Chapter six
R ubbing her hands together as she waited outside, Georgina noted how clammy they were. She was actually nervous.
A few minutes later, she heard a low rumble as a vehicle that sounded larger than a car approached. Her mouth dropped open when she saw Matt driving a pickup truck.
He pulled alongside her and bobbed his head out of the window, his dark eyes twinkling and a toothy white grin parting his lips. ‘Good morning. I was just on a callout, so I’ve had to pick you up in Bertha.’
Georgina spluttered a laugh. ‘Bertha. Is that the name of the truck?’
‘Believe me. It’s not my doing. It’s dad. He names all the trucks.’
Georgina shook her head as she walked around to the passenger side. As she opened the door and climbed in, her heart hammered against her chest as she inhaled Matt’s aftershave. She closed the door and turned to look at him. She immediately melted into her seat as soon as she stared into his eyes. She knew he was attractive when she first met him, but she didn’t remember him being this good looking.
She looked away, her heart racing as she waited for him to pull away. But when the truck remained stationary, she turned to look his way again. He was still looking at her. He’d been studying her profile. Capillaries burst under her cheeks, sending them hot to the touch. ‘Erm. Why aren’t we driving?’
Matt reached across her, his face inches from hers, his hot breath brushing across her already burning cheek. The hairs on the nape of Georgina’s neck rose. ‘Safety is paramount. Please buckle up young lady.’
Georgina’s heart felt as though it might explode from her chest. She felt stupid. She always put her seatbelt on, but why not today? She blamed Matt’s intoxicating cologne.
Matt clipped Georgina’s belt in and then put the truck into gear. He flashed her a smile before lurching the truck forward.
The tension sizzling between them inside the truck cab was too much. Georgina had to break the silence. ‘I’ve found another parttime job.’
Matt took his eyes off the road for a second to glance her way. ‘Oh?’
‘Yes, it was by chance actually. I’m going to be working at Ruff to Regal, the new dog grooming salon in the bay.’
‘Have you worked with dogs before?’
Georgina shook her head. ‘No, but I love animals, and they seem to love me.’
‘I can understand why.’
‘Huh?’ Georgina’s tummy jumped at the comment.
‘You have an easy-going air about you.’
‘Oh...right. Is that why you offered me the deal? Me answering your phones in exchange for you fixing my car?’
‘Erm, no. My motive was purely a selfish one.’
Georgina wanted to question Matt further, but he switched on the radio, as if wanting to cut her questioning short.
They drove the rest of the way to the garage in silence, with just the garble of unfamiliar country songs breaking the sizzling tension. Matt pulled up just to the left of the garage and turned off the engine. He got out, and Georgina followed him into the garage.
The same country and western radio station was playing in the garage as well. Matt pointed over to a corner where there was an off-white-coloured door. It had either turned cream from sun exposure, or it had just yellowed with age.
‘The kitchen is in there, and the toilet is accessible from a door inside of there too.’ Georgina nodded. ‘Right. Now to show you the ropes.’ Matt led the way into the small office on the other side of the glass wall. ‘It’s pretty basic really. We offer a breakdown service and both my father and myself are also mechanics. Calls with either be enquiries about getting vehicles booked in for repairs or services, or someone calling because they have broken down.’
Georgina absorbed the information. ‘Will customers be calling in for prices?’
‘Possibly new customers, but there is a list of general prices of everything we offer in that drawer.’ Georgina followed Matt’s extended finger. ‘See the black diary on top of the desk?’ She nodded. ‘You can book work in there. We usually work in time slots. A service will take two time slots. Whereas, if you book in a repair, you will appoint a minimum of four slots.’
‘And what if you are working on a car in the garage and someone calls in because they have broken down?’
‘Normally either my father or me would continue working in the garage while the other recovered the broken-down vehicle, but while there’s only me here, I’ll have to down tools and attend to the vehicle recovery immediately.’
