by Gina Cole
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Drink your coffee and get over it…with it? On it? Whatever! But girl, get the attitude corrected or you are gonna run off customers if you bark at them like you do me.”
“You’re the best.”
“I know I am. By the way, your cowboy just pulled up in an Uber. So, while I am ‘vulgar’ as you put it, I have no desire to see you two making spicy, goo-goo eyes at each other. If I want to see that I will watch a chick flick or a porno. Next time I come by, though, if you bite my head off, I’m gonna tell Buddy that you are incredibly shy and want him sooooooo badly.”
“BETH! YOU WOULDN’T!” Charlotte roared in shock and outrage, coming off of the wooden stool she sat upon. If anyone dropped any hint to Buddy, she’d never get rid of him and that was beyond the pale.
“Try me, Bitchens. I love you to pieces, but damn, girl! Make with the happy stuff with your man, okay?” Beth blew a kiss towards where Charlotte stood at the counter and flew through the doorway, ringing the overhead bell on her way out.
Jack stepped out of the sedan and paid the driver. Charlie saw that he waved politely at Beth who was grinning from ear to ear. In his arms were a large picnic basket and a bottle of wine. Apparently, date number two was starting earlier than she expected with little warning.
While Charlie had been calculating his total so far, she had only finished not long ago bleeding the coolant system. She still had yet to take the truck out for a spin to see if it overheated. It had idled in the stall for about thirty minutes safely, but there was a distinct difference between letting a car idle and driving it. And unfortunately for her, that meant she had sweat and grime everywhere. Sighing dejectedly, she took a deep breath and prepared herself. It wasn’t every day that Cinderella met her Prince Charming in coveralls and smelling like axle grease.
“Hey there. I hope I’m not too early?”
“Nope, you just get to see me at my very finest,” she quipped and gnashed her teeth as she saw his surprised expression. “Listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep well last night and, honestly, I’m a filthy train wreck right now. I just got the water pump on the truck and was about to go on a test drive.”
“That’s great. I think.”
“Maybe. Hopefully, it is.”
“I’m sure it is. You look like you know what you’re doing.”
“I look absolutely wretched.”
“You look like you’ve worked hard on it and I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life.”
“Annnnnnd you’re officially crazy,” she teased with a light grin. “See that spot? That’s silicone sealant. And that charming smell? Brake cleaner from where I cleaned up all your coolant and my mess repairing it.”
“Enchanting, I swear. I love the smell of brake cleaner in the morning,” he said, leaning over the counter. His face was alight with a wide grin and he kissed her tenderly on the lips. “Do you have to work late or have any clients coming in soon?”
“Nope, all yours. Unless a customer drives up unexpectedly.”
“Well, I brought us a little something for dinner and thought maybe we could spend a little more time together. You didn’t seem to mind my singing during the movie, so how could I want to be anywhere else?”
“You know, I understand the feeling and the singing. Have you ever seen Mannequin? There is some shameless singing that comes from me when that movie is on.”
“Ahhhh,” he said laying a hand over his heart. “I knew you were perfect for me!”
“Maybe I should let you smell axle grease up close? If you like that, then I will know it’s true lo-…” Charlie stopped midsentence and looked away quickly. “If you don’t mind, I think I will run upstairs and clean up a bit. Do you mind?”
“Would you feel better?”
“Much,” she said quickly, wanting to get away from the moment. At his nod, she darted up the stairs and locked the door behind her. Stupid, stupid idiot! she thought, shutting her eyes as she stood against the door. “You don’t bring up the ‘L’ word so fast, or you run them off.” Beth had always told her this and did she listen over the years?
Not one bit.
Thinking about it, she realized that if she had been out with a guy once or twice and he mentioned love, she’d flake on him instantly. It just doesn’t happen. And if it happens to be that way for her, who said it was that way for him, too? She was infatuated and that’s all it was. Infatuated and a complete idiot who happened to have left her shop full of tools and equipment unlocked with an almost stranger. Did she even lock the till? Shaking her head, she realized that she wouldn’t ever imagine that Jack could take something from her…other than her heart.
