“I don’t know…” I repeated, biting my lip.
She clasped her hands together, making a pretend begging gesture. “Come on,” she pleaded. “It’ll be fun. You can run your errands in the morning, come in for the slow afternoon shift, and then go pick up Parker. It’s perfect and you know it.”
Part of me wanted to say yes, but I’d been back for such a short time that jumping into employment, even at my best friend’s place, seemed like too big of a step.
“Let me think about –”
“Perfect!” she said, cutting me off. “You start tomorrow. Now, the orientation process is very rigorous – corporate doesn’t slack when it comes to this stuff. So get here bright and early.”
I laughed, couldn’t help it.
“Seriously,” she said. “Come in for lunch and I’ll show you the ropes. Trust me – you’ll be glad you did it.”
The urge to protest was still there, but she was so insistent. And more than that, she was probably right.
“Alright, alright,” I finally agreed, rolling my eyes.
“Yes,” she replied, clasping her hands together. “We’re going to have so much fun!”
I took another bite of my long john, catching sight of the time on my watch. “Shoot,” I said. “I’ve got a million things to do today to get the house in order. Want to come by for dinner later?”
“I’ll do you one better and pick up some burgers and shakes from the Red Kettle – something tells me Parker’s going to be in the mood for a treat.”
“Good call,” I said. “See you then.”
I grabbed my coffee and a glazed for the road and gave Marlon a pet on the way out. When I stepped back outside, the temperature had dropped and the sky was a deeper shade of gray. I pulled my coat tighter before taking a sip of my coffee and hurrying my car. Once inside, I got moving, juggling my coffee and donut and the steering wheel as I pulled out of the lot.
I was so careless about the whole thing that I didn’t even notice the massive, black truck flying down the road toward me.
“Shoot!” I cried out, dropping my donut on the seat and grabbing the wheel.
But it was too late. I didn’t hit the brakes in time, my car backing up into the side of the truck right at the exact moment he passed. The sound of crumpling metal filled the air, followed by tires squealing to a halt.
Fuck.
Both my car and the truck stopped, the smell of burning rubber seeping into the cracked driver’s side window.
Thankfully, I managed to not spill my coffee all over my coat. After taking a few deep breaths, I put my car in park, set down my coffee, and got out.
And of all the people in town who I could’ve gotten into a fender-bender with, it had to be him. My neighbor, the man with the thick beard and wild hair and impossibly powerful built stood near his truck staring at where I’d back into it. The damage wasn’t too bad, but I’d managed to smash in the passenger-side door.
“Fucking hell,” he said, shaking his head. There was anger in his voice, and his tone was about as deep and resonant as I’d expect from a man his size. So deep, in fact, that I could almost feel his voice in my bones.
“I’m sorry.”
He whipped his gaze to me, those brilliant blues that I’d seen before narrowed in accusation and irritation. “Where the hell’d you learn to drive?” Without waiting for a response, he stepped over to the area of the impact and picked up something from the ground.
It was my plate.
“California, huh?” he asked. “You all drive like assholes down there?”
I was on the spot, my heart still racing from what had happened, but even so, I couldn’t help but notice just how fucking hot he was. The man was tall and muscular and imposing. His arms were thick, his hands huge, and even through the beard, I could see that his features were sharp and sexy. Just standing there before him was enough to make me clench my thighs as a rush of electric energy pulsed through my body.
At that moment, I feared him. But I wanted him, too.
I cleared my throat and gathered my nerve. “Hey!” I said. “It was an accident.”
He shook his head, tossing the plate onto the ground where it landed with a clatter. “Yeah, an accident that happened because you weren’t paying attention.” He raised an accusing finger at me. “You know, you’re lucky as hell I was paying attention. This shit could’ve gone all kinds of sideways if we’d both been as clueless as you.”
Irked at his incredible rudeness, my voice was raised when I spoke. “Where the hell to you get off talking to me like that?”
But he didn’t back down in the slightest, those brilliant blues still locked onto me. “Far as I see it, if you nearly kill me, I get to talk to you however I want.”
Then he looked up, and I did the same. Our accident and argument had caught the attention of a few other people, and inside Lizzie’s place I could see her approach the window. He paused as if the attention was the last thing he wanted.
“Just…learn how to drive,” he growled, turning towards his truck, his steps hurried.
“Wait,” I called, following him. “What about swapping information?”
“You got yourself as good as you got me,” he said, flicking his eyes to my bumper as he climbed into his truck and gunned the engine. He peeled out and was gone, his truck turning the nearest corner and vanishing out of sight.
I glanced at the back of my car. The bumper was bent in and the trunk crumpled. But at that moment, I didn’t care about that.
All I could think about was the strange, handsome man and his equally strange behavior.
Hunter
Sam, the sixty-something owner of the auto shop, looked at my truck. He grinned, flashing a smile of crooked teeth. “What, you thinking you’ll get an employee discount on fixing that thing if I hire you?”
I glanced over my shoulder at my truck, a tinge of anger running through me at the sight of my passenger-side door crunched. “That just happened, believe it or not. Some woman from California backed out without looking.”
Sam wiped his hands on a rag before tossing it onto a nearby workbench. The smell of oil was thick in the air at the garage. I glanced around, noting a couple employees in dirty overalls working on cars behind us. Motley Crue played on a small Bluetooth speaker set on a counter in the corner.
“You’re kidding me,” he said, shaking his head and leaning back against the SUV he’d been working on when I arrived. “So you want to work here?”
I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest. “I do. Part-time, if you’ve got it.”
“And I take it you’ve got experience?” he questioned, eyeing me, not the least bit intimidated by my size and gruffness.
I nodded. “Did plenty mechanical work when I was in the service. When I finished my tour and joined the force in LA, I made sure to keep what I knew sharp in the motor pool at the station.”
Sam raised a bushy eyebrow. “A military man, huh?”
“Army - infantry.”
He raised the tattered sleeve of his shirt, showing off a faded tattoo of what looked to be the unit he’d served with. “Marines,” he said with a sly wink. “But I won’t hold that against you.” He glanced aside, clearly still considering the matter. “Anyway, you look like a man who knows what he’s doing when it comes to cars. And we’re short a man since one of our boys joined the second he turned eighteen. How about this – start tomorrow, and we’ll see what you’ve got. You pull your weight, we’ll make room for you here. That work?”