Chapter Four
Adrienne
“What was that?” Stevie asks the moment we hit the sidewalk.
“What?” I ask, playing dumb. I know exactly what she’s asking about, considering I’m pretty sure the entire room felt the burn of sexual tension sizzling between Caden and me.
She snorts. “Oh, come on. You know exactly what I’m talking about. I saw the look in his eyes when he watched you.”
My heart does this happy little skip in my chest, so I quickly slap that stupid organ upside the head. “It’s nothing. Just some banter.”
She stops at the driver’s side door as we reach her vehicle. Her eyebrows dance suggestively. “Sexy banter. He wants to strip you naked and do very dirty things to you.”
I give her a wide grin, reaching for the passenger door handle. “Maybe I’d be the one doing all the dirty things.”
My friend blushes and shakes her head. “I don’t doubt that.”
We climb into her car and fire up the air-conditioning. “It’s hotter than Satan’s ball sac in here,” I grumble, turning the A/C vent to blow in my face.
Stevie laughs hard. “How do you know how hot Satan’s ball sac gets?” she asks, carefully pulling out onto the street from her parking spot.
“Well, I did date a guy who could have been his brother,” I inform her, catching sight of Jack and Caden as they chat beside their work trucks. Caden looks…yummy. Gorgeous. Doable, which, by the look in his eye as we were getting ready to leave the restaurant, is something he’s one-hundred-percent game for.
Hell, he’s had that gleam in his eye since the moment I met him. That fun, playful, I’d rip your clothes off and have my wicked way with you look. Not that I’m complaining. Oh, no. The exact opposite, in fact. He’s hot and it does all sorts of good to my self-esteem.
“Are you sure you want to come back over and help me after you pick up your car?”
“I told you I’m all yours today, so yes. It’s just easier for me to grab it now while we’re already out and about.”
She nods and takes off toward the auto repair shop my uncle works at. He’s had my car for almost a week, working on a few things that are both expensive and complicated, after hours. This bill won’t be easy to pay, and that’s with the family discount he insists on giving me by him working on my car after hours. Sure, I have savings, especially since I sold my new car—which was fully paid for by my ex—and buying an older model to buff up my account, but I depleted a big chunk of it when I moved here earlier in the year. My townhouse is about the same size as my former apartment, but when I decided to relocate, I did it for the fresh start. That also meant selling some of the larger furniture I had and buying new pieces, so the memories weren’t trailing behind me. Or at least new-to-me. I’m not above resell and consignment shops, and I’ve found a lot of great treasures while filling my townhouse.
Stevie pulls into the parking lot for Otto’s and stops at the front door. “I’ll see you back at my place?”
Grabbing my backpack purse, I nod. “Yep. Be there soon.”
I head for the entrance and smile when I see my uncle’s girlfriend behind the counter. “Hi, Patti.”
“Well, good afternoon, Adrienne. How is this Monday treating you?”
“Not too bad. Just had lunch with Stevie. I hear my car is ready,” I reply, leaning against the countertop.
“It sure is,” she replies with a grin. Spinning around, she retrieves a sheet of paper from the bin on the wall. She glances at the amount and winces. “Yikes.”
“Yeah,” I swallow over the lump in my throat. “I knew it would be pricey. Everyone thinks cars are great, until they break, and you have to pay for all that computer shit.”
“I hear ya,” she says, slipping back on her stool and placing the bill in front of me. My stomach drops a little at the number on the paper, but I have no other choice. Well, I could have taken it to the dealership, and the number on the bottom line would have probably been twice as much.
Pulling out my credit card, I hand it over so she can run the charge. “Do you want to make monthly payments? Otto says you can pay whatever, since you’re Gary’s niece.”
While I appreciate the offer, I shake my head. That’s not fair to Otto to not receive payment for the parts and use of the shop while my uncle worked on my car, especially since he’s probably already had to pay for the parts when they were ordered. “No, thank you. You can put the whole thing on my card.”
My savings will cover the full amount and not be completely depleted, just dangerously low. My mom taught me to always keep six months of living expenses in your savings account at all times for emergencies, such as this one. Of course, I didn’t quite have six months’ worth saved up, but I was on my way. Then my life crashed and burned and what I was able to put away was slowly needed.
That’s why I offered to help Caden and Jack. I really don’t mind doing admin work and I have the experience. Plus, whatever money they’ll pay will do wonders to replenish my rapidly dwindling savings.
Just as Patti slips my keys and card back across the counter with the credit card slip needing my signature, the door from the shop opens. “Hey, kiddo.”
“Hi, Uncle Gary,” I reply, smiling as I glance up and take in the aging man.
