Page 36 of The Relationship Mechanic

“We just got back from Atlanta a couple days ago,” Jessica said before picking up the menu. “We went to celebrate Vini’s birthday.”

Thomas nodded. “Oh, that’s right. I remember Brad saying something about Ava going up to Atlanta. If not for him coaching over the weekend, he probably would have convinced me to join you guys.”

“That would have been a lot of fun, actually. Don’t you still have a restaurant up in Atlanta?”

Thomas nodded. “I have a couple still up there, but I don’t plan on going back anytime soon. My sister is running them for now, so I only go back and help out maybe once or twice a year. Plus I much prefer the slower pace of living down here in Peach Blossom. The traffic getting into town and heading home is incomparable.”

Jessica knew exactly what he meant. The traffic in Atlanta had been horrendous no matter which direction they were headed. Even though they had left in the afternoon on a Sunday, there was still traffic backed up until they got past Peachtree City. She should be used to that kind of traffic, given she and her parents used to live in Seoul. But with the public transportation there, a car wasn’t always necessary. Even though most of her extended family didn’t live in Seoul, her parents maintained a condo in Gangnam that was free whenever they didn’t have vacation renters.

“Are you getting this for here, or are you planning on getting it to go?”

“I plan on grabbing a bite for myself, and then I’ll get a couple plates to go for Vini and Aiden. She promised to look at my car one more time before I head back up to Atlanta to drop it off.”

Thomas nodded before taking her order. A small smile and a cup of coffee later and Jessica let herself relax back into the booth. She wished she had brought a book with her until she remembered she had downloaded a couple books on her phone. She took her time enjoying her breakfast of scrambled eggs, thick-cut bacon with a maple glaze and the fluffiest Belgian waffle she’d had ever had. The first time she had tasted it, she swore she saw the face of God. Then again, it might have just been the culinary wizard behind the kitchen door. You could fault the South for a lot of things, but you couldn’t fault them for some damn good cooking.

The morning passed easily enough, and when it started bleeding into early afternoon, Jessica grabbed the to-go boxes and paid her bill before heading out the door. She waved one more time to Thomas just in case she didn’t have time to stop back into the diner before she left on Saturday. She had already gotten his contact information and was looking forward to being able to keep in touch with him. She told herself it wasn’t to keep a link with Vini, but at this point even she didn’t truly believe those words.

She slowly drove back through town heading in the direction of Vini’s shop. The people and cars thinned out until she was the only one on the road leading to that part of town. Before long, she found herself pulling into the shop. She swallowed hard against the lump that appeared suddenly in her throat and tried to push away unhelpful thoughts as she parked and got out. When she pushed open the door to the lobby, neither Vini nor Aiden were anywhere to be found. She called out looking around the corner to the back room.

“Vini? Aiden? You guys here?”

Rustling from the back room reached her, and then Aiden popped his head around a corner. His familiar cheeky grin lifted Jessica’s spirits, and she marveled at how his golden-retriever energy was so potent that it picked her up without her even thinking about it.

“Why are you always hiding out in the back room?” Jessica asked as she placed the food bag on the counter. “I swear I have only seen you working on a car like once.”

Aiden shrugged before his head turned up like he was sniffing the air. He looked so much like a curious dog right then that Jessica didn’t even try to hide her giggling. She shook the bag at him.

“What’s wrong? Did you not eat a good, hearty breakfast before coming to work?”

Aiden snorted before reaching for the bag. Jessica had no desire to tease him further and gladly let him pick up the sack so he could inspect what was inside. He groaned when the scent of bacon wafted up from the bag, so potent that even Jessica found her mouth watering again, even though she had already eaten.

“Are you sure you have to leave?” Aiden asked as he pulled out the two containers. He glanced at them before taking the one marked for him. It wasn’t the first time Jessica had brought them food, so she knew exactly what he and Vini liked to get from Thomas’s diner. “I know you have zero knowledge of cars, but we could train you.”

“Why are you volunteering my shop for tutoring?”

Jessica turned, and Vini came in from the garage area. Jessica hadn’t seen her out there when she pulled up, but there had been a few cars blocking her view, and with Vini’s petite stature, she could have easily been eclipsed by one or all of them. When she saw Jessica, she paused so briefly that if Jessica hadn’t been paying close attention, she wouldn’t have noticed. As it was, she did notice, and she wondered what that was all about. Jessica tried to think back to whether she done anything to cause such a reaction with Vini. They had texted here and there since coming back from Atlanta, but this was the first time she had seen her since being dropped off. Jessica decided to go with it and pretend like everything was just fine.

“I thought I would bring you guys something to eat in case you hadn’t already,” Jessica said. “I know I missed breakfast, but I figured a good brunch couldn’t hurt.”

Vini nodded. “True. I didn’t have breakfast this morning, so this is more than a little helpful.” She glanced up at Jessica from beneath long eyelashes, and Jessica tried to pretend she hadn’t lost her breath from that one look alone. The way Aiden smirked, she knew she wasn’t particularly successful.

“Well, you know me. I live to serve,” Jessica said, trying to stall for time while she attempted to reboot her damn brain. It wasn’t fair for anyone to look that cute while wearing grease-stained overalls. “It seems like you guys are busy, so feel free to tell me to leave.”

Aiden pointed at Vini. “You should probably stay and help that one get out of whatever funk she’s fallen into. I thought getting out of town for her birthday this past weekend would have made her more agreeable, but she’s been super grumpy.”

“Anyone would be grumpy when they had to deal with your incessant off-key singing all morning,” Vini shot back, giving Aiden a sharp smile.

“Hey, my singing is delightful.” Jessica had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep the giggles in. She had heard Aiden’s singing and readily agreed with Vini’s assessment of it. She contemplated recording his singing to use as her alarm. If anything would shock her ass awake, it would be an unfortunately sharp rendition of whatever song Aiden was enamored with at the time. “Anyway, thanks for the food. Good luck with this one.”

Aiden gave her a quick salute before grabbing his food and heading to the back room. Jessica watched him go for a moment before turning to Vini. “Well, I was going to suggest us going into your office so you would have privacy and time to eat. But since he’s back there, maybe it’s better if we just stay up here.”

Vini nodded. “True. We could always eat out back.”

Jessica tilted her head in confusion. “I thought there was nowhere to sit back there.”

Vini shrugged before gesturing toward the back door. “I might have added a picnic table back there so we could have a little bit more privacy.” She glanced up again, looking bashful, in a way she hadn’t since that first week they met. “But we don’t have to. We can always chill at the table in here if you want. Did you already have something?”

Jessica nodded. “Yeah, I decided to relax in the diner and talk with Thomas for a little while. I just wanted to bring you and Aiden some food.” That wasn’t completely true. Jessica wanted to see Vini again. She needed to take advantage of every moment possible for the next four days to get her fill of this place before she had to watch it fade away in her rearview mirror. “But if you have a picnic table back there, then absolutely, let’s sit.”

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