5. Mac
Mac
S unday morning, I walk diagonally across the street from the auto shop over to Spoon to grab some coffee.
I’ve been working for a few hours already and since most of the town is at church, I shouldn’t run into too many people I don’t want to see.
I open the door and am greeted with a warm smile from Beck.
“Well, good morning sunshine,” she says cheerfully.
“Hey, Beck,” I reply as I walk up to the counter.
As I expected, the place is empty of patrons.
The hum of a coffee grinder fills my ears, along with the soft music playing overhead.
It’s not your typical coffeehouse jazz music though.
Clearly Beck chose the music this morning because it’s more of a funky lo-fi mix.
“Was wondering when we were going to see you again,” Beck says with a light laugh.
I deserve that dig, though. I was not expecting to see MJ yesterday, let alone have her right behind me.
When I heard Beck say her name, I turned around, expecting to see an older version of my best friend from six years ago.
I was not expecting to see the smoke show that is now, Emmalynn Jane Lawrence.
She’s definitely grown up over the last few years .
Looking up at Beck behind the counter, I give her a lopsided grin and say, “Sorry for running out of here like that. I just . . .” I just what? Wasn’t ready to see MJ? I guess that’s true.
She swats her hand at me like it’s no big deal. “You are going to have to talk to her eventually, you know?”
“Yeah, I know,” I say with a sigh.
“You want the usual?” Beck asks, as she turns to the counter behind her to grab a to-go cup for my hot coffee before I even answer.
I take a deep breath, inhaling the scent of coffee and pastries.
As if on cue, my stomach growls. “I guess you also want a little something to eat, too?” Beck asks, obviously hearing my loud stomach.
“Please. A cinnamon roll, maybe? I could use the sugar,” I reply with a grin.
Beck pours my coffee and fetches a cinnamon roll from the back. She gives me a wink as she rings up the items. “All set,” she says.
I nod and swipe my card to pay and mumble a thank you.
Grabbing my cup and box, I turn toward the door.
“You know,” Beck says, and I turn back toward her.
“I’ve watched you two dance around each other for years now.
It’s like she’s your sun and you can’t help but orbit around her over and over again. ”
Sighing, I shake my head. “I’m not blind, Mac,” she continues.
“I’ll just say this, and you can do with it what you will.
She might be your sun, but I’m pretty sure you’re her whole world.
One day, one of you has to decide to take a chance.
Don’t let the fear of getting burned keep you from reaching for what you want. ”
Beck means well, she always has. Almost taking on the role of an older sister to me and MJ over the years, she probably knows more than she lets on.
This isn’t the first time she’s told me to take a chance and try to repair things with MJ.
But with my upcoming trial and MJ going to law school, I think I’ve solidified my fate.
I’m no good for her; never have been. I give her a tight smile and then turn toward the door, heading back to my dad’s shop.
I shake my head and chuckle to myself. My dad’s shop. He hasn’t worked in the shop for seven years, ever since he first got sick, but it’s still his in my mind. It’s not my shop. Never mine. Just like Emmalynn Lawrence will never be mine, the shop will never truly be mine either.
I slam the hood down on the car I just finished working on and the sound echoes through the empty shop.
The rumble of an engine and tires on gravel catch my attention, so I head to the door to see who just pulled up.
I’m surprised to see Blake and Austin hopping out of Blake’s souped-up truck, and a smile tugs at my lips.
Austin shoves Blake from behind as they walk up to the door.
They may be twins, but they couldn’t be more different.
Austin is always playing around while Blake is the more serious one .
“Mac, my man!” Austin yells and slaps his hand on mine, pulling me into a hug. I greet Blake the same way and welcome them into the shop. The guys take a seat on the leather couch set up just outside the office, and I grab a chair from the office to join them.
“What brings you two over here on a Sunday morning?” I ask.
“Had a meeting with the realtor and checked out the space next door for the restaurant,” Blake replies.
“No shit? That’s amazing!” I exclaim.
“It might not happen, but it’s our first pick for spaces in town if we can swing it.” Blake shares and I smile. I know money isn’t an issue because Blake and Austin’s parents are loaded. They’ll likely foot the bill for whatever the twins decide to do.
They fill me in on the meeting and their ideas for the restaurant, which sounds really cool.