Thirty minutes later, she came downstairs and was clean. She had dawdled and taken her time wondering if he was regretting coming early. She also wanted to give him time to get an Uber back if he needed it.
Coming down the stairs barefoot, she felt like a brand-new person free from the muck and grime. She was wearing a comfy set of jeans and a feminine blouse that could easily fit under a set of coveralls during the next few hours if needed. No dresses today. She was basically on call, she just didn’t make the same amount of money a physician did. As she descended, she saw Jack in the waiting room sitting patiently and staring at the television in the corner. When she entered the room, he hopped up out of his seat politely.
“Feel better?” he asked. She felt like a wall had come up between them and it was probably because of her slip.
“Much, I appreciate it. I wasn’t sure if you minded waiting or if you would leave.”
“Did you think I was leaving?”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
“Charl-”
“Jack-” They both began and smiled. Charlie spoke first.
“Look, I don’t want things to be weird. I like you – a lot. I consider you a friend and if I can’t be myself with a friend, then maybe something’s wrong. If there is more, I don’t feel like there is a certain time frame or rules we have to follow. It just happens – and if not, then it doesn’t.”
“I agree.”
“So, what’s wrong? You seem a bit out of sorts.”
“Can I be myself? No games?”
“Hell yes…please, no games,” she said with a happy sigh of relief and gave a loud squeak as Jack pulled her into his arms. His lips came down hard on hers like a starving man. The feel of his tongue made her purr deep in her throat and that seemed to encourage him on. His hands grasped at her bottom, pulling her forward and fitting her against him. He kissed her deeply for several minutes and then finally pulled away, tugging at her bottom lip.
“I adore your lips, Charlie,” she heard him whisper as she clung to his shoulders, weak in the knees. The man could knock her socks off and as she looked down at her bare feet, she giggled.
“Kissing me makes you laugh?”
“No, but it sure knocks my socks off,” she replied and heard him chuckle. “Actually, I didn’t come down with any, so…”
“So, I should try it again?”
“And often, I’m thinking,” she admitted softly, tracing the edge of his chin. “You’ve got a bit of red on your face again. Maybe I shouldn’t wear my lipstick anymore?”
“I’d be crushed,” he admitted tenderly. “Those pretty, red lips haunted my dreams last night.”
“Those red lips are staining yours and making quite the mess on your sexy face.”
“I always knew you thought I was sexy,” he teased.
“I just met you two days ago.”
“No time frame, remember? No limits,” he said in a sultry voice. “No rules. Just what we want is the only thing that counts. Don’t clean off the red yet, I might be tempted to kiss you again and smear it a bit more.”
“Want the grand tour or did you already look around?” she asked, swallowing hard at the intimacy in the room. She changed the subject. It was getting warm in here and she wasn’t quite ready to take the next step jus
t yet. Kissing Jack would lead to the next step easily and while she said ‘no rules’, she did have a rule. She didn’t want to regret anything after it was done.
Pulling back, she showed him around the shop quickly and explained about the water pump. She then showed him the bill and, thankfully, he didn’t balk at it. She had really never discussed price because she wasn’t sure what would fix it yet.
“Who’s Camaro?”
“She’s mine.”
“Yours? Are you restoring her?”
“Working on it. I just got the motor running the other day. Someone had tossed her aside for scrap and there was so much zest, so much life waiting to come alive that I had to have her. I bought her for a couple hundred and towed her here years ago. She’s been my project ever since.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yes, she is. I feel odd calling it a ‘she’ but it feels right. All the chrome, all the lights? It reminds me of a woman’s jewelry. All she needs now is some pretty, black shoes.”
“Shoes? Like brake pads?”
