The Relationship Mechanic (Peach Blossom #2)

One

“I ’m bored.”

Vini squinted against the glare of the sun. It was a beautiful uneventful day the same as any other. Business had been slow leaving her with the need for something, anything, to happen. She rolled her eyes at Aiden’s words but couldn’t deny she felt the same. Excitement was hard to come by in Peach Blossom, but even this bout of boredom was a bit much.

“Seriously, Vin. Can’t you at least put a television in here or something?” Aiden’s voice was starting to do her head in especially when he started with the whining. “Watching paint dry would be more entertaining at this point.”

“If you’re so bored,” she replied, not bothering to look over at him, “why don’t you organize the new shipment of parts we got in this morning?”

She knew that was a guaranteed way to get Aiden to shut up before he got on a roll of even more complaints. It wouldn’t be the first time, but she didn’t need his boredom to lead to her annoyance. He groaned but dutifully got up and walked to the back room where they kept the parts they needed to fix the vehicles that came in and out of the shop. Vini watched him go and almost told him she would do it instead. Organizing the stock wasn’t fun, but the repetitive nature of it at least helped the time go by faster.

Music drifted through the air and Vini leaned forward, elbows on the counter as she gazed out the window. The street in front of her auto shop was clear, save a couple cars that drove by. She almost regretted relocating the shop to the outskirts of the main part of town, but the space it had afforded her was worth it in the long run. Still, it would’ve been nice to be able to go one or two buildings over to chat with people instead of having to walk the three miles it took to get to Main Street. Not for the first time she was regretting not buying a television and installing cable in the shop. Or at least getting a smart TV to stream something. The radio only helped so much when there was a lull in vehicles to work on.

The landline ringing shook her out of her boredom, and she grabbed for the phone hoping desperately that there was something interesting to do.

“Hey, Lavenia. You free right now?”

Vini winced at her whole name being used. It wasn’t the first time Sheriff Patrick had done it, despite her insisting he was more than welcome to call her by her nickname like everyone else in town did. No one used her whole name anymore. Except her father when she was in trouble or her sisters when they were being assholes.

“Yeah. You got a job for me?”

“A car on the shoulder out on Seventy-five Southbound a mile out from exit one forty. Driver said the damn thing is a rental that just crapped out on her and could use a tow. She’s staying in Peach Blossom so figured I’d call you instead of Tony.”

“Good looking out,” she replied pushing up off the counter. Tony Prichard ran another auto shop in the town forty minutes north of them. Sheriff Patrick usually patrolled the strip between the two towns and called in help depending on which way people were headed unless it was an eighteen-wheeler which was much heavier than any of Vini’s equipment could handle. “I’ll get the truck and head your way. Is it a case of the forgotten pit stop again, or do you think this is legit?”

He chuckled, no doubt remembering the last wayward tourist who had somehow forgotten to fill his tank and then was surprised when the car exhausted its fumes and refused to go a mile farther. That had been a hilarious story to relay to her family when she had gotten home that evening.

“Nah. It’s a genuine one.”

“Got it. Be there in twenty.”

Vini called out to Aiden letting him know she had a job before grabbing her sunglasses and heading to the back lot. The air was blessedly warm compared to a few days prior when a random cold front had brought in the type of chill that had everyone in coats in the morning and short sleeves by the afternoon. Fall in Georgia was peculiar like that. But today was one of those gorgeous days that just guaranteed good things, and it put a little pep in Vini’s step as she climbed into the truck and got going.

She whistled along to the radio and dropped her sunglasses over her eyes as she made her way out onto the highway. Finding the sheriff was easy enough, though she did have to go up a ways before she could turn onto the other side of the road. As Vini pulled up, she waved to Patrick. He walked over as soon as she had parked.

“Thanks for getting here so quick. I got a call about a disturbance out at McArthur Farms so I’m heading out if you’re good.”

Vini nodded as she looked over at the car in question. “Yeah, I should be good.” As he got back in his car and drove away, she walked over to the driver’s side. “You all right?”

“No,” the woman said through the cracked window. She pushed the door open and stepped out. “I am so far from all right, it’s not even funny. Something told me I should have gone to Italy, but did I listen? No.”

Vini snorted softly at the running commentary that didn’t seem to require any of her own input. She always marveled at people who seemed to be able to ramble on without needing to take a breath. Jordan, her nephew, was like that sometimes, though he was a kid, so it didn’t seem all that unusual for him. “Okay. Can you tell me what happened before the car stopped on you?”

The woman waved her hand at the car, somehow looking elegant even as her words came faster. Vini had to focus hard to understand as each sentence picked up speed.

“I was just making my way down the interstate, even though this wasn’t even the car I reserved. I asked for reliable , and somehow they heard heap of junk instead.” She turned and kicked the tire, making Vini hide another snort of amusement behind her hand. Dark brown eyes shifted to her, though there was none of the anger in them that she seemed to have for the car beside them.

“There wasn’t any warning,” the woman continued now turning to face Vini more fully. Honey skin glowed with the warmth from the sun overhead, and full lips seemed to wrap around each syllable distracting Vini even more from the words she needed to hear.

