Chapter 2 – Logan #2
“The tryouts are after school until five, I can ride over to the baseball field when they’re done.”
“Sounds good.” I kiss the side of her head, then pull Coop in for a hug.
With their helmets on, they take off down the driveway then head down the block.
I know without me asking her to do it that she’ll follow Coop on the five-minute ride to the elementary school since it’s on the way to hers then ride the rest of the way to the high school which is about eight minutes further.
Closing the garage, I head back inside and pour myself a to-go mug of coffee, then head back out and get Dozer in my Jeep.
When I arrive at Rafe Motors, both Benett and Hector’s trucks are out front, but Hanson’s motorcycle is not parked in his usual spot.
I don’t monitor the guys’ hours; they show up when they show up and leave when they want.
They don’t need me babysitting them. Not when they are grown men who know what needs to be done every day.
And none of them have an issue staying longer if something comes up.
Getting Dozer out, I walk to the front door and let him in before me, then head down the hall to the office, where I can hear voices.
As I step through the door, I find Benett at the desk with a cup of coffee in one hand, a donut in the other.
Hector sitting on the bench seat we pulled from an old pickup and put in the office for seating with a cup of coffee.
Benett and I were friends in high school, but we lost contact when he went off to college, and I joined the military.
After doing six years of service and specializing in mechanics, where I met Hector, I came home and opened my shop.
A year later, Hector retired from the military and came to work with me.
About four years ago, I ran into Benett and found out that he was working at a shop downtown, custom wrapping cars with a buddy of his.
I mentioned I had my own business, and not liking where they were or the cut they were getting from the custom work they were doing, they both came to work for me.
“Morning.” I jerk up my chin as Dozer waddles over to greet the two of them.
“Yo,” Benett mumbles over a bite of donut. “Lucy made donuts.” Lucy is his sister who owns a treat truck slash bookstore that drives around Nashville and sets up at events. I don’t know where she came up with the idea, but she has done well for herself the last couple of years.
“Nice.” I walk to the desk and set down my coffee then pick up one of the cinnamon sugar donuts out of the open plastic container.
“Some chick called about ten minutes ago,” Hector says and continues. “She asked if she could drop by and have us look at her car. Said Bax told her to call.”
“Did she leave a number?” Normally we don’t take drop ins, we have too many customers waiting for us to do that, but Bax Mayson saved my ass and I owe him a favor for recommending the contractor I used to remodel my house after my first contractor flaked and I was left with the interior of my house in shambles.
“Yeah, it’s on the notepad.” He motions to the desk, and I rip it off the pad. Shoving the doughnut in my mouth, I chew as I pull out my cell and dial the number Hector wrote down, then put my cell to my ear.
“Hello?” A woman with a soft voice answers.
“Hey, this is Logan from Rafe Motors; you called this morning.” I wait for a response, and when one doesn’t come, my brows drag together. “Hello.”
“Sorry.” She clears her throat. “Umm, yes I called, my Bronco is making a noise and my brother told me to call Lo at this number. He thinks it might be the fan belt.”
“That’s me, Logan. I’m at the shop now if you can swing by.”
“Like, come over there?”
“I don’t think there is another way for me to look at your car without you coming over here.” I laugh.
“Of course, that makes sense,” she mumbles. “Could I come by in like fifteen minutes?”
“That works, just ask for me when you get here.”
“Okay.” She hangs up, and I click off the call and shove my cell back into my pocket.
“She coming by?” Benett asks.
“I think so.” I pick up my coffee and take a drink then grab another donut. “You need to tell Lucy I’m going to start charging her for my gym fee.”
“You don’t go to the gym.”
“I’m going to have to start if she keeps sending shit here every other day.”
“She’s paying us back for hooking up her van.” He grabs another donut and stands. “I’m going to get to work. Hanson won’t be in for a while; he was here late last night.”
“Sure.” I take a seat in the chair he vacated while he leaves the office. “You good?” I turn to Hector when he stands.
“Fantastic.”
“You sure?” I ask, knowing he’s lying.
About a year ago his wife and him divorced and his two girls that are around the same age as Billie are in the middle of it thanks to their mom who shares everything with them.
“Taking it one day at a time.”
“I’m here, you know that.”
“Yeah, man.” He pats my arm. “I’m gonna get to work.”
“Sure.” I watch him leave the office, then turn to the computer on the desk, wiggling the mouse, bringing the screen to life.
I need to get some stuff ordered this morning so that it will be here by the end of the week.
As I’m pressing the button to purchase the order, Hector shouts my name, so I push back from the desk and grab my coffee.
When I step into the garage, a Tiffany Blue Ford Bronco that is at least twenty years old is parked just outside the open bay doors.
The woman who caught my attention last week at Coop’s school is standing at the hood with her arms wrapped around her waist as Hector talks to her.
She’s gorgeous, long dark hair that is a mass of wild curls, soft, feminine features, full lips, and a petite frame covered in a pair of tight jeans and a tank top that accentuates her curves.
When she hears my boots on the concrete, she turns her head my way, and her startling blue-green eyes meet mine seeming to flare ever so slightly.