It was a lot to process, but Georgina was a quick learner. ‘Okay. I think I got it. Before I study the diary and the price list, is it okay if I make a drink?’
M att laughed. ‘Of course it is. Make yourself a drink whenever you want one, and if you feel inclined to make an extra one while you’re in the kitchen, I wouldn’t say no to either tea or coffee with milk but no sugar.’
A giggle erupted from Georgina’s throat. She was very appreciative of Matt’s help fixing her car, but she still had morals and beliefs to uphold, and she was a modern woman. She believed in equal rights. ‘Same... If you happen to wander into the kitchen to make yourself a drink, I take my tea and coffee exactly the same way as you.’ She winked and had to hide the smile that was desperate to break-out onto her lips when Matt’s jaw dropped open as she walked out of the office, heading for the kitchen.
G eorgina settled into the small office chair, the leather creaking beneath her as she adjusted her position. The scent of motor oil and rubber permeated the air, mingling with the faint aroma of coffee from her mug. She'd spent the last hour familiarising herself with the appointment book and price list, feeling more confident about her ability to handle incoming calls.
The sudden shrill ring of the phone made her jump, her heart leaping into her throat. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the receiver with a slightly trembling hand.
‘Good morning, Harris’s Garage. How can I help you?’ Her voice came out higher than she intended, and she silently chastised herself for sounding so nervous.
‘Yes, hello there,’ a gruff voice responded. ‘My car's making a right racket. Sounds like it's about to fall apart. Can you fit me in today?’
Georgina's eyes darted to the appointment book, her mind suddenly blank. ‘Falling apart? Um, let me just check our availability for you,’ she tried to sound professional, keeping her voice steady as she flipped through the pages, her palms growing clammy.
‘Is this for today?’
‘It's pretty urgent,’ the man on the other end pressed.
‘I-I understand, sir. I'm just...’ Georgina's voice trailed off as she struggled to make sense of the bookings. The writing seemed to blur before her eyes, and panic began to set in.
Just then, she felt a presence behind her. Matt's warm hand gently touched her shoulder, and she looked up to see him standing there, a reassuring smile on his face. She hadn’t heard him come into the office. He mouthed, ‘It's okay,’ and held out his hand for the phone.
Grateful for the rescue, Georgina handed over the receiver, her fingers brushing against Matt's as she did so. A small shiver ran through her at the contact.
‘This is Matt speaking,’ he said smoothly into the phone. ‘I understand you're having some trouble with your car. Can you describe what exactly you think is falling apart?’ Georgina watched his dark eyes move from side-to-side as he listened intently to the man with the gruff voice on the other end of the receiver. ‘Can you describe the noise for me?’
As Matt spoke with the customer, Georgina took a moment to collect herself. She could feel heat in her cheeks again, embarrassment washing over her. She'd wanted to impress Matt, to show him she could handle this job, and instead, she'd frozen up on her very first call.
Matt's voice brought her back to the present. ‘Alright, Mr Johnson. We can squeeze you in at 2 PM today. Does that work for you?’ There was a pause as he listened to the response. ‘Great, we'll see you then.’
He hung up the phone and turned to Georgina, his dark eyes filled with understanding rather than the disappointment she'd expected. ‘First calls are always the toughest,’ his voice was gentle, and it washed over Georgina like a healing balm.
Georgina let out a shaky breath. ‘I'm so sorry, Matt. I thought I had it all figured out, but when the phone actually rang, I just... panicked.’
Matt leaned against the desk, crossing his arms casually. He had pulled his overalls down and tied them around his waist exposing a now oily t-shirt. The movement caused his t-shirt to stretch across his wide chest, and Georgina found herself momentarily distracted before forcing her eyes back to his face.
‘Hey, don't worry about it, Matt’s tone was warm and encouraging. ‘Everyone gets flustered their first time. You should've seen me when I first started answering calls here. I was a total mess.’
Georgina raised an eyebrow, finding that hard to believe. ‘You? But you always seem so...confident.’