“No, shoes like a woman. She needs new rims. The person that had her before had a set of steelies on her and it didn’t fit the aura she projects. This girl needs a set of aggressive black rims. When I do my taxes, I think I might buy them. Unless, I buy my phone first,” she admitted, grinning. “Stupid, I know, but that is why I was so surprised you called me Lady Luck. If I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any.”
“I don’t think it’s stupid. Lots of people say that their cars have personalities. They even name their cars because it feels right. You care about the inanimate object when it’s named. That gives it life and a personality. So, what’s her name?” he asked casually.
“Bitchens.”
“What?” he exclaimed and burst out laughing. “You named your Camaro Bitchens?”
“No laughing and no judgement! Remember? Hear me out!” she countered, feeling extremely embarrassed by the moniker she had given the car.
“She’s a powerful, independent female that looks sharp, right? She’s got the jewelry and owns the road. The name fits my car.” Beth had called her that a few times over the years and while she hated it, it kinda stuck to the car. It purred like a kitten when she started it, therefore the Camaro became Bitchens.
“Wow. I thought you were going to say something mundane, like Bandit or Onyx. I can honestly say that I wasn’t expecting Bitchens.”
“Meh,” Charlie said shrugging. “My rules, my car, my nickname.”
“So, it is,” he agreed, chuckling still at the name. “And I can tell you really adore it. It looks like you’ve put a lot of work into her.”
“She’s mine. I have put a lot of work into her, so yeah, I’m proud.”
“You should be.”
They stood there for a few moments and she could see the hesitation in his eyes. “What?” she asked and saw him shake his head. Instead, he led her back into the waiting area where it was a bit cleaner and the basket he had brought sat. “So, what did you bring in the basket?”
“I brought dinner for us. It’s nothing fancy, just a little something.”
“Sounds good, but it’s a little early for dinner.”
“True. I was kind of hoping to spend the afternoon with you and then sweep you off your feet for dinner. I even have a closer.”
“A what?” she exclaimed with a laugh. If he didn’t look so embarrassed, she’d have thought he was being arrogant and claiming to have a “closer” for the night. He was actually blushing. What exactly was a closer anyway? Did he think he was going to get to sleep with her?
“You’ll see.”
“Well, that is intimidating and a bit unnerving.”
“Okay, maybe closer isn’t the right term. How about a gift?”
“That’s a much better term,” she admitted, laughing. “So, how shall we pass the time this afternoon?”
“Ever play spades?”
“You know, the naughty term for playing cards is strip poker. Not spades.”
“I wasn’t intending to be naughty, little one. I want to talk and get to know you a bit more and thought maybe we could do that over a card game.”
“A card game that won’t result in me being naked? You aren’t trying very hard, Romeo.”
“By all means, if you want to undress, I am NOT going to stop you from doing so,” he retorted with a wide grin. “Go ahead, please! But I thought we’d try spades because I’m old-fashioned. My parents always used to play, and they said that you could see the true personality of a person based on how they played. If they were cutthroat, they’d probably be that way in life. If they played well with a partner and fell into sync…” He stopped and looked at Charlie, his eyes unfathomable. “That partner would probably sync well the rest of their life. Dad swore that was how he knew Mom was the right one. She could read his mind and play off his hand.”
“That’s so sweet,” she breathed and cracked a smile. “Cheesy and tender, but sweet. I love it. But don’t you need four to play?”
“Yes, and, in fact, the other two should be here any minute.”
“You are bringing others? Who?” she asked, slightly bothered that he had taken it upon himself to plan out the afternoon without consulting her.
“Beth is on her way and bringing a friend.”
“You threw that together last minute, didn’t you?”
“Absolutely I did,” he nodded proudly. He pointed out the window nearby just over her shoulder. “And there they are. Want to go wipe off that lipstick, little one? I’m not going to have time to smear it until later.”