It’s an interesting reaction. The same one she had the last time I saw her.
I don’t know her, and I have never seen her before, but it makes me think she knows me.
“You got this?” Hector asks as she watches me approach.
“Yeah, thanks, man,” I mutter, and he goes back into the shop. “Logan.” I hold out my hand to her, and she drops her eyes to it for a long moment before unwrapping her arms from her waist and placing her soft hand in mine.
“Nalia.”
“You’re Bax’s sister?”
“Yeah.” She rubs her lips together, and I reluctantly release my hold on her.
“You mentioned that the engine is making a noise?”
“Yeah, Bax said it could be a belt, but he wasn’t sure since I had him listen to it over the phone.”
“Can I see the keys?” She passes them over to me, and I walk around her to the driver’s side door.
The car is an antique, but it’s been updated and done well.
The interior is pristine, and the stereo system is one of the newest on the market.
Starting the engine, I listen for a second, then hop out, hitting the lever for the hood and walking around front to open it up.
“Yeah, the belt is worn out.” I look over at her.
“If you can hang for a few minutes, I can get it fixed.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s not a big deal.” I shut the hood, then get back in behind the wheel and turning off the engine.
Noting her bag on the passenger seat I grab it and get back out handing it to her and she places it on her shoulder.
“We don’t have a waiting room, but you can come back to the office and hang there. ”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, come on.” I lead her into the garage and back to the office. Dozer, realizing that someone new is here, gets off his bed and waddles over to meet her with his rump shaking.
“Hey, buddy.” She squats down to rub his head.
“That’s Dozer.”
“Is he yours?” She tips her head back to look up at me, and a hundred different inappropriate thoughts fly through my head in a flash, catching me off guard.
“He is.” I drag my eyes off her and clear my throat. “You want some coffee or water?”
“I’m good, thanks.” She moves and takes a seat on the bench.
“Alright, I’ll be back to get you. It shouldn’t be long.
” Without looking at her again, I leave her in the office and head back out front with her keys.
It takes me about thirty minutes to get the belt replaced, and when I’m finished, I go back to the office to find her on the couch with an e-reader similar to the one I bought Billie for Christmas last year.
Her head bent to the device, and Dozer is up on the bench seat with her, his big head on her lap, with her free hand scratching behind his ears.
I know she had to lift him to the seat since he can’t jump more than an inch off the ground.
“All done.” Her head flies up, and so does Dozer’s.
“Already?” She sounds almost disappointed as she rests the e-reader on her lap.
“Do you want me to come back in thirty minutes, so you have a little longer to read?”
“I wish, but I need to get back to work.” She smiles as she stands.
“Do you work around here?”
“I’m the client coordinator for B how much do I owe you?”
“Nothing.”
“No, really, how much?” She opens up her wallet.
“Seriously.” I hold up my hands. “It’s all good.”
“Okay, but I don’t feel comfortable with you doing the work on my car for free.”
“Like I said, I owe Bax.”
“But you don’t owe me.” She pulls out a hundred-dollar bill, holding it out towards me. “Is this enough?”
“I’m not taking your money.”
Instead of looking thankful, she looks agitated, which makes me curious.
“Alright, if you want to pay me back, how about you bake me cookies or something?”
“Pardon?”
“Cookies, you can pay me back with cookies.”
Glancing down at herself, she then looks around. “I’m sorry, do I look like a baker to you? Did you catch the hint of fresh-baked cookies when I walked in here, or hear me talk about the bakery I own?”
Shit. Her smart mouth and attitude should not be a turn on but fuck me it is. And it helps that she’s adorable when she’s pissed.
“It’s just a suggestion, you can come up with your own idea if you can’t bake.”
“First of all, I can bake. Second of all, I don’t need to come up with another idea. I just want you to tell me how much I owe you so I can give you the money.”
“I don’t take Apple Pay or have cash to give you back change?”
“Okay, then I’ll use my credit card.”
“My card reader is down.”
“Oh my god, you’re annoying,” she whispers like she’s talking to herself.
“It’s annoying that I fixed your car for free?”
“I didn’t ask you to do that,” she snaps, putting the hundred-dollar bill on the edge of the desk. “If there is change left over from that, you can give it to the food pantry in town.”
With that parting statement, she storms past me to the door, and I grab the cash before I follow her out of the office and down the hall, watching her ass as she goes. When she gets outside, she walks over to the door of her Bronco and opens it up.
“You’re forgetting something.”
“Really? What’s that?” She turns to glare at me, and I hold up my hand with her keys. She looks at them, then at me, and walks my way. “Thank you.” She leans up on her tiptoes and snatches them from my grasp while I put the cash back in her bag without her noticing.
“You’re welcome.” I grin, and her eyes drop to my mouth before she turns around and walks off, muttering something under her breath.
“What was that about?” Hector asks, walking over to join me as I watch her back out of the drive.
“Pretty sure I just fell in love.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh yeah.” I turn towards the shop smiling after her Bronco disappears around the corner at the end of the block.
“You always have been a glutton for punishment.” He pats my back, following me back inside as I laugh.