Chapter 10 #2
Sally told me she was adopted. Did her parents hate her, too? Did they treat her like a mistake the same way my dad treated me or Simon’s parents treated him?
My knuckles clench around the tool in my hand. The thought of anyone wronging her causes blood to rush through my body. If anyone messed with her, I would rip them to shreds no matter who they were, parents or not.
“Can you hand me the wrench?” Jaxon pulls me out of my thoughts.
His head is still under the hood of a black Camaro with a custom paint job.
His hand is held out, waiting for me to comply, but I don’t, and he looks over his shoulder at me, narrowing his eyes.
“If you are going to sit there, at least be a good assistant.”
“Sorry,” I grumble before handing him the wrench, and he’s back to working on the car.
Jennings Garage is the shop located right next to Jaxon’s house.
The business was his father’s, but it got passed down to their family friend, Colin, until Jaxon could take over.
That has always been Jaxon’s plan. My love for the water is like his love for cars—well, anything mechanical, really.
He can tell you what’s wrong with a car or boat just by listening to it for a moment. He’s pretty much the car whisperer.
That doesn’t mean they get a shit-ton of business, though. The garage handles pretty much everything on this side of town, but the corporate shops handle anything that’s above a certain poverty level. I don’t even think they take care of cars made past 2015. They think it’s below them.
That doesn’t stop some rich assholes that want to trick out their cars, though. This particular car in front of us belongs to Thomas Heath. The dude likes to race on the roads outside of town. Fewer cops.
I don’t personally know the guy, but I’ve seen him at parties, and he never says no to a drink at the cove fires. That doesn’t stop the fact that he looks down on everyone from this side of town.
Jaxon hates his guts, but money is money.
“What’s got you in a mood?” Jaxon asks, wiping his hands.
“Nothing.”
“That sounds like a lie, but I’m not a prying man.” He closes the hood. “You can talk when you want to.”
I mull it over for a second. “I’m just thinking about Sally.”
“The hot blonde?”
I narrow my eyes at him and bark, “And?”
He laughs. “No need to bite at me. I might be into biting, but we got to warm up first.”
I practically growl at him before his hands shoot up.
“I’m not hitting on your girl, though she is hot. What up?”
“I don’t like it when you talk about her like that.”
He laughs again, making his way over to me, and repeats himself. “What’s up?”
“I just don’t know what to do about her. I can tell her walls are constantly up around me, but I don’t know why. It’s driving me flipping crazy.”
“I still can’t believe you don’t cuss,” Jaxon says nonchalantly because he says this almost daily. He doesn't need to know that I don’t like it because I already had to deal with vulgar language being thrown around like candy.
“Maybe you aren’t the charmer you think you are.”
I roll my eyes. “Has Ella said anything to you?”
Jaxon cocks a brow. “Why would she say anything to me?”
“You guys are hooking up, right? When you aren’t here or with me, you’re with her.”
A series of emotions flicker through his eyes before shaking them away.
“Are you guys not hooking up?”
He smirks. “No, we aren’t.” He chuckles before turning to me. “I think she hates me half of the time we talk, plus her little brother is always there.”
Sally’s perfect little family. The one I’m kind of jealous of. You wouldn’t think any of them are related. Sally has a sharper jawline and slender body, while Ella has defined muscles and a round face.
Just by looking at them, you can tell they only trust each other—except maybe Leon. That boy seems to trust anyone he meets.
“You’ve taken Leon under your wing, haven’t you?”
“How could I not? The little guy is adorable, plus I can tell he needs some bro time since both of his brothers have been in college for years.”
I’ve never seen Jaxon warm up to another guy this quickly. It took him two months to warm up to Tyler, and he was already dating Piper at that point. Jaxon has definitely never called a boy adorable before.
“Is this girl worth all the effort? If you’re looking for a hot lay, you know Jade has been wanting to hit you up again.” Jaxon smirks.
My face scrunches at the thought. “I’m not looking for a quick fling.” Though, now, the idea of bending Sally over is a pleasant one. It’s not the only reason I’m talking to her.
“I sense a catfight coming along.”
“Why?”
“Jade’s gonna be at the party tonight, and she told Casey she was planning on hooking up with you during it.”
My body stiffens. I don’t want Sally to retreat even further into herself, not when I’m so close to her feeling comfortable with me.
“But because I’m the best wingman around, I can run interference for you.” Jaxon raises his fist in the air.
My lip twitches before our fists meet. “Thanks, bro.”