Dilynne
Tire and Professional Pressure
“Boss? Those new tires are here!”
“Give me a second,” I tell him. “I just need to change this brake pad really quick.”
He salutes me and then retreats back to his domain.
I really ought to look for someone to run the front of the shop so he can be back here with me full time, but he’s honestly so good with the customers and working alone is my preference.
Still, I know he has far more automotive talents than writing invoices and taking payments—and other talents that he loves to brag about.
Talents his wife, Chelsea, is more than happy to confirm whenever she gets the chance.
Once the brake pad is in place, I slide my rolling stool back from the truck and head toward the sink to make my hands appear somewhat presentable before I sign for the tires. Luckily, the black nail polish I always sport helps hide the grease.
By the time I finish at the sink, the delivery guy is waiting near the bay entrance while one of his guys unloads stacks of tires from the bed of the truck outside.
“Hey, Gene.”
He nods in greeting as he hands me a clipboard and pen. “Nice to see you, Dilynne.”
“Likewise. You got a long route today?”
“Nope. Just you and one other stop in Asheville today.”
“Nice.”
“Yeah, tomorrow is going to be a long one, though. I have to go all the way to Garnet Valley for a special delivery.”
“Garnet Valley? They couldn’t find a supplier closer to them? I mean, you’re almost three hours away.”
“I know, but I’m one of only two suppliers that carries the size they need, and the other guy couldn’t get them fast enough.” Gene smiles proudly. “Don’t worry, I’m charging a fat delivery fee.”
“Good for you,” I say as I hand him back the clipboard. Then I nod to his truck. “You got my special order on there too, right?”
Gene grins. “You know I’d never let you down, especially when it comes to that Porsche. You getting nervous about Motorlux?”
“I don’t get nervous,” I fire back, even though I’d be lying if I didn’t have some apprehension about the biggest car show of my career. But it’s not what I’m bringing to the show that I’m anxious about—it’s who I’ll see when I get there.
“Spoken like a true badass.”
“Well, the shoe does fit.”
Gene tips his chin and then begins to walk backwards. “I’m gonna go help Vinnie with the tires.”
My pulse spikes. “Vinnie?”
“Bennie,” Gene clarifies, and thank God he does. Because that name is one I try to keep out of my head as much as possible. “This will only take a few minutes.”
“Take your time. I’m gonna get back to work.
” As I head back into the bay that I was working in, that familiar knot in my stomach tightens when my ex pops up in my head.
Vinnie Delatorre is the only man that I’ve ever been in love with, and he is the only man that can still make me doubt myself to this day.
On paper, we were a match made in heaven—both business owners in the automotive industry, had the same love for retro style, and treated cars as our first loves.
When I met him at a show, he praised me for the work I had done and asked me out that night.
I was young and na?ve but loved the way he made me feel—talented, sexy, and valued.
Little did I know that he was just using me to get ahead in his own career.
“Dil?” Steven cuts through my thoughts as he sips on his energy drink.
“Yeah?”
“Where do you want me to put the tires for the Porsche?”
My eyes land on my project car resting safely under a sheet in the back of the shop. “Just right next to Betty.”
“I thought we settled on Tina?”
“No, Steven. You settled on Tina, but you’re not the one that spends time with her when no one else is around. That girl is a Betty, through and through.”
“Betty just doesn’t seem original enough. You hear Betty, you think Boop.”
“What’s wrong with Betty Boop? She’s an icon.”
“Yeah, well, so was Tina Turner.”
“And she’s from the wrong decade, Steven. The Porsche 356 had her prime in the late 40s to mid-60s. Betty Boop seems even more appropriate then, don’t you think?”
Steven shrugs and takes another drink. “Whatever. You’re the boss.”
“Glad you’ve finally accepted that.”
“Hey, I don’t mind being bossed around by a woman. Hell, at this point in my life, I actually think I prefer it.” He waggles his eyebrows. “Especially when Chelsea does this thing with—”
I hold up a hand to stop him. “Please. I already know too much about your sex life. Let’s leave some things to the imagination, okay?”
