Chapter 5
FIVE
Foster
I hear Ransom’s old truck pull up outside the bay that I’m working in, and I climb out from under the car that I’m trying to fix to greet him.
“Hey, how’s it going?” He asks me as he gets out of his truck and heads my way.
“Good. I figured out your bike. It needs a new cylinder block. I went ahead and ordered one. Should be in tomorrow or the day after.”
“Sounds good.”
I wipe my hands off on an old rag and squint at him as he shifts from one foot to the other.
“What?” I ask when he still doesn’t say anything.
“Nothing.”
“You’re being weird.”
He sighs, and I lean back against the bay door frame, trying to stretch out my back. I’ve been bent over one car after another all morning, trying to finish up with work so that I can go see Lilliana. I came in extra early this morning just so that I could leave and take her out to dinner tonight.
“How’s your girl?” Ransom asks, and I frown.
“She’s good. We got her stuff all moved in yesterday afternoon.”
“That’s good.”
“Uh huh,” I mumble, staring at him like he’s grown a second head.
“Did you tell her yet?” He asks, and I shake my head.
“No. We’re supposed to grab dinner tonight.”
“And you’re going to tell her then?”
“No, why does everyone seem to think that I should just blurt it out to her?” I ask, my voice coming out harder than I intended.
“I mean, she just moved back to town. She just graduated, and she’s trying to get settled and get her designs out there.
I don’t need to go dumping all of this on her right now. ”
Ransom blinks, and I realize that my hands have tightened into fists at my sides.
“Obviously, this is a sore spot for you,” he says, and I grit my teeth and glare at him.
“Why do you care anyway?” I snap.
He hesitates, and some of my annoyance starts to fade. I can tell that he’s worried about something.
“What’s going on, Ransom?” I ask, my tone more even.
“There’s a girl…” he starts, and I nod.
“Yeah, I know. Ruby.”
“How do you know?” He grumbles, and I snort.
“I have eyes, and I have seen you staring at her every single time the two of you are in the same room. When we went to that car show the other month, I thought you were going to break your neck when we saw her walking to the diner.”
He rolls his eyes, his cheeks turning slightly pink.
“She doesn’t seem to notice,” he tells me.
“Doesn’t notice you or your crush on her?” I ask him.
“Both,” he admits, looking glum.
“So, why don’t you just tell her? Ask her out or something,” I suggest.
“I just…” he starts, trailing off. “I don’t want to mess things up with her. What I feel for her… it feels big. Important, you know?”
I do know. That’s how I’ve always felt about Lilliana. It’s why I was always so afraid to try to tell her that I loved her when we were younger.
“Yeah, I know,” I say quietly.
“I guess that I was just hoping that you would have told Lilliana and could have given me some tips.”
“I wish I could, but I’m still working up to that.”
“Maybe I should start with being her friend,” he says, cracking a smile.
“Couldn’t hurt,” I say with a shrug.
“Couldn’t it?” He asks me quietly, and I think about it.
Has being Lilliana’s friend been painful? Sometimes. Especially when we were teenagers. Wanting her this badly and not being able to be with her in the way that I want has hurt.
“Sometimes,” I say finally.
We’re silent for a minute, watching as the traffic drives by on the icy roads.
“Well, it’s not like I can ask Ford either. Cameron came into the diner this morning when I was there, and he almost tripped over his own feet trying to get to her table.”
I snort, not at all surprised.
“Yeah, I guess the two of us don’t really have much luck with the ladies,” I sigh.
“I don’t know about that. You’ve done the hard part and found your soulmates. Now you just need to figure out how to get them to see that.”
“That feels like the hard part,” I grumble, and he laughs.
“Maybe you’re right,” he agrees.
“You’ll figure it out,” I assure him, and he nods.
“Thanks, man. I’ll let you get back to work. Good luck tonight.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you later.”
He waves and heads back to his truck while I get back to work.
It’s only noon now, and I have a few things left to do here before I head home and clean up.
I’m hoping to be at Lilliana’s apartment by six tonight to take her out to dinner, but I have a feeling that I won’t be able to wait that long to see her again.
I grab my phone and smile when I see that she responded to my good morning text.
Foster: Did you sleep in?
Lilliana: A little bit. I was so tired!
Foster: Glad that you got some rest then. Are we still on for dinner tonight?
Lilliana: Yep! I’m going out to lunch with Cameron right now, but then I’ll be free for the rest of the day.
Foster: Have fun with Cameron. I’ll see you later.
Lilliana: See you!
I toss my phone back onto the cart next to the car that I was working on and take a deep breath. I try to focus on work as I climb back under the car, but all I can think about is seeing Lilliana again.
By four, I throw in the towel, close up my shop, and head home. It’s time to get cleaned up and then to go get my girl.