Chapter 13 That’s What She Said
Chapter thirteen
That's What She Said
Jo
“Alright, everyone. Listen up.” Jack quiets everyone in the shop.
I look around the break room that’s filled with the men who work here. I recognize them all from one time or another.
There’s Jack, Drew, and Dylan who are all family, so they need zero introduction. Then, there’s Jamie who is a little older than me but not by much. He’s always been a bit of a town ladies man. I’ve never partaken in any fun with him because he’s not really my type, but he’s cute enough.
Next, we have Adam–the one who I probably know the least about. I just know he’s worked at the shop for a while and went to high school with my brother.
And then, there’s Beau. He’s having a side conversation with Jamie, but occasionally, we make eye contact.
He probably feels me staring at him. I can’t help it.
It’s still hard for me to believe it’s the same Beau that I grew up with.
And it’s not only his looks. True, those are very different too.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he made a wish with a genie or something.
He went from a shy, cute teenager to a practical model.
My eyes look him up and down. How dare he look so good with his wide shoulders, thick arms, and perfectly messy hair.
There’s one other thing besides Beau’s looks that makes him remarkably different than the boy I once knew.
The way he looks at me.
No longer does he look at me like my best friend–seeing right through my tough facade. Instead, he looks at me like he wants me to catch on fire. Any warm feelings for me have vanished.
The plan was for me to start yesterday when Beau was off to avoid any unpleasantries, but when half of the shop got a stomach bug, Jack decided to shut down for the day.
So, today gets all the awkwardness and dirty looks.
Jack clears his throat again, and this time, all of the side conversations stop to listen to what he’s about to say.
“Alright, we have a new employee starting today. I think you all already know Jo. She’s the baby of the Lawson clan.”
Jamie interrupts to make a joke. “Is every member of the Lawson family going to work here?”
Dylan says, “Yes. And all of us outnumber you, so you better watch it.”
Jack keeps talking, not acknowledging that they even said anything.
“She’ll be working part time, doing whatever she can to help out around here and will be learning on the job.
I would tell you not to give her any shit, but I don’t think I need to.
I’m sure she won’t take it from anyone. What I will say is don’t drool all over her and behave yourselves. ”
He keeps the meeting short and sweet so that we can all get to work.
When everyone leaves to get back to work, Jack motions me into his office.
Jack Barrett is a tree of a man. He used to be an MMA fighter, but he’s still stacked.
Despite his large exterior, he’s basically a giant teddy bear. Everyone in town has loved him ever since he moved here because of how genuinely nice he is. Liz will never admit it, but she fell for a guy who shares quite a few characteristics with our father.
He sits behind his desk, and I take a seat across from him.
Although Jack and I haven’t spent a ton of time together, I don’t really feel weird around him.
When someone joins this family, they sort of just get thrown into the fire.
And basically, the minute you start dating one of us, you join the family.
That’s an excellent example of why I rarely bring dates home.
Jack and I look at each other for a moment, waiting to see if the other is going to speak first.
“So,” I say, trying to break the lingering silence.
Thankfully, Jack takes it from here. “Look, Jo, I am happy to have the extra help around here. We’ve been swamped. That being said, I’m not sure how much you know about working on cars, and I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to teach you.”
I stop him. “Jack, I realize that I’m only here because my mom asked you to give me a job, and she’s hard to say no to.”
He opens his mouth to argue that it’s not the only reason, but I know it is, so I keep going.
“It’s okay. Really. I’m just grateful for the job. And I don’t want any special treatment. I do know some about cars, but if you don’t need me doing that, I’m happy to help however I can.”
He still doesn’t look like he believes me. “I don’t want to feel like I’m just giving you busy work.”
I know he’s walking on eggshells–probably because Liz told him to be nice to me. She probably also told him I can be crazy and hard to handle.
While yes, that can sometimes be true, I’m not going to bite the hand that feeds.
“Jack, if it’s something that you need done that you don’t have time to do, I’ll absolutely take it on. I appreciate you giving me a job and paying me. I’m not about to bitch about what I have to do.”
He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest while he sorts through his thoughts.
“What?” I ask, hoping he’ll clue me in.
“Alright, I’m going to level with you. I’ve been pretty behind on things around here, and Liz has been dealing with a cranky toddler. A lot of things have fallen through the cracks when it comes to the shop. Do you think you could help me get it back in order?”
At first, I wonder if Jack is just trying to make me feel more important, but that’s not really his style.
I pretend that I’m thinking it over, but there’s no need. Working here is literally the only thing I’ve got going for me right now. I have no money and absolutely nothing to do. Working in here any capacity has got to be better than being inside my own head.
“Absolutely,” I tell him. “I’m happy to help. And hey, if you ever need a sitter for Beth, so you and Liz can get out of the house for a while, just ask.”
He smiles from behind his thick beard. “I appreciate that and will definitely take you up on the offer.”
He takes another long pause. “One more thing before I set you loose. Dylan told me that you and Beau have some history.”
I merely nod because quite frankly, I have no idea what to say.
He goes on. “I’ll do my best to keep you two apart, but let’s be honest, this is an auto shop that doesn’t have long hours. You two will be here at the same time more often than not.”
“Understood,” I tell him. “Like I said, I don’t need any special treatment. Beau and I may not be getting along right now, but I will be professional. I promise.”
If I’m being honest, if this were any other job, those words wouldn’t hold much meaning, but I wholeheartedly mean them now. Jack is doing me a favor, and I’m not going to fuck him over.
I may be unhinged, but I don’t mess with family.