Laney, my best friend, snorts as she walks into the shop through the open bay doors. “You’re telling Steven not to talk about sex?” When she reaches me, she holds the back of her hand to my forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
I swat her hand away. “I’m fine. Just don’t need the reminder that everyone else is getting laid besides me.”
Steven tsks. “Aw, so that’s what’s got your panties in a bunch? Going through a dry spell?”
“By choice, but yes.”
Laney turns to Steven. “Her and that guy from Asheville ended their arrangement a few months ago because he wanted more from her than just sex.”
I scoff. “Gee, thanks for sharing all of my business.”
Laney’s mouth drops open. “I’m sorry, but who are you and what have you done with my best friend today? You’re never this snappy, especially when it comes to sex.”
Laney is right. Most people would describe me as one of the most sexually positive and open people on the planet.
Normally, I have no qualms about letting people know that I love experiencing a decent orgasm or two, but the reminder of my ex has put me in a mood—as it’s done far too often these past few months.
Maybe it’s time that I voice it out loud. After all, Laney is my ride or die, and Steven might help by offering a man’s perspective.
“Fine. This whole Motorlux thing approaching has me feeling off-kilter, okay?”
A pinch in Laney’s brow develops. “What? That’s not like you. I mean, I know it’s the biggest car show of your career, but…”
“It’s not the car, Laney. It’s…”
I don’t even have to finish my sentence before the truth hits her, clear in the flash of recognition in her eyes. Her brows relax and her smile softens as she closes the distance between us and wraps her arm around my shoulder. “It’s Vinnie, isn’t it?”
“The nerves of seeing him again are getting to me, I guess.”
Steven grumbles under his breath. “It’s probably a good thing I can’t go with you because if I saw that motherfucker in person, I would definitely break his fucking nose.”
Adoration swells in my chest. “And I love you for that, but hitting him won’t do a damn thing. He’s more of an emotional damage sort of asshole.”
“You can’t let him get to you, Dilynne,” Laney interjects. “You’ve worked so hard for this.”
“I know, and the Porsche will be ready and will make jaws drop, I’m sure of it. But…” I sigh heavily. “I don’t know. Showing up alone just makes me feel more vulnerable. I can already hear the shit he’s going to say, alluding to the fact that everything I know is because of him…”
“And anyone who knows you and has seen you at work knows that’s a lie,” Steven replies.
“Exactly,” Laney agrees.
“You know how it is though, Laney. Unfortunately, this industry is predominantly men, and a single woman breaking through the glass ceiling doesn’t exactly sit well with them.”
“You just threaten their manhood, babe,” Steven adds. “Most of them are probably attracted to you too, which makes their internal struggle even harder. That’s why they can’t handle you. You restore cars better than them and you make their dicks hard.”
Laney laughs. “Thank you so much for that revelation.”
“That’s what I’m here for, right?” Steven tips his drink toward her.
“Ugh, I just hate how much this asshole still affects me. I mean, we broke up five years ago, but…”
Even though I’ve been helping Elliot through his breakup over the past year, I’m not too proud to say there are still moments that bring me back to a dark place when it comes to Vinnie, and Motorlux is one of them.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you as your assistant?” Laney offers. “I know you already told me no, but…”
“And I stand by that. Your priority right now is growing my niece or nephew. If Steven wasn’t going on a trip with his family, he’d be my first pick anyway.”
Laney found out she was pregnant right after her wedding to Fletcher a few weeks ago. It was around the same time that her brother’s girlfriend, Vienna, found out she’s got a bun in the oven as well.
If I’m not careful, the water around here might contaminate me with a baby too. That is, only if my IUD fails, which I know is unlikely, thank God.