Gary is my mom’s only brother, and one of my remaining living relatives. He moved to Stewart Grove back when he was in the military, and the story is he was following a woman. It didn’t work out for them after a short marriage, however, and neither did the second one. He’s been dating Patti for about five years now, and with both of their pasts, they are content to just live and work together and have no intention of marrying.
Wiping his hands on a shop towel, he says, “I got y’all fixed up, kiddo.”
“I appreciate it, Uncle Gary. I know those foreign cars aren’t your forte or easy to fix.”
I was told they turn down a lot of jobs on certain models of vehicles. There are so many electronics and specialized equipment needed just to make the repairs, it’s not worth their time or money. Otto agreed to take my car as a favor to Gary, and then even took a big hit on the labor costs because Gary worked on it after hours a lot. I’m certain I wasn’t charged the full amount of time and resources needed to fix my Kia.
I considered upgrading it, now that I’ve found work and a place to stay, but without the repairs, my trade-in value was embarrassingly sad. And I really don’t want the car payment. Even though my Kia is only about eight years old and has low mileage, I paid for it outright by selling the Ford Edge that was gifted from my ex. The douche tried to get it back when we broke up, but my lawyer was able to negotiate for me to keep it when my life went toes-up and laced with embarrassment. I sold it to pad my account, not wanting any reminder of him.
He waves off my comment. “It’s fine. Just glad I could help you out.”
I shift back and forth on my feet after returning my credit card to my wallet. “You did. Thank you so much.”
He gives me a warm smile. “Anything for family. I talked to your mama the other day. She’s thinking of coming down for a visit,” he says.
My heart starts to beat a little harder with excitement. “She is? She didn’t say anything to me when I talked to her,” I recall. We spent almost an hour on the phone just yesterday morning and she never once mentioned a visit.
He winces, as if he knows he said something he shouldn’t. “Well, she’s still not sure when, so don’t go a tellin’ her I said something. She probably wants to surprise you.”
I can’t help but smile from ear to ear. “I won’t spoil the surprise.” Mom hasn’t been to Stewart Grove to visit me yet, despite wanting to. I know a big part of her holding off is to let me get settled in. She was the one who encouraged me to make the big move, insisting a change of scenery was exactly what I needed at that point in my life, and I didn’t argue. I just miss her; despite the fact we talk regularly.
“All right, well, I can let you get back to work. It looks like you’re busy,” I reply, taking in the shop area where there are three cars up on lifts and a few waiting in the wings in the lot.
“It’s fine. Leo is holding down the fort for me. Plus, Otto is taking care of the oil changes.” Otto’s has three full-time employees, Leo who works at the shop every day and helps with some of the tow calls, and my uncle. Plus, Patti. They have all worked for Otto much longer than my time here and seem to be more like family than employees.
“I know, but I need to get back to Stevie’s. We’re updating her kitchen and still have to apply a second coat of paint.”
He comes around the counter and gives me an awkward hug. He smells like grease and sweat, but I don’t mind. Growing up, I didn’t get to see my uncle often, so it’s been nice catching up with him over the last five months. He’s sort of a father figure to me, since I’ve never known my own dad. “Well, let me know if that car gives you any fits.”
“I will,” I insist, leaning up on my toes and pressing a kiss to his scruffy cheek.
“Love you, kiddo,” he mutters, his cheeks turning a deep shade of pink.
I watch as he returns to the shop, nodding to Patti as he goes.
“He’s so happy to have you here,” she informs me.
“I’m happy to get to know him better. We didn’t get to see each other much when I was growing up,” I tell her, even though she already knows.
“With Nana being gone now, he appreciates having family here. Even though he’s never said anything, I think he misses not having a kid of his own. He loves you and is happy to spend time together.”
My throat grows tight and my eyes burn with unshed tears. How long has it been since someone has made me feel appreciated and loved? Well, besides my mom and my nana until she passed away. Clearing the emotion from my throat, I ask, “How about dinner later? I’ve got a hankering for some chips and queso.”
Patti smiles widely. “That sounds perfect. What time should we meet you?”
“You tell me. You’re the ones working today.”
“Well, how about six? That gives us time to run home and wash the repair shop off our skin before we meet you.”
“That’s perfect,” I reply as the door opens behind me, signaled by the chime of a bell. “I’ll let you get back to work. Thanks, Patti.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. See you later.”
Grabbing my keys off the counter, I head out into the hot June afternoon and make my way to my car. I shake my head when I realize it’s been freshly washed, and the moment I slide into the driver’s seat, I notice it’s been vacuumed too. I sigh in appreciation of Uncle Gary, who probably found all kinds of hidden gems under my car seats, like nasty French fries and straw wrappers.
