Page 27 of Rebel Summer

Dax leaned forward and put his face in his hands.

It turned out that the cafe, though grateful for the help, needed a day or two to rotate me into their schedule. Unfortunately, that brought me to Dax’s place first.

I arrived after lunch wearing an old volleyball t-shirt and cutoff shorts. Even though my hours were going to be tight, a full day of Legos was something a girl needed to ease into. I gave the two black garbage cans of Legos the side-eye as I made my way toward the doorway leading into Dax’s garage.

When I stepped inside, Larry Donalds, the town leach I remembered from my youth, was sprawled onto a barstool, talking loud enough over Dax’s music that the retirement home next door could probably hear him. Whatever story he was telling required arms flying and spittle spewing. Ultimately, Larry was harmless, if a little annoying. He never seemed to go to work anywhere and had a knack for always being where you didn’t want him.

My entrance hadn’t been discovered yet, so I stood watching the scene, unable to resist the opportunity to observe Dax in his natural habitat. While Larry droned on, Dax bent over the underside of a lawnmower with tools in his hands. With Dax’s obvious disinterest and Larry’s oblivious nature, it became clear to me that he hadn’t been invited into this space.

“How can you listen to Bob Dylan?” Larry asked when his story was over. “It sounds like he’s sick and he’s spewing it out all over the world.”

There was a long pause before Dax said, “I’m going to have to charge you extra for that, Larry.”

Larry’s big boisterous laugh seemed to shake the walls as he stood up, groaning as he did so. “Well, guess I’d better get home and see what the missus has cooking for me.”

“Is your missus the Sunrise Cafe?” Dax asked, his voice sounding almost bored. Larry had to be pushing fifty and was as single as they come.

“I hear the cafe is getting some new scenery. The senator’s daughter?”

Annoyance burned in my chest at Larry’s mention of me. I waited for Dax to tell him I would be arriving any minute, but he didn’t.

“And she’s closer to my age than the rest of ‘em. I checked. Maybe I’ll be getting hitched sooner than I thought.”

“Yeah, but she’d have to wake up to your ugly face every morning,” Dax said. “That might be a deal breaker.”

Another exuberant laugh from Larry, but he didn’t leave. Dax noticed as well. “Alright, get out of here, Larry. I’ve got work to do.”

Before I could change course or hide, Larry turned toward the door and spotted me, eyeing me with pleasure.

“Well, there she is now. You’re a sight for sore eyes, darlin’.”

Dax looked over at the mention of me, but I kept my focus on Larry, smiling politely instead of snarling at this man who was always very vocal about supporting my dad. “Hi, Larry.”

He ambled closer to me. “Well, if you’re not at the cafe now, maybe it’s a TV dinner kind of night.”

I sidestepped him, putting a small distance between us. Larry had no clue about the ick vibe he gave off. He probably wouldn’t believe anyone who tried to tell him.

“I can’t wait to run into your dad and mess with him over all this DUI stuff. What great timing.” He shook his head in laughter. “How long you back in town for, honey?”

Dax stood and ambled closer, clasping Larry on the shoulder and propelling him to the door leading out of the garage. “Time to go, Larry. Your leaf blower is on the list. I’ll have it finished in a couple weeks.”

While Dax walked Larry out, I took in all the details of the drafty room that smelled like dust and oil. The floor looked like it hadn’t been swept in months, but overall, I was mildly surprised at the organization. The shop floor was a disaster, littered with motors, lawnmowers, leaf blowers, chainsaws…along with a boat on a trailer, but his tools were hung and organized on shelves and pegboards throughout the room. I glanced at the large clock on the wall made from boat propellers. Two hundred hours seemed a bit excessive when I had only been here two minutes and was already itching to leave.

Voices from the other room came closer, and for a second, I wondered if Larry was coming back. To my surprise, Beau Palmer and another guy close to my age wearing a suit stepped into the room.

“Hey there, Lead Foot!” Beau greeted me, his uniform looking freshly pressed and a teasing smile on his face.

“Oh, are we friends now, Officer?” I folded my arms across my chest.

“Are you still mad about the citation?”

I shot him a look while he laughed and held up his hands. “Friends don’t let friends plow into their other friend’s shop and not get a citation.”

Despite myself, I laughed and shook my head.

Beau grinned before asking, “Do you know Phoenix? He moved here after you left, but he comes around every now and then.”

“Hi.” I smiled and waved at the dark-haired man in a suit. This mix of friends seemed to cover all the bases: a mechanic, a cop, and some sort of businessman, by the looks of it.

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