But I’m not na?ve to how much energy it takes to grow a human, and the last thing I want my best friend to worry about right now is my mental stability with my ex. She did enough of that back when we broke up, and I’ll never be able to repay her fully.
Laney scoffs. “Wow. Okay, glad to know your honesty filter is coming back.”
I sigh heavily. “I’ll figure it out.”
Steven leans closer to me. “Glad to know I’m your first pick, though. Makes me feel secure in our relationship.”
“Trust me, Steven. Our relationship is one of the only ones I feel solid about, so that says a lot.”
He blows me a kiss and then retreats to the front office, leaving me and Laney alone. Laney nudges my shoulder with hers. “You know, the fact that Vinnie can’t keep your name out of his mouth has much more to do with him than it does you, right?”
“Oh, trust me. I tell myself that every time he threatens to disturb my peace. But this is different. I won’t be able to escape him for five days.
His face will be on fucking promotional flyers and boards everywhere I turn.
And his little brown noser of a girlfriend will be following him around the entire time.
” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “It’s so sad because she really doesn’t possess any self-respect, Laney.
The funny thing is, she’s actually pretty knowledgeable about cars.
She and I had a conversation at a show a few years ago—before I knew she was his girlfriend, that is.
I was impressed by how much she knows about cars, stuff that some of the men out there don’t know.
But sadly, she doesn’t have the courage to try to make a name for herself, so she just latches onto the hot guy who’s having his moment and answers to his beck and call. ”
“Then feel sorry for her, not jealous.”
I throw my head back in laughter. “Oh trust me, I’m not jealous at all. Vinnie is gonna chew her up and spit her out just the way he did me.”
“That’s her decision, though, Dilynne. You don’t have to save her from that.”
I meet Laney’s eyes. “But shouldn’t I? Shouldn’t I warn her about what he’s going to do to her?”
Laney squeezes her arm around my shoulders. “The way you want to protect people is one of the things that I love most about you, Dilynne Marie Clark. But some people aren’t going to want your help, remember?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Is that supposed to be in reference to someone in particular?”
Laney releases me and then shrugs. “I think you know the answer to that question. And even when you tried to warn Elliot before he got engaged to Tori, he still wouldn’t listen.
So I think what you should take from that is even if you were to warn this girl, she’s going to do what she wants to do anyway. ”
Elliot Thorne—pain in my ass, one of my brother’s best friends, and yet another poor, unfortunate soul who trusted the wrong person and got his heart broken in the process.
And Laney is right. He didn’t want my help, but I still couldn’t resist giving him some sort of compassion in the wake of his fiancée leaving with her boss before their wedding.
Despite our differences, in that moment, I realized we shared some of the same scars.
“I swear, if I ever see that bitch again, Laney…”
Laney rubs my shoulder. “Just remember, you hate orange, Dilynne. A prison jumpsuit would not be a good look for you.”
Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply and blow out a breath. “You’re right. But talk about someone that the karma freight train needs to find sooner rather than later.”
“Oh, believe me, I know. But Elliot seems to be doing a little better lately, don’t you think?”
“Yes, but he’s still an asshole. Did I tell you what he did to me at your wedding?”
Laney’s brows draw together in confusion. “No, but between the honeymoon and everything that happened with Vienna, it’s no wonder you probably forgot.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Which reminds me, I think we should check on Vienna this week. I’ll text Elodie and maybe grab a cheesecake from Carolina’s bakery and we can all eat our feelings while we catch up.”
Laney rubs her stomach where soon there’ll be a tiny bump. “That sounds amazing. I should probably be worried that all this baby wants is chocolate right now, right?”
“Not at all. The baby already has good taste, that’s all.”
Laney laughs and then gives me a hug. “Okay, I need to get back to the salon. I have two more clients, then I’m going to go home and pass out. I swear, going back to work after vacation is the worst. And the first trimester exhaustion is real.”
“Yeah, but I bet going home to your husband isn’t awful, is it?”
Her smile is instant. “Not at all, my friend. Not at all.”