Page 47 of The Relationship Mechanic

His expression didn’t change, and Vini huffed out a quick laugh. “You knew then, didn’t you? That I was seeing Jessica.”

“I’m old child, not blind,” he replied, making Vini laugh. “You spent most of the meal making googly eyes at that woman, just like Ava and Grace. Probably the only reason she couldn’t see what was going on. That girl always did have a one-track mind.”

More weight felt like it was lifted from Vini’s shoulders, and she slowly realized that she didn’t have to hide anymore. Dani knew. Ava knew. Hell, everyone in her immediate circle knew. She should have been happy that her infatuation was out in the open and she didn’t have to keep it quiet anymore. But instead, she just felt sad. Sad that it had taken this long and yet she had nothing to show for it except a string of arguments and a broken heart.

“I shouldn’t have started this thing, though,” Vini said as she dropped in the dry noodles and started to stir. She let the motion keep her going as she gave voice to her thoughts. “I knew she was only in town for a short time and that she would be leaving. Who starts something with someone when they know they don’t plan on sticking around?” She chuckled, though there wasn’t any amusement in her voice. Vini was slowly realizing that she had set herself up for failure.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

The question threw her off. What did her dad mean? It had everything to do with everything. “Because she was only passing through, and I knew she didn’t do relationships in the first place.”

“Well, I can’t speak on that last bit, but proximity means nothing if you want to be with the person. Hell, your mama was worth it, and I almost closed the shop for her when she got the chance to leave this place.”

“What?” Vini turned, bewildered by the idea that her dad had even considered giving up the shop that had been in his family for generations. “You were going to sell the shop? But I thought you loved it?”

He nodded. “I did. Still do. But honey, I loved your mom something fierce, and if I had to move heaven and earth just to be with her, you bet I was going to do it.” There was nothing in his gaze that gave Vini any doubt of his sincerity. “It was your mama who told me not to sell it and let my cousin, Terrence, run it for a bit while we checked out some other cities. He almost ran the damn thing into the ground, but after a year, your mama missed this place fiercely, so we decided to come back for good.”

All of this was new to Vini, and she needed a moment to think. They were both silent while she finished cooking, and Vini let the information marinate in her mind. She loved the shop and hadn’t ever known there was a time when it wasn’t strictly in her dad’s hands. The knowledge opened up whole new possibilities for her. But one blight still remained.

“But she said she doesn’t want to be with me. At least, not the way I want to be with her.”

“Well, that does present a problem,” he agreed. “Normally, if someone said they didn’t want to be with you, I’d say to hell with them. But I know it’s hard for you when there’s only so many potential matches available in this small town, so maybe you should give it another shot.”

“Dad—”

“I know. I know. It sounds like I’m telling you to be desperate, but I’m not,” he insisted. “I’m just saying, if you’re this upset after only being with Jessica for a month, maybe there’s something there worth fighting for. Think about it.”

He reached over and put a hand over Vini’s. She turned hers over and clutched at his hand like she had when she was a child and had nightmares at night. She wasn’t sure if she would take his advice so soon after calling it quits, but she spent some time considering it and tried not to let the small flame of hope grow beyond what she could bear.

Twenty-Five

Asoft knock on the door had Jessica blinking awake. Her mind was hazy, and her mouth felt like she had stuffed a handful of cotton inside. She slowly uncurled and groaned when her bones popped. Twenty-seven was too damn young to feel so old, and yet here she was snapping and popping her joints as she straightened. The knock came again, and she swallowed a few times so she could speak.

“Yeah.”

“You want some breakfast?” Grace called out from the other side of the door. Jessica stared for a moment wondering if she should even bother answering. “Jess?”

“I’m fine.”

She wasn’t fine, but she wasn’t ready to go out there and face anyone either. She was tired, more tired than she thought she had ever been before