10
It was a fairly easy game. They played all afternoon in the customer lounge area of her small garage. Honestly, the game went as Charlie would have expected it to go. A lot of smiles, a lot of laughs and a significant amount of cheating between Beth and her roommate. The first time she saw a card slid underneath the table they sat at, Charlie was outraged at the obvious cheat. Beth just grinned at her, stuck out her tongue and moved on winning the hand. They shuffled and played again. As they got towards the end of the game that she and Jack were winning, this time, Jodie (the roommate) slid a card blatantly across the table to Beth in front of them all, smiling like the Cheshire Cat.
“What the heck, Beth?” Charlie asked, laughing and met Jack’s eyes. He shrugged and looked pointedly at their hands. She knew he was right at that moment. Beth would do anything to get by and succeed, including cheating. So instead of focusing on the cheating the duo was doing, she focused on Jack and how he played.
There were subtle movements that he did, and she began to pick up that they were clues to her. For instance, if he had the next few hands, he would tap the card on the table absently and look at her. It was a casual look, not a “hey, I’ve got this” look. Learning his signs was giving them the advantage. The cheating was even more rampant now and, yet, they were still winning.
At five o’clock, Charlie flipped off the open sign and locked the garage doors before returning to the table for the last few hands. They had whittled away the afternoon quite nicely. In fact, she realized that she had not had such a peaceful afternoon in a long time. It was wonderful. As she and Jack cleaned up the last few rounds, Beth got her purse.
“I think it’s time we head out. Jodie said she was buying dinner tonight and I’m not letting her get out of it. I bought the last three times.” Beth saluted. “Bye, lovebirds!”
Shaking her head at the exit, Charlie smiled at Jack. “She’s quite the cheater, isn’t she?”
“I didn’t want to say it, but yes,” he admitted, sitting back in his chair with a smile. “Did you see them giving each other high fives and exchanging cards?”
“No! They did?”
“Why do you think they did it two times in a row? One gave a card, then they slapped hands and the other gave a card. They are really bad cheaters, but really good people.”
“Yeah, they are,” she admitted. “I had fun today.”
&nb
sp; “And it’s not over yet.”
“I’m glad.”
“Me, too.” Jack grabbed the basket and pulled out a bottle of wine. He then reached in and grabbed two small votives, as well as a lighter. “I thought we’d have a candlelight dinner, just you and I?”
“That’s so sweet, but I didn’t cook anything.”
“I didn’t ask you to.” His hand dove in the basket again and brought up a cheese tray as well as a box of crackers.
“Maybe we should go upstairs so we can set the table?”
“I don’t want you to be nervous or uncomfortable.”
Smiling, Charlie picked up the candles and lighter. “C’mon, Jack. It’s a bit cozier up there. And if a customer pulls up and sees us inside, they might interrupt our dinner.”
“Dinner at your place tonight, then maybe dinner at mine tomorrow?”
“Sounds excellent.”
“Fair warning. I can’t cook,” he admitted shyly. He followed her up the stairs and Charlie was infinitely aware that she was leading him into her personal space. No one ever came up, much less saw how feminine her inner sanctum was. It was so different from the rest of her image but suited her to a T. Opening the door, she glanced over her shoulder, suddenly curious. If he couldn’t cook, then what was in the basket?
“What did you bring then?”
“Cheese plate, wine and SpaghettiOs.”
Charlie burst out laughing at his candid expression. “You had me until Chef Boyardee came along. Set the table, light the candles and let me see what I have.”
“You can cook? Damn, I knew you were perfect.”
“Not the greatest, but I get by.” She grabbed some butter, frozen shrimp and spaghetti, sautéing it in a skillet. A touch of heavy cream and she put it to simmer for ten minutes. That would be enough time to open the wine and have a seat with the most gorgeous man she’d had the fortune to meet. Turning around, she saw that he had already poured two glasses for them and set the cheese tray on the table. There was also a small bouquet of flowers.
“Where’d those come from?”
“Kroger.”
“Silly, I meant ‘where did you have those hidden?’ Were they in the basket this whole time?”
