on, but Charlie was too busy trying to keep from choking on the scalding liquid. Grabbing a tablet, she hurriedly wrote down the phone number.
“Jack Seguin,” she corrected.
“You know him?”
“Met him once or twice,” she answered evasively and took another sip. Apparently, his truck broke down on the way home. That sucks, she thought, almost as much as me trashing my phone in the bath. Lady Luck, my foot!
