4. Ham and Swiss on Rye
Four
Ham and Swiss on Rye
Amelia
Six of the dozen muffins I baked are gone.
Crush wolfed down three and is working on his second cup of coffee.
Bullet finished his second and has one in front of him, but he stops sipping when he notices I’m digesting the cost of a new roof.
Seven thousand five hundred dollars for the water to stop pouring into my home on rainy nights.
I’m seriously contemplating putting down rain barrels instead.
I know I’m kidding myself, and I have the money, but to dip further into my savings is going to hurt. Then again, the cost of rain barrels and the further damage the roof will sustain by waiting won’t be worth it.
The first bite of my muffin tastes like sawdust, and I make awesome muffins. I am mentally kicking my ass for getting the car repairs done. It could have waited another month…or two.
“Amelia, where are you?” Bullet’s voice penetrates my thoughts.
I blink and refocus. “Sorry,” I mumble.
“We can do a payment plan. Zero interest, and we’ll work out a monthly amount that’s affordable for you,” he suggests.
I hate having debt. “No way to repair just the spots that are leaking?” I’ve already asked them that, but I’m desperately hoping for a different answer this time.
“You’d be spending more in the long run,” Crush says.
“The repairs would be a couple of thousand, then you’ll be patching until the whole roof is redone anyway.
” He shrugs and suggests, “You can get another quote if that gives you peace of mind, but I would really be wary of anyone who would patch it and be done with it.”
I flit my gaze between the two men, shaking my head.
“I don’t need another quote. I know you’re fair.
Actually, I trust Izzy, so when she recommended your company for the school, and when I saw how hard you both worked to meet the very tight budget we have for repairs, I know you’re honest men.
” I clasp my hands together on the table.
“It’s just that I’ve had a lot of expenses lately.
Moving, the car repairs, and then I went and bought this house.
” I toss my hand out over the room. “I moved too fast. I should have taken more time, but I really wanted to put down roots. That isn’t your problem, though.
” I let out a breath. “I’d like to work out a plan to get it paid off in six months.
Does that work? I can give you twenty-five hundred now, and a thousand a month until it’s paid off. ”
Bullet completely ignores my payment schedule and asks, “What car repairs?”
“When I came to town, I decided to get the car checked out. I need a decent vehicle to make sure I get to work each day. It was a long drive, and I decided I need a tune-up. I had no idea I had transmission and suspension issues. I’m lucky I made it here without breaking down.” I chuckle.
“Amelia, get me your keys,” Bullet orders.
Crush gives him a look, raising his brows. “What the hell, bro?” he mumbles.
“Huh?” I’m confused, but Bullet will not be deterred.
“Keys, babe,” Bullet insists.
I go to the counter, grab my keys, and hand them to him. “I have the receipt.”
“Good. Grab it for me, will you?” Bullet looks at Crush, and the silent message they’re sending one another is nothing I understand, but both men walk through the laundry room door that connects to the garage, while I go find my bill.
When I join them, their heads are under my hood, and Bullet is spewing profanities, some I’ve never heard before.
“Calm down, bro. We should get one of the guys to make sure before we jump to conclusions,” Crush says.
“We’ve been around the shop long enough to know new parts from old parts.
But, yeah, you’re right. Can you text War and see if he can swing by?
” he asks, then runs his fingers over his shaved scalp.
“It fucking pisses me off that someone takes advantage of a woman, especially you, babe,” he says to me.
“I wonder what they charged her?” Crush asks as he sends his message to their friend War. His phone pings shortly after. “He’s on his way.”
I clear my throat. “Um, I, uh…found the bill.” I’m almost afraid to give it to Bullet because he already looks like he’s ready to strangle Freddie from Freddie’s Auto Repair.
Bullet holds out his hand to take it. I don’t give it to him immediately.
“He said it took two days to fix. And that the parts were hard to get hold of because of back orders,” I explain.
Bullet sighs. “Promise you won’t get upset, because you already look very angry and it’s done.
It’s not like I can do anything about it now anyway.
Maybe it’s best I don’t know because I’ll just get more upset with myself for being so stupid. ”
I totally said the wrong thing! Bullet comes right to me, puts his hands on my waist, and drags me close so that our bodies are almost touching.
“Don’t you ever call yourself stupid. You’re a smart, beautiful woman.
It’s those morons who think it’s okay to cheat innocent people out of their money who are pissing me off right now.
Rest assured, Amelia, you aren’t the first or the last this shop has conned.