“So there was no sound before it stopped?” Vini asked trying to get her mind together as she stared at one of the most attractive women she had seen in a long while.

Those same lips tugged down before the woman answered. “I don’t think so. But I had the music up, so I wasn’t exactly paying attention. I know it’s not from a lack of gas, though. I’m not that clueless.” She smiled before pausing. Vini waited to see what else she might say but was startled when the other woman thrust out her hand. “I’m Jessica.”

Vini looked down at the hand before reaching out to shake it. “Vini.”

Warmth enveloped her slightly smaller hand, and Vini had to force herself to pull away. A thumb brushed over the back of her hand as they separated, and she swallowed hard. It had been a while since she had gone to the city and flirted with anyone who would actually flirt back, but that handshake seemed to be a bit handsier than strictly necessary. Then again, Jessica was probably just happy to have someone come save her from the situation to begin with. Vini had heard enough stories about creepy mechanics, and she wasn’t trying to add to them by being overly friendly.

“Well, let’s get her back to the shop so I can see what’s up.” Vini stepped away, her mind going into work mode as she got the car hooked up. She hopped back out of the truck and called out to Jessica. “We’re all set. Hop on in, and I’ll bring you to the shop. Town’s not too far from me so you can get there no problem.”

Jessica nodded before following Vini’s lead. It wasn’t the first time Vini had had someone riding in the tow with her. It wasn’t even the first time she had another woman there either. But for some reason, she was hyper aware of her new passenger in a way she never had been for others. The ride was quiet save for the music. Heavy bass seemed to discourage talking, though Vini figured Jessica was probably tired enough from her ordeal.

They pulled into the lot, and Vini helped Jessica out, telling her to go on inside and she would be in to help her figure out how to get to the town. There were no cabs in Peach Blossom, and the only types of car services were friends you could call to help you out. With it being the middle of the day, Vini doubted most would be available at the moment.

“So I got your car situated. I have some time this afternoon to take a look and let you know what’s going on.”

Jessica nodded. She was leaning against the counter when Vini came in and hadn’t moved even when Vini came up to the counter as well. At some point, she had taken her hair out of the tight ponytail it had been in when Vini drove up, and it fell in dark loose spirals over her shoulders. Vini’s own tightly coiled hair was kept in braids, but she currently had those in the same two braids she always wore it in when she was working.

“That would be great,” Jessica replied not taking her eyes off Vini. Something about her gaze had Vini feeling self-conscious in a way she never had. Her overalls were oil-stained, which wasn’t new, but she did wonder what she looked like to the other woman.

Most people Vini helped often remarked that she looked far too young to be the one in charge of the shop. A few had even tried to talk over her or spoken to Aiden instead of her. She was always quick to shut that down and felt no guilt in kicking someone out and telling them to call for someone else to deal with their bullshit. This didn’t feel like that, though. Jessica wasn’t looking at her with disdain or judgment. In fact, Vini couldn’t read her expression at all.

“Is there somewhere you needed to be?”

The question seemed to shake Jessica out of whatever thoughts she was having, and she straightened up. “Yeah. I was coming to town to stay with a friend of mine for the next few weeks, and I was trying to make it to her place.” Jessica raised an eyebrow. “I don’t suppose you guys have taxis out here, huh?”

Vini twisted her lips and shook her head. “Not even one. The main part of town is about a three mile walk which I don’t recommend.”

Jessica chuckled. “I wouldn’t even know which direction to walk in, so no problem there.” She pulled her phone out of her purse. “I suppose I can text my friend and ask her to come get me once she’s off work. Hopefully that won’t mess up her plans too much.”

Vini meant to let her do just that, but something about Jessica made her want to help. It wasn’t a helplessness. Despite clearly not being local, Vini got the sense that Jessica wasn’t easily left floundering and would no doubt power through figuring things out with or without Vini’s help.

“Listen, I know you don’t know me,” she started, her mouth moving faster than her brain could process what she was offering, “but I don’t mind giving you a lift to your friend’s place or into town if you prefer to wait it out. There’s a diner that has pretty good food and free Wi-Fi, and there’s a small bookstore a quick walk from it.”

Jessica tilted her head and gazed at Vini before her lips curled up in a smile. “I would love if you could drop me off at my friend’s place. It should be unlocked. She told me you guys still do the whole not-locking-your-doors thing around here, which is different in a charming sort of way.”

Vini raised an eyebrow. The way she said charming sounded a lot like strange , but she appreciated Jessica’s tact. It was true somewhat. They didn’t just go around leaving all the doors unlocked or anything, but people in Peach Blossom were a lot more lax than in the bigger cities. If anyone did break in, chances were the whole town would know who the culprit was by afternoon.

“All right. Well, we’d better get going so I can get back here and check your car out.”

“Lead the way, and I will happily follow,” Jessica replied with a grin. Her voice deepened leaving Vini even more perplexed than before. Instead of acknowledging it, she gestured for her new customer to follow her out the front this time where she had her regular truck parked. She didn’t quite know why she was even offering when she never had before. When Jessica rattled off Grace’s familiar address, Vini tried to keep her expression neutral. She hadn’t heard much about Jessica from Ava, but as she pulled out of the parking lot, she resolved to find out more.