After waiting a few seconds for the air-conditioning to produce cold air, I pull out of the lot, heading for Stevie and Jack’s. I should have just enough time to help paint the second coat on the walls and go to the gym before meeting up with Gary and Patti. I go to the gym three or four times a week, and I can’t think of a better reward for today’s hard work than queso and chips, a burrito as big as my head, and a fishbowl-sized strawberry margarita.
Sounds like Heaven on Earth to me.
***
I change into my workout clothes and grab my earbuds before making my way out of the ladies’ locker room. There’s a yoga class, I like to take when I have more time, getting ready to start, but it’s not on my agenda today. I spent a little extra time helping Stevie reorganize some of the cabinets, so I’m getting a later start on my workout than I should. But there’s no way I’m missing chips and queso with Gary and Patti, and I’ll be in no condition to work out after gorging on Mexican food, so I’ll just have to squeeze in what I can.
I move to the back of the room and start to do some stretches. My plan is to get a two-mile run in on one of the treadmills and then some arm workouts. That’ll leave me with enough time to shower in the locker room and change into fresh clothes before heading to dinner.
The gym is active, considering its quitting time for the nine-to-fivers, but I’m able to grab a free treadmill in front of the picture windows. I ignore the runners to my left and right and start the machine. I find my workout playlist as I gradually start to pick up speed. By the time Nirvana is pumping through my ears, I’m up to my jogging pace and start to pound out my two-mile run. The machine to my left stops and out of the corner of my eye, I spy the man using it wiping it down. He tosses the wipe into the trash bin between our machines and walks away.
No sooner than the machine is vacated is someone stepping onto it. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as the man presses buttons on the screen. His arm is corded with muscles, and I can’t help but notice his long, strong fingers as they work. A shiver sweeps through my limbs, and I have to close my eyes to stop staring. Of course, that doesn’t help my dirty mind because all I can see are those damn fingers.
I quickly open my eyes, determined to shake off the images plaguing me and so I don’t accidentally stumble and fall. Pressing the button, I increase my speed to a swifter pace than normal. I’m hoping I can run away from the naughty things my brain wants to picture.
Those fingers.
The muscles.
The delightful things I envision the owner of said arms and fingers doing to my naked body.
Jeez, Adrienne, you need to get laid.
Sighing, I glue my eyes to the window and watch as the town moves about. There are several people walking up and down the sidewalk, many of them heading to the Mexican restaurant just down the street. My stomach rumbles, and even though I can’t hear it over the heavy beat of my music, I can feel it. I’m starving for someone who ate a large lunch at Burgers and Brew earlier.
Movement catches to my left again as the man starts to drum his fingers against the machine. It’s a fast beat, as if he’s playing along to either the music pumping through the gym speakers or his own device. Unable to control myself, I glance his way, leisurely taking in the thick arms and the visible tattoos on his right arm. Familiarity slides through my veins, forcing my eyes to continue their trek to the man’s face. The moment I meet his humored gaze, he grins widely, making my lady bits throb with desire.
Caden continues his run, clearly enjoying whatever music he’s listening to, and I find myself enjoying my own run. I can feel his eyes on me, and it takes every ounce of control I possess not to keep looking back at him. Instead, I focus on completing my two miles without tripping over my own two feet and falling flat on my face.
When I reach my desired distance, I slow down the machine and begin my cool down. I walk briskly for five minutes before slowly starting to back it off. After shutting down the machine, I grab a wipe and run it over the screen, buttons, and handles. Finally, I step off the treadmill, meet Caden’s gaze, offer him a wink, and make my way over to the bicep curl machine since it’s not in use.
I take my position and count out my first ten reps. Just as I’m starting my second set, I see a shadow fall over me. I don’t have to look to confirm who it is. Caden is standing beside me, watching. I complete my third set and stand up, pulling my earbuds out and turning to meet his gaze.
“Good afternoon, sugar,” he croons, his voice like honey dripping over my feverish skin.
“Well, hello again,” I sing, wiping down the machine.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here around this time,” he says, leaning against the cable machine.
“I usually come before work.”
“Dinner?” he blurts out, a mischievous gleam in his eye that matches his grin.
“Already have plans,” I tell him, moving to another machine.
He tsks, moving to stand directly in front of me, invading my personal space. Despite the fact he was just running and sweating, he smells good. It’s all musky and manly and I’m pretty sure my clit starts to cry with need. “What’s it gonna take for you to have dinner with me?”
Leaning forward until we’re practically nose to nose, I tap my fingers against his hard chest and murmur, “You seem like a very resourceful man, cowboy. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
With a wink, I walk away, feeling his eyes on me every step of the way.