It’s people like that who give mechanics a bad rap.
” My eyes grow wide, and he lowers his voice.
“Please hand me the bill. War is on his way. If I’m wrong, I’ll go apologize in person to the owner, but if I’m right, I’ll take care of it another way. ”
“Why would you do that? You don’t even know me,” I whisper, my eyes meeting his.
“You know why, babe,” he answers, but before I can respond, a huge shadow falls over us, and I look over Bullet’s shoulder to see a monster of a man stopping at the fender of my car.
“Hi,” I choke out. Bullet takes the bill from me and hands it to the giant who must be War.
“I’m sure War would love a cup of coffee,” Bullet says gently and urges me inside.
Bullet
I watch as War goes over to Amelia’s car, and every grunt is telling me that Freddie has taken advantage of a good woman. It’s an hour later when War finishes. He leans against the car, wiping his hands on a rag.
“The mechanic patched the problem, but the part wasn’t replaced.
It’s only a matter of time before she’s stranded again.
Half the parts on the list weren’t used, and the rate for the mechanic’s time is ridiculous.
At most, and I’m being generous, the bill should be a third of what they charged,” War says.
This doesn’t make him happy. War believes in treating people fairly, and he hates that mechanics get a bad reputation because of guys like Freddie.
I’m livid. I feel the blood boiling in my veins. “I’m going to go pay them a visit,” I grit out between my teeth.
“Why?” War asks. “Did she ask you to?”
“No—”
“Then why the fuck get involved?”
“She was taken for a ride,” I insist.
“Agreed. But why is this your problem? You’re here to fix her roof,” War points out.
“Sure, but—”
War holds up his hand to shut me up. “Who is this woman to you? A customer, or more? If it’s more, then cool, I’ll ride with you, but if you’re getting involved in shit that doesn’t concern you, then step back.”
I nod, taking a breath. If this were anyone else, would I get this upset? Truth is, no matter who it was, I never would have asked for her keys to check it out. Crush has been quiet through the entire thing. I almost forgot he was with us until he steps forward.
“You like her,” Crush says. “I mean really like her.”
I look to my brothers. “She’s different.”
“So? What’s the problem?” War asks with a shrug. “Look at me and Maddie. She looks like a goddess and sings like an angel. She’s one of the biggest rock stars in the world. I’m a biker, bodyguard, mechanic. We couldn’t be more different, but we work.”
“You have an accounting degree,” I point out.
“You and Crush own a business. You were smart enough to know you wanted more and went back to school. Never think less of yourself,” War says.
“I don’t. I’m fucking proud of what Crush and I started. But she’s a principal, and it doesn’t really mesh with the biker lifestyle,” I point out. “Why go there if it’s going to go to shit eventually?”
“That’s complete bullshit!” Crush says emphatically.
“Biker lifestyle, my ass. You don’t know Amelia well enough to make that comment, for one.
And the woman made you muffins. We’ve worked with hundreds of clients, and not one ever made us muffins.
I’ve been at that school a dozen times at least, and Amelia’s always been really nice, but I never got muffins.
She’s good people. You’re good people. Get the fuck over the status shit and if you like her, do something about it! ”
Crush playfully bumps his shoulder into mine.
Just then, the door to the garage opens, and I see Amelia standing in the doorway in her faded blue jeans and oversized pink hoodie that nearly comes down to her knees.
She looks sexier than any woman I’ve ever seen, with her face free of makeup and her hair pulled back in a ponytail.
She seems to be nervous, but she finally says, “I made ham and Swiss cheese sandwiches for us if you’re interested.” She bites her lower lip.
“Sounds great, babe. We’ll join you in a minute.” I wait for her to go back inside before turning to the guys. Crush has a smug expression, and War is looking down at his boots to keep from laughing out loud. “After lunch, we’re going to visit Freddie’s shop.”
War can’t keep it in any longer and bursts out laughing, with Crush joining in.
I ignore the two men and walk inside to see the table set like she’s having a dinner party.
She’s serving sandwiches, but the bread is baguettes, and the ham is piled high, with huge slices of cheese, but that’s not all.
There are dips, cheeses, a vegetable platter, four different kinds of crackers, and a fruit bowl off to one side with a variety of what appear to be homemade cookies.
We all take our seats and dig into the ham and Swiss while I admire the way Amelia is making my friends comfortable in her home. I’m well and truly fucked, because I like this woman a lot!