Chapter 17
seventeen
QUYNH
T he sun was setting over the horizon by the time she heard the telltale signs of the garage bay doors closing. Julio and Sean popped in occasionally throughout the day to grab water from the water station and steal some snacks Griffin left for paying customers.
She’d laugh at their antics when they’d come inside.
It was always nice to have a break in the monotony of the day.
Sean would grab a bag of chips and munch on them loudly, giving her a playful wink before strolling back outside.
He was probably a heartbreaker with his smooth-talking tendencies, while Julio was happily married with a baby on the way.
Julio was the quietest of the duo but no less friendly. She likened him to a golden retriever with his affable personality. While Griffin, the grouch, as she’d heard both Julio and Sean refer to him, was probably the grumpy cat meme she loved .
His tendency to lean more toward irate than friendly didn’t bother her. It was refreshing to meet someone who didn’t fake being happy in front of other people. There was no pretense with Griffin. What you saw was pretty much what you got. Well, for the most part.
She had no clue how he felt after last night.
The few times she’d seen him since, there was the same permanent scowl across his face.
Quite honestly, she was too much of a coward to meet his eyes for more than a couple of seconds before she averted her gaze.
Pretending to be busy with something else.
Oh, shoot! That reminded her. She needed to order the parts he’d asked for earlier this afternoon.
The ones he needed to fix her car. The sooner he could get the parts, the sooner he could finish the task.
She wouldn’t be so dependent on him for car rides anymore.
It would be a relief to gain some of her independence back, though she’d be lying if she said she wouldn’t miss his calm demeanor on their rides.
It helped to soothe her anxiety about the upcoming visit with her father.
The side door opened.
Her skin prickled with a familiar awareness.
She didn’t need to look up from her computer screen to know who walked in.
She cleared her throat, pretending to be hyper-focused on the task at hand.
Truth be told, it was really a simple task to order the parts.
The login information was already saved.
Griffin gave her a notepad with the parts he needed, so all it took was using the search function, adding to the cart, and then pressing the order button.
Voila!
The whole checkout process was made easier since the payment information was already saved to the account. Unfortunately, the shipping time frames were hardly accurate, per Griffin. So, now, it was just a waiting game.
When she was done with the order, she finally glanced up to find Griffin leaning on the high-top bar with arms crossed. A playful smirk hinted at the corner of his upturned lip. The mischievous glint in his eyes made her sit up straighter.
Gulping, she met his gaze. Heart racing, she was caught in his snare, like a lion with its sights on its next meal. There was no graceful way to escape her predicament. It was now or never.
“I’m just about done in the shop. I’m taking Rover for a walk by the lake before dinner. Care to join us?”
She glanced down at her simple blue sundress paired with ballet flats. Hardly an outfit meant for a stroll around the lake.
“Umm…I’d love to, but let me change first.”
“Meet me at my place when you’re ready. I’ll close up the shop.”
He tapped the counter twice with his fist before pushing away. She tried not to stare at his ass in his tight coveralls, but it was hard to resist. She jumped when she heard him clear his throat, only noticing he’d caught her staring at his ass.
Oh my god! Did he just catch me checking him out?
He threw her a knowing smirk over his shoulder before walking back out to the garage bay. If Quynh could melt into the earth, she would have. She smacked her head on the table.
Of course, he did. How embarrassing!
She needed to be on her best behavior. There’s no use falling for someone when there was no future for her here. There weren’t any health clinics nearby she could even work at if she wanted to find a job.
Not that she was entertaining the idea or anything, but she needed a new job.
Her bank account would run dry, eventually.
She might as well explore all of her available options.
For the first time in her life, she was at a crossroads.
The next choices she made would determine what the next few years of her life would look like.
Do I want to find a new job and stay in the same city? Or venture outside of my comfort zone and move to a new town? What was really keeping me in the city?
Quynh was no city girl, but she’d taken the job right after getting her degree.
It seemed like the deal of a lifetime when she received the job offer.
She always dreamt of working in the city and having an equally active social life, hoping to find a place where she belonged.
Plus, there were countless lonely people looking to connect in the city, so she was bound to find at least one friend. Or so she hoped.
However, things didn’t exactly work out the way she imagined.
She ended up working too much to have a social life.
Most of her classmates relocated far from their university, which made it hard to stay in touch.
Most days, though, she rarely had the energy to go out to the local bars.
Instead, she preferred to spend her downtime curled up on the couch with a spicy romance while Pickles kept her company.
The most important question she needed to ask herself, though, was also the most difficult to answer.
Am I happy with my life? My career choices? Am I too old to change? Or am I capable of having a fresh start?
So many questions. So many variables.
Quynh knew with absolute certainty that being around Griffin sparked something new inside of her.
The exhilarating feeling of being alive.
For most of her life, she was treading water.
Just barely holding her head above the surface to keep her from drowning under the impossible expectations she’d set for herself.
And waiting for something amazing to happen to her.
She was always waiting.
Maybe it was time she stopped waiting for life to happen .
Is this my opportunity? Or am I being na?ve? What if Griffin was only interested in sex? What if things didn’t work out between us? Am I putting all of my eggs in one basket?
Get yourself together, Quynh.
She didn’t need to answer anything right now. All she wanted to do was enjoy whatever this was.
One thrilling step at a time.