We talk for a few more minutes. He goes over salary, and it’s more than I’ve been making waiting tables, so I’m happy.
Before we get back to work, Jack says, “I’m not sure that we’ve ever had a woman work in the shop, but I’m glad you’re here. If you need anything at all, just come tell me.”
I smile. “Will do.”
***
Three hours later, I’m sitting in the middle of Jack’s office with file folders spread out on every usable surface.
I’m crouched in the middle of the mess, trying to make sense of it all.
A true crime podcast plays in a low volume through my phone.
Even though I’m not paying too much attention to it, the familiar noise helps to keep my ADHD brain focused on the task at hand.
I don’t stop for anything until Jack opens the door. Seeing the giant mess I’ve made, he stops walking any further.
“Uh, Jo. Everything okay?”
“Well, yes. I started doing the filing that you asked me to, but absolutely nothing was where it was supposed to be.”
He sighs. “Jamie has been handling the filing, so that’s not surprising.”
“I didn’t want to just shove things in random places.” I pause to giggle and say, “That’s what she said.”
Jack also chuckles as I continue.
“When I took everything out, I realized that everything inside the files was pretty messed up too, so I took everything and laid it out to get a better look.” My eyes scan the room at the mess I’ve made. “Sorry. I guess I didn’t realize how far down the rabbit hole I went.”
“No!” He exclaims a bit louder than I think he means to. “You can do whatever you need to get things back in order.”
“Are you sure? I can clean it all up and put it back how it was.” I really hope he tells me to keep going because I’ve been on a roll.
“I’m sure,” he says.
“Do you want me to move out of your office?” I ask.
“Not necessary. I’ve got some stuff out in the bay I can do to keep me busy. But I did come in here to grab you for something.”
“Oh? What’s that?” I pick up one of the folders and thumb through it.
“Food. I bought lunch for everyone to celebrate your first day.”
I look up at him. “Really? You didn’t have to do that.”
“Don’t get too excited. I mainly did it because I forgot my lunch,” he jokes. “Come get some before it gets cold.”
I stand up from the center of the chaos and hop over assorted file folders all the way to the door. I can only describe it as it looks like I’m playing a rousing game of the Floor is Lava.
I follow Jack to the breakroom where he’s gotten a decent spread from a local barbeque place. Everyone else already has a plate and is sitting down eating.
Much to my dismay, there are only two tables in the break room, and the only one with empty seating also has Beau sitting at it.
Great.
Jack and I quickly fix our plates and have a seat. I’m thankful he takes the chair directly next to Beau. The bad part about it is that we are now across from each other and basically staring at the other.
Everyone is having quiet conversations amongst themselves, and I’m shoveling my food in, trying to hurry, so I can get back to work and leave this awkwardness.
Adam is the first one to speak to me. “So, Jo, where were you living before you graced us with your presence again back in town?”
“I’ve been in California for the past few months, but before that, I bounced around quite a bit.”
I swear I hear Beau scoff, but it’s so quiet that I’m not sure if it’s just in my head, so I don’t respond.
Jamie then asks, “You got a boyfriend?”
Dylan glares at him. “Will you stop trying to date my sisters?”
Before I can reply, Beau gets up and walks out of the room. Thankfully, no one notices, or if they do, they don’t draw attention to it.
After he’s gone, I realize I haven’t answered Jamie’s question, so I say, “Uh, no. I’m not dating anyone.”
“Good to know.” He flashes his bright white smile.
Never have I considered dating Jamie. Sure, he’s cute, but he’s too pretty. I like my men to have a little edge to them.
And how’s that working out for me?
While I have no plans of dating anybody for a while, maybe I’ll keep Jamie in mind for a quick lay.
Before anyone can pepper me with any more questions, Adam spills barbeque sauce all down the front of himself, so everyone else spends the rest of lunch giving him shit about it.
When I finish eating, I decide to go outside for a smoke before getting back to work. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.
There’s nowhere to sit out in the back of the shop, so I take a seat on the ground with my back up against the wall.
I look down at the tiny filtered stick in my hands.
When I first started this awful little habit, I only did it while drinking. When the guys I was dating did it more often, so did I.
I’m still not doing it constantly. I can make a pack last about a week. I think more often than not, I do it, so I have something to occupy my hands. It helps with my anxiety–or at least that’s what I say to make myself feel better.
I lean my head against the wall and get lost in my thoughts for a moment.
It’s wild to me that a week ago, I never would have dreamed that I’d be back in Lilly Leaf Falls.
I’ve been thinking about coming back for a while, but I always found an excuse not to.
Whether it was a new job or a guy who ended up being a colossal disappointment, I always found a reason to keep me away.
Honestly, I think the biggest part of it was knowing when I came back, I would have to deal with everything I left behind. I would’ve had to answer questions about why I left so abruptly.
And I’d have to face the people I’d left behind.
Like Beau.
Granted, I thought enough time had passed to where we could move past our issues. While I wasn’t expecting a warm welcome, I didn’t think it’d be quite so icy.
Speaking of which, the weather seems to get a lot more frigid when the back door to the shop swings open, and Beau comes walking out.
We make eye contact for a brief moment before he keeps moving.
“Sorry,” I say with a hefty dose of sass. “I’ll be done in a minute.”
“It’s fine. Just came to throw some stuff in the dumpster.” After he’s done doing what he needed to, he turns to head back inside.
With his hand on the door handle, he pauses. Without looking directly at me, he says, “You know those things are awful for you, right?”
I look down at the cigarette in my hand. “Do you really care?”
He walks back inside without responding.
That’s okay.
I already have my answer.