Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 73311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
“I pulled the engine today,” I said. “I had some free time since the cars I planned to work on I couldn’t get the parts for. This is going to need a lot of work, but the chassis is in great shape, not to mention the body work on it is near perfect.”
The man cocked his head to the side.
“I told the man I dropped it off to that I wanted to be a part of this project,” he murmured. “He told me I could. Was he wrong?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
I nodded my head, not sure what had happened. The change in the man’s demeanor had been tense there for a moment, but now it was like that tenseness had never even been.
“Listen, Sir,” I stood up. “I want to apologize. I got a little excited seeing the…”
He held up his hand and reached into his pocket for his keys.
“Aaron,” the man said.
My brows rose.
“What?” I asked in confusion.
“My name,” he said. “It’s Aaron.”
I blinked.
“Okay, Aaron.”
Aaron smiled, and my heart started to flutter at seeing that small smile kick up one corner of his mouth.
The man was sexy.
Scarred, yes, but sexy beyond belief.
Very, very sexy.
Okay, I needed to get my act together.
Shaking my head, I turned to survey the garage around me.
It was after eight in the evening.
I’d intended to go home around six, but after the day I’d had, I’d decided to stay and relieve some stress. Pops usually stayed with me, but by the lack of light pouring out of the office, I realized he must’ve already gone home.
“Uhh,” I hesitated. “How’d you get in?”
The man gestured to the door at the side of the shop, the one that never got used, and I nodded.
Bob had taken the trash out today by using that door, and he must’ve forgotten to close it.
It was tucked away in a secluded part of the garage, and you could only see it if you parked in the alley next to it. Which was likely what Aaron had done.
“Was my Pops here when you came?”
“He was not.”
I nodded my head.
“Were you wanting to work on this tonight, or were you wanting to start some other time?” I asked. “Do you even need me?”
He didn’t look like he needed me. In fact, he looked completely capable of doing anything he ever set his mind to.
I’d offer myself, just the same.
I always hated that Pops rented out stalls in my garage. It was something that he’d done since I was young.
“Not everyone can afford their own garage, Gen-Gen,” he’d used to say.
Though, that didn’t mean that he didn’t rent the ‘stalls’ or garage bays out for a freakin’ fortune.
My guess was that this man, Aaron, was paying a little less than Pops’ usual rate of five hundred dollars a month. My guess would also be that he was renting it out for three hundred. But that ‘rent’ came with unlimited use of our tools. Unlimited use of our electricity and air. Our business discount on parts—though they were still responsible for paying for their parts after the discount—and anything we had to offer.
If we had it, they were welcome to use it.
Most of the people that rented out stalls, though, didn’t really know what they were doing when it came to cars.
This one, though…yeah, he was knowledgeable.
He looked like he knew more than me, especially when he said what he had to say next.
“I appreciate the offer, but I think I would like to do it all myself if you don’t mind.”
So polite.
But I wasn’t stupid.
It was a reprimand, too. One that said I may be a woman, but he wasn’t happy that I’d taken the motor out when he wanted to do it himself.
“Gotcha.” I grabbed a red rag. “Don’t forget to lock up when you leave, please.”
Aaron’s eyes watched me move.
He didn’t even try to act like he wasn’t watching me.
When I moved into the office, he followed me there, too.
“Do you have an alarm code?” he asked. “I don’t mind setting it if you want me to.”
I laughed.
“You think a small town like this that I’d have an alarm code?” I snorted. “Um, no. We don’t even have a fully staffed police department. Not to mention we’re about ten minutes out of the city. Who would respond if we did?”
Aaron’s eyebrows rose.
“The sheriff’s department?” he offered. “But the police would respond first if they were needed, no matter if you were out of the city limits or not. Alarm codes are easily verified.”
“Hmmm,” I muttered. “Well, regardless, I don’t have an alarm.”
Turning my back to him, I used the desk to help steady myself as I stripped out of my overalls, displaying a much more revealing outfit than I’d been wearing at the jail when I’d seen him earlier in the day.