Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Morris
T he worst part of my job is knowing someone probably can’t afford to fix their vehicle, but still having to give them an estimate. It’s a million times worse when that person is a majorly pregnant woman whose glassy blue eyes indicate she might burst into tears at any moment.
It takes everything in me not to stomp around the desk and offer her comfort. The only thing stopping me is the likelihood that she’d tell me to fuck off .
Arbor is new to town, and both times I’ve seen her, she’s been alone. My brain can’t fathom a pregnant omega without any support, so she must have a pack or an alpha or two. It’s just a mystery as to why they aren’t here with her.
My blood boils at the reality of the situation. There are some shady repair shops, and if she had been dealing with any of those, they would have tried to take her for a ride just because they’d assume she doesn’t know any better.
That means whoever knocked her up should be in here doing the negotiations on her behalf. At least, he would be if he was worth a damn.
Which he clearly is not .
Arbor peers over the counter, and her long dark hair sways as she appraises the charges.
“Look, I know it’s a lot,” I say, pointing to the parts total. “This is just for the parts. If you can pay that in full, I’ll try to work with you on the labor, which is this.”
There was a time before Hael bought in on the shop, when I would have done the whole thing pro bono, but that’s why I had to take on a partner to begin with.
Without Hael coming on board, I’d be up a creek. He builds custom bikes, and it’s sad to say it, but that’s what keeps the business flourishing these days.
My grandfather ran this place up until he died, and while I’ve done my best to honor the values he instilled in me…
It’s a different time.
The overhead on the building alone is astronomical, and I make almost nothing on the parts themselves. In fact, I purposely gave her the parts at cost rather than the standard twenty-percent markup.
“And you’re sure I need all of this?” she asks with a waver in her voice that makes me feel like I’m going to crawl out of my skin. “I don’t mean to be rude. Could we just do the emergency problems first and work on the rest later?”
Oh, does she mean the bald tires that haven’t been rotated since God knows when? I didn’t even add that on to the invoice, but it’s one of the things I planned to address while I had it up on the lift.
“These are the necessities,” I say, trying to keep my tone gentle. “If you give the go ahead, I’ll order the parts. They won’t be here until mid-next week, but you should be okay for driving around town.” And that’s only because I already replaced the cable to her battery that was fried. “Don’t push it, though—necessary trips only. Unless you have another vehicle you can use to get yourself around for a little while?”
“No.” Her head shakes. “I really don’t.”
I sigh, sounding like an old man. “It’ll take me at least two days to do the repairs once the parts come in. We don’t have loaner vehicles, but I can have one of the techs drive you home and pick you up once it’s done. How does that sound?”
Her forehead wrinkles, and she gnaws on her lower lip.
She doesn’t say anything for so long, I start mentally debating if I should just eat the costs of the parts and let it go.
You’ve gotta put some good out in the world every now and then, right?
Hael is going to have my ass .
“I’ll do the labor myself. Just work on paying for the parts, okay?”
“Are you sure? What kind of payment plan would that be for the labor?” she asks, running her hand over her stomach.
The pregnant belly is visible, even with the massive winter coat that drowns her shape.
“I changed my mind. Just pay for the parts. If you can do that, we’ll call it even.” I nod at her stomach. “I’m no expert, but it seems like you’re going to pop sooner rather than later. I can’t have it on my conscience knowing you’re driving a brand-new baby around in a vehicle that’s on its last leg.”
Her hand migrates to her forehead, rubbing at her temple. “But with the repairs, it’ll be safe?”
“As safe as I can make it,” I assure her. “If I thought you could find a replacement for less than the cost of repairs, I’d be honest about that, but then you run the risk of picking up another older vehicle that could be in this same situation in a few months.”
“Okay,” she finally concedes. “Let me check how much is left on my credit cards. I might need to split the payment between a couple of cards.”
Jesus Christ.
She’s ripping my heart out.
“Nah, worry about paying once it’s fixed,” I say, grabbing the receipt. “I’ll order the parts and touch base once they come in. You don’t need to pay until the repairs are done.”
Her shoulders slump, and she nods. “Thank you.”
Her normally sweet cherry blossom scent smells tart, which signals her anxiety.
I’m sure dealing with this on her own is a lot.
She’s a fucking omega.
Where the hell are her alphas?
I almost hope they never come in because if they do, I’ll flip my shit on them.
Nah, they need to be told the deal.
Whoever knocked her up should be in here paying for whatever repairs her piece of shit car needs. Hell, if he was a decent partner, he would have already bought her something safe enough to be driving around in when she has to be eight or nine months pregnant.
I’ll just buy new parts myself and tell her I found them aftermarket. That way, I can take another few hundred dollars off the parts total without her thinking it’s strange.
“Just remember, only drive if you have to. Especially with the weather we’ve got coming in this weekend.” I give her a serious look.
“Thanks, Mr. Morris.”
I chuckle. “It’s Morris, sweetheart. Just Morris.”
She smiles for the first time since I showed her that damn bill. “I look forward to your call, Morris.”