Matt chuckled, the sound sending a pleasant tingle down Georgina's spine. ‘Trust me, I was a disaster. Once, I accidentally told a customer we could repaint their entire car for the price of an oil change.’
A laugh bubbled up from Georgina's chest, the tension in her shoulders easing. ‘You didn't!’
‘Oh, I did,’ Matt grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. ‘Dad wasn't too pleased about that one. But you know what? I learned from it, and so will you.’
Georgina nodded, feeling a rush of gratitude for Matt's kindness. ‘Thank you for understanding. I promise I'll do better next time.’
Matt's expression softened, and he leaned in slightly, his voice lowering. ‘I have no doubt you will. You're not only...’ he paused as if her was unsure whether to divulge what was on the tip of his tongue, ‘... beautiful, you’re also smart too, Georgina. You'll get the hang of this in no time.
Not only was she overcome by his proclamation of her beauty and intelligence, but also by the sincerity in his words. Georgina's heart fluttered. She became acutely aware of how close he was standing, the scent of his aftershave mingling with the garage smells. His presence was both comforting and exhilarating, and she found herself wishing he would stay in the office with her.
As if reading her thoughts, Matt straightened up. ‘Tell you what, why don't I stick around for the next few calls? I can guide you through them until you feel more comfortable.’
Relief washed over Georgina. ‘Are you sure? I don't want to keep you from your work. I’m supposed to be repaying you for the work you’re going to do on my car, but I’m more of a burden cluttering up the office at the moment.’
Matt waved off her concern. ‘Don’t be silly. The cars can wait. Right now, making sure you're comfortable and ready to fulfil your end of the bargain is my priority.’
The warmth in his eyes as he said this made Georgina's breath catch in her throat. She wondered if he realised the effect he had on her, how every kind word and gesture only deepened her growing attraction to him.
‘Thank you, Matt,’ she said softly. ‘I really appreciate it.’
He flashed her another smile that made her knees weak. ‘Anytime. Now, let's go over that appointment book again, shall we?’
As Matt pulled up a chair next to her, their shoulders almost touched and Georgina couldn't help but feel that despite her initial stumble, things were looking up. The nervousness she'd felt earlier transformed into a different kind of tension—one filled with anticipation and possibility.
With Matt by her side, guiding her through the intricacies of the garage's scheduling system, Georgina found herself relaxing. His patient explanations and occasional jokes helped put her at ease, and soon she was laughing and responding with quips of her own. So when he finally returned to the garage, Georgina was sad.
As the morning wore on, Georgina handled several more calls, each one with increasing confidence. Matt's presence on the other side of the glass wall was a constant comfort, his encouraging nods and thumbs-up gestures bolstering her spirits. By lunchtime, she felt like a different person from the nervous wreck who had answered that first call.
‘You're a natural.’ Matt was leaning against the doorframe listening to her as she hung up after successfully booking in a complex repair job. ‘I think you've got this nailed now.’
Georgina beamed at him, a warm glow of pride spreading through her chest. ‘I couldn't have done it without you,’ she said, meaning every word.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, the air between them seemed to crackle with unspoken energy. Georgina found herself leaning in slightly, drawn by some invisible force.
The spell was broken by the loud growl of Matt's stomach. He laughed, patting his belly. ‘I guess that's my cue to grab some lunch. How about you? Fancy a sandwich from Tammy’s Tearoom? I’ll nip out and get them.’
Georgina nodded, suddenly realising how hungry she was. ‘That sounds perfect. Cheese salad for me please.’ She reached for her handbag to get her purse.
Matt shook his head. ‘It’s on me.’
Georgina smiled and nodded her gratitude. ‘I’ll get the next ones.’
As Matt headed out to fetch their lunch, Georgina leaned back in her chair, a contented sigh escaping her lips. Despite the rocky start, she couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed a morning so much. And as she glanced at the door through which Matt had just left, she couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement for what not only the afternoon, but for also what the rest of the week might bring.