It would be nice if they could get the building next door.
Besides the diner, there are no other restaurants in town.
Having one so close to the auto shop could also be good for business when tourists come in.
I realize I haven’t been paying attention to the conversation when I hear Austin say MJ’s name. I shake my head and look up at him in confusion.
“Oh, that caught your attention, huh?” he jibes.
“What about MJ?” I try to tamper my interest but I can tell I’m obviously failing by the smirk on Blake’s face.
“She looked good yesterday. Grown-up. She seems happy,” Blake replies .
They fill me in on their little welcome home Grill and Chill and my chest tightens a bit. It would have been nice to see her and talk to her. But I’ve made my choice, kind of have to stick to it now.
“I don’t think she knows about the trial yet,” Blake comments and I look up to him in surprise.
“How? It’s been all around town.”
They both shrug. “We said nothing last night. I don’t think Shannon has told her either. So, unless her dad filled her in or some townie told her, she definitely doesn’t know,” Blake explains.
“I wonder what all she heard at the bookstore yesterday, then,” I murmur to myself.
“You saw her at the bookstore?” Austin asks.
“Yeah, she popped in with Shannon. She actually defended me, which was curious, especially if she doesn’t know about the trial yet.” I proceed to share the conversation my mom and I overheard yesterday.
“She must have just been defending you because she still cares about you,” Blake assures me.
“That much is obvious,” Austin interjects. “I’m pretty sure she expected you to show up last night.”
I shake my head in denial. We chat a bit more and then I tell the guys they are welcome to hang out, but I have to get back to work if I’m ever getting out of the shop today. I walk over to my workbench and grab the set of tools I need to work on the next car.
“Not to be that guy, but uh, what’s gonna happen to this place?” Blake asks .
I turn to look at him and raise my eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Well, with the trial. You’re looking at prison time, dude.”
“Worst-case scenario, yeah. I don’t really know what will happen to the shop. Maybe Jake can help again,” I explain. Austin huffs out a laugh. “He’s apparently cleaned up his life in Cedar Bend.”
“Cleaned up and capable of doing what you do are two very different things, though,” Blake says with annoyance in his voice.
“I know, but what else am I supposed to do? Mom and Dad don’t really have any friends in town anymore. You guys are the only friends I’ve got, and you don’t know the difference between a tire and wheel,” my voice booms through the shop as my frustration boils over.
“Aren’t they the same thing?” Austin murmurs to Blake and Blake punches him in the stomach. I laugh because he’s proving my point.
“We’ll help however we can. You know that,” Blake offers.
I nod and thank him for the offer. Heading back to the workbench, I try to calm my racing heart and hide my shaking hands.
I’m busy working on a broken AC belt when I hear tires on the gravel outside the shop.
The large garage door is open to allow some air to circulate through the shop, and the afternoon breeze is helping tremendously.
I pull my head out from under the hood and my jaw nearly hits the ground when I see MJ in her red Jeep parked all cockeyed in the driveway.
She opens the door, sliding out of her Jeep and the gravel crunches under her feet as she marches toward me.
My eyes scan her body from her toes up to her face.
The fire in her eyes tells me everything I need to know. Fuck .
“How can I help you, ma’am?” I ask, going for the professional route. The way MJ is looking at me right now, I know she’s pissed about something, and it’s likely my fault.
“Ma’am? Really, Mac? What the fuck is going on with you?” She blinks when she cusses, and it makes it so hard to take her seriously. I try to hold back my smirk, but she’s just so cute when she’s fired up.
“Not sure whatcha mean, darlin’.” I give her my best southern drawl, again trying to lighten up her mood a smidge. Even though Blake and Austin assured me she didn’t know about the trial just hours ago, I’m pretty sure she knows now.
“Seriously, Mac? I had to hear from my dad that you robbed Henry’s?
Are you fucking crazy? Please tell me it was someone else.
That they got the wrong guy. Because this .
. . this isn’t you!” She blinks again when she says “fucking” but she also didn’t take a single breath while spewing that out at me.
My heart is pounding, and my hands are shaking, but this time it’s not the anxiety. No, my blood is boiling because little miss Emmalynn Jane thinks she knows me after not talking to me for six years. She has no fucking clue who I am or what’s been going on since she left.