8. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
Gauge
So much for my plans. I'd been riding Jamie's train all day hoping to see her, but she hadn't been there this morning. A ridiculous part of me wondered if she didn't use the rails this morning because she knew it wasn't going to be me driving her. But of course, that was crazy.
Still, she wasn't there, despite always being here. Maybe Rosie spooked her. That was the more likely reason, even I wanted it to be about me.
I would give it another few stops and then I'd give up for the day. Go home and forget about my foolish plan... at least until my next day off.
I knew I couldn't ignore the pull I felt to her forever, especially now that Rosie had touched her. It shouldn't been have Rosie—it should have been me. Maybe it could be if I talked to her. If I didn't try, I knew I'd regret it.
Her afternoon station was next. I knew it wasn't time for her to be coming back yet, but I was feeling a bit stalker-ish waiting for her. If she wasn't there now, I'd call it a day and go home.
. From the sighs of their engine and huffs of their whistles, I knew Jamie was judging and mocking me.
I couldn't really blame them. I didn't get like this over anyone.
I didn't pine, and contrary to what I knew they were thinking; I didn't mope.
They were right, though—I was being ridiculous.
If she wasn't here, I was going to go home.
I left the control room, moving through the cars toward the back of the train. I knew if she was going to board the train, that's where she would go.
The train was much busier than mine had been. If she was about to board, she wasn't going to enjoy not being alone. I picked a seat, making sure there were open seats all around me, and waited.
When the doors opened, to my shocked delight, she was there.
I could barely hold back my excitement as she looked around the car, trying to decide where to sit.
There were a few other people in the car.
While it wasn't crowded, it wasn't deserted like her usual car on my train.
She wouldn't be able to lose herself to the rhythm of the rails like she normally did.
From the slight frown on her face, she had to be thinking the same, although she seemed more distracted than usual.
I felt a slight smile on my face when she noticed me.
She wouldn't recognize me, of course, having never actually seen me off the clock, but her eyes stopped on mine just the same.
I widened my smile a bit, delighted when a tentative one crossed her face.
It seemed like she crossed the cabin without consciously meaning to, since she blinked in surprise once she was standing in front of me.
She brushed a stray hair from her face before nodding to the seat next to me. "Anyone sitting there?"
I grinned wider at her and answered, "No, it's all yours."
Once she sat beside me, I held out my hand. "I'm Gauge.”
"Emma," she said, shaking my hand with a slight smile. After a moment, she asked, "Weird question, but I'm headed to an important meeting and kind of freaking out about it. Can I practice my pitch on you?"
My lips curved up in amusement. She was always alone on my train, so I'd never heard her speak this many words. I don't know what I expected, but this fast-talking bundle of energy was a surprise.
"Sure. Happy to do anything I can do to help a gorgeous woman."
Emma blushed a little before rushing to continue.
"Thank you. So, I'm meeting with someone high up at the new car company on the island about their motorway initiative.
I don't know who I'm meeting with, but it hardly matters—I know the type and I know it's going to be hard.
I can't let this go, though. The trains are the backbone of the island.
Without the trains, the island isn't home. "
I straightened up a little at that, preening under the compliment. "The trains are special here."
Her blush deepened as she quickly nodded. "They are. Which is why I have to swallow my pride and meet with Big Car-ma. I've got to see if there's anything I can do to get them to change their minds. The trains are too important."
"The trains make the island special," I agreed.
Emma grinned, turning and surprising me by squeezing my arm. "I'm so glad someone else agrees with me! It's why this meeting is so important. The car company wants to do away with the trains."
I froze; sure I didn't hear her right. Or if I did, perhaps I was misunderstanding. "What do you mean, do away with the trains?"
"It's terrible!" she rushed on. "They want to sweep in with their motorways and their cars and make the trains obsolete.
It won't happen quickly, of course. But eventually, if we let them get a stronger foothold on the island, the cars will make trains a thing of the past. They'll shut down the tracks and send these beautiful machines to the scrapyard. "
The scrapyard. My engine stopped, oil running cold at the thought. It wasn't possible for the tracks to be shut down, was it?
The thought of Jamie, Rosie and I rusting in a scrapyard was enough to drive the thoughts of seducing the woman before me from my mind.
Of course, I was being dramatic. That would never happen to us. We'd leave before we let ourselves go to rust in a scrapyard, but it was an unsettling thought. I loved the island. It felt like home and I didn't want to leave.
Emma must have noticed a change on my face. Squeezing my hand, she quickly reassured me, "Don't worry. I won't let them take away my home like that."
There was something about the way she said it, despite how worried she'd seemed just a moment ago, which made me believe her. There was a determination in her eyes that made me believe the world would bow at her feet if she asked it to.
"You know something?" I asked. She tilted her head in question, so I continued. "There's something about you that makes me believe you could do anything you set your mind to. I'm just glad, for the island's sake, that you find the trains a worthy cause."
The red of her flushed cheeks was quickly becoming my new favorite color. "I'm glad someone else cares. It's been really hard to find people who care enough to pledge to help."
Even if I hadn't cared about the trains, which of course I did, I knew this was the opportunity I'd been looking for. Helping her—and myself, Jamie, and Rosie in the process—would give me a reason to have to spend more time with her.
Even if I hadn't been personally invested in Emma’s goals, this would've been perfect. As it was, though, she had lucked into meeting perhaps the one person—besides Jamie and Rosie, of course—who was as invested as she was in making sure nothing changed with the trains.
"I'll help however I can," I said quickly. "Why don't you take my number? You can let me know how the meeting goes and how I can help."
"That would be great. I would ask if you're sure, but I'm desperate enough for help that I won't give you a chance to change your mind," Emma replied, laughing as she pulled out her phone and handed it to me.
Jamie had insisted we learn to use the human technology, and I’d never been more grateful than in this moment.
When Jamie had insisted on phones, I'd scoffed, thinking there was no chance in hell I'd ever need to know how to use one.
After all, I lived with Rosie and Jamie, and couldn't care less about communicating with humans.
As I typed in my number and shot myself a quick text so I'd have hers, I hoped Jamie wasn't listening. If they knew how right they were, I would never hear the end of it.