Chapter 6
SIX
ACE
“That doesn’t sound as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was prepared for you to tell me that my sister did something truly crazy.”
Tessa’s laughter came through the line, and I wondered why every time I heard it now it sounded like music to my ears. Why hadn’t I taken such notice of it before?
“That’s because I didn’t share the part where she actually went a little crazy yet.”
Well, there it was. I hadn’t gotten the full story.
Not long after I’d woken up this morning, I’d received a text from Tessa. She’d apologized for not having the energy to talk to me last night and promised to call me when she took her lunch break today. I’d told her not to worry about it and that I’d look forward to talking to her this afternoon.
Then I spent my morning doing everything I could to keep myself busy until her call came in. The moment it did, I decided it was time for my own lunch break.
And now, Tessa had just filled me in on how her conversation had gone with my sister yesterday. For the most part, things appeared to have gone precisely as I would’ve expected from Lark. Evidently, that wasn’t all that happened, though.
“What did Lark do?” I asked.
There was a moment of hesitation, which was long enough for me to grow concerned that something awful had happened between Tessa and Lark. And I wasn’t quite sure if that would’ve been worse than what actually did happen.
“Ryan showed up at the salon yesterday.”
“Please tell me you’re joking,” I said through gritted teeth.
“I wish I were.”
Without even hearing the details, everything was falling into place. After learning about Tessa being cheated on, it was no surprise that Lark would’ve lost her mind when that man showed up at their salon.
“This is beginning to make more sense. What happened?”
“By some miracle, I had a pedicure appointment, which meant I was in the back. I only knew that anything had happened because I heard shouting coming from the front of the salon. I didn’t even make it to the end of the hall when I realized who was there.”
“Did he see you?”
“No. And I think you know how much I love Lark, but I’ve never been so grateful to have her in my life. She didn’t back down when Ryan insisted on seeing me, telling him if he took another step in any direction other than the exit, she’d call the police.”
To say I felt a modicum of relief over what my sister had done for Tessa would’ve been an understatement. “You can’t help but love her, right?”
Another laugh escaped from Tessa. “Absolutely. Lark told Ryan that I’d reach out to him when I was ready to talk to him. I’m so relieved she handled the situation for me because I’m not sure I would’ve been able to do the same. My whole day would’ve been ruined if not for her.”
Hearing the relief in Tessa’s tone, I decided I was going to have to get my sister an extra special Christmas gift this year.
“Do you think he’s going to stay away until you reach out?” I asked.
She let out a deep sigh. “I honestly don’t know.”
Not the answer I’d been hoping for…
Considering how to approach this, an idea popped into my head. “How’d you sleep last night?”
“Surprisingly, it was the best night of sleep I’ve had since before Saturday. Despite all that’s been swirling in my head for the last couple of days, I think my body finally took over and forced me to rest. I felt so much better when I woke up this morning.”
“That’s good. Do you work late tonight?”
“No.”
“Any plans?”
“None at all.”
I grinned. “What would you say to having a visit from me? I could bring some dinner over, and we could have a Game of Life rematch.”
Tessa’s voice was a hair over a whisper when she replied, “Really?”
“Yes.” Why she thought I’d joke about something like this, with all she was going through, was beyond me.
“Plus, until we can be certain you won’t have any unexpected or unwanted visitors, it might be wise to make sure you aren’t home alone for hours like that.
Especially when he had the audacity to show up at the salon.
I don’t think it’s wise to assume he wouldn’t try showing up at your place right after work. ”
“You might be right, Ace. If you really are up for it, I’d love to have some company tonight. And I do have to redeem myself after my awful performance at the Game of Life over the weekend.”
Chuckling, I said, “You were a bit out of sorts. It’s understandable.”
“Or it was too accurate a portrayal of where my life is headed,” she countered.
“It was just a game, Tessa. Your life is going to be beautiful.”
She didn’t immediately respond, but when she did, my gut clenched. “I hope you’re right, Ace.”
“I am.” I swallowed roughly, doing my best to ignore how badly I wanted to be the one to give her that life. “So, are we on for tonight?”
“Yeah. Definitely.”
“Alright. I’ve got to get back to work, or Phoenix’s going to start giving me shit. I should be there right around six.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”
“Later, Tessa.”
“Bye, Ace.”
We disconnected, and I took a few minutes to replay the conversation in my head. I’d spoken to Tessa hundreds of times over all the years I’d known her, and I’d never once experienced what I had over these last couple of days. It was a strange but welcome feeling.
Recognizing how easy it’d be to sit here, thinking about her while avoiding work, I forced myself to stand and clean up my mess from lunch.
Then I walked out of the break room and down the hall to the door that would lead into the shop, so I could get back to work doing something that hadn’t ever really felt like a job.
For as long as I could remember, I’d loved cars.
That hadn’t ever come as a surprise, considering it ran in the family.
My dad might have been a professional snowboarder, but my Uncle Logan was the owner of a performance automotive shop here in Rising Sun.
I’d often visited the shop when I was a kid, but when I turned thirteen, I’d spent countless hours doing anything and everything I could there.
At first, I’d done simple things like cleaning up or organizing the shop.
Sometimes, I’d fetch tools for the guys working there, and I never stopped asking questions.
My future was in cars. Even my mom said as much, consistently reminding me of the time I was six years old and had delayed the start of some Christmas festivities because I’d loosened the exhaust bolts on the family vehicle while my dad had been changing the oil.
But where my uncle had focused his efforts on the performance side of things—something I still enjoyed—I’d found my niche in body work.
Over the years I’d worked with Logan, there’d been so many folks who’d heard of his shop and needed body work.
He’d had such a great reputation that everyone had wanted him and his team to take on projects they weren’t equipped to handle.
I saw the need and decided to give it a shot.
Lucky for me, my best friend was just as interested in cars, and a few years ago, Phoenix and I went into business together.
We were now the proud co-owners of Townsend & Stone Auto Body.
It was just the two of us and Faye, our business manager and the woman Phoenix had been trying to convince for the last six months to go on a date with him.
I’d made it to the end of the hall, where it met the front office space. And I wasn’t surprised to see what I did. Faye was sitting at her desk, trying to get work done, and Phoenix was leaning his forearms on the counter in front of her, grinning like an idiot.
My lips twitched, and I rolled my eyes. The poor guy was desperate to make something happen, but it appeared Faye wanted nothing to do with him.
Having sensed my presence, Phoenix flicked his gaze in my direction. “Are you heading back out there?”
I jerked my chin down. “Someone’s got to keep this place running.”
It was his turn to roll his eyes. “I’ll be right out.”
A smile tugging at the corners of my mouth, I shook my head and ventured into the shop.
With the way I’d been feeling about Tessa lately, I couldn’t say I blamed Phoenix for spending time in that office.
If Tessa had been working here, I’m not sure I would’ve stopped myself from leaning my forearms on that counter just like my best friend.
As I crossed the space, intent on getting back to what I’d been working on before I got the call from Tessa, I noticed a new vehicle had been dropped off. When I was in the mix of checking out the damage to the right rear side of the bed, Phoenix materialized.
Noting the look on his face, I decided to tease him. “Still no luck?”
“Luck?”
I grinned, jerking my chin toward the office. “With Faye.”
He sighed. “Don’t get me started.”
“Maybe you’d be better off moving on,” I suggested. “It’s obvious she has no interest in you.”
“Oh, she has interest in me. She just refuses to admit it.”
Laughter spilled out of me. “Is that how we’re dealing with rejection these days? Telling ourselves that it’s the women who are in denial about their feelings?”
“Laugh all you want, Ace. Soon enough, you’ll see I’m not making any of this up. Some women just need time to see that everything they’re looking for, everything they need, is right in front of them.”
“Time?” I countered. “Haven’t you been trying to get that woman to agree to a date with you for months now?”
“I’ll wear her down one of these days. Besides, good things come to those who wait.” He shrugged. “And you should be glad for that, because let’s face it, that might mean extraordinary things for you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Phoenix swept his hand in the direction of the office. “You’re giving me shit about Faye, but at least I’m trying, confident my persistence is going to pay off. Where are all your prospects?”
I tried my best not to react in any way to that question. There was only one person I had my sights set on now, but I couldn’t tell that to my best friend.
It wasn’t that I thought Phoenix might get ticked if he knew I was into his sister, that I’d spent the day with her Sunday, or that I was going to be spending my evening with her tonight. Deep down, he knew the kind of man I was, that I’d never do anything to hurt her.
But the simple fact was that Tessa hadn’t exactly shared that her relationship had gone up in flames.
I wasn’t going to betray her confidence on that, and I certainly didn’t want to think what Phoenix would do when he learned that guy had cheated on his sister.
So, I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.
“I’m taking a page out of your book and waiting until I find that one that makes me forget any others exist.”
“Yeah, I bet that’s what’s happening.”
Since I had no safe rebuttal, I figured it was best to change the topic. Waving my hand toward the truck, I asked, “What the hell happened to this thing?”
He let out a long breath. “Believe it or not, the guy isn’t even from here.
He came out on a month-long camping vacation with his wife, and it happened when they were getting themselves set up at the campground.
He said something about how he had to maneuver the truck and camper around, and it jackknifed. The truck was left looking like this.”
“Ouch.”
Phoenix nodded, his eyes on the damage. “Yep. Anyway, since they’re here for a while, he didn’t want to leave the truck like this. He did some research, found us, and called. Faye’s dealing with his insurance company now, but once that gets worked out, I told him we’d get right on it.”
I shook my head. “What a nightmare to deal with on vacation.”
“Tell me about it. Anyway, until we work out everything with the insurance for this, we’ve got plenty to keep us busy.”
“It’d probably be less than all that’s in this shop if you’d leave Faye alone long enough to do her job while you do yours.”
My best friend rolled his eyes again. “Oh, shut up.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t tease you about it any longer today. I’ve got work to get done.”
“Why? Are you in a rush to get out of here?”
I shook my head. “No rush.”
“No plans tonight?”
“What do you think I’ve got up my sleeve, Phoenix?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure there isn’t someone?”
I didn’t want to lie to him.
But I couldn’t tell him the truth.
“Fine. I’m having dinner with someone tonight.”
His brows shot up in surprise. “Are you serious? That’s awesome. Who is she? Anyone I know?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, man. We’re just hanging out as friends tonight. It’s nothing serious.”
“Are you saying you don’t want it to be?”
I didn’t respond.
Phoenix took my silence as his answer. “You want it to be serious. So, tell me about her.”
I inhaled deeply before letting out a big breath. “If it goes from friendship to something serious, I promise I’ll tell you about her.”
“Ah, whatever. I’ve got to get to work.”
Needing to do precisely the same, I kept quiet and turned in the opposite direction to head over to the project I’d been working on earlier.
Then I did my best to stay focused so I could get out of here on time in order to see Tessa.
If only Phoenix knew where I was going to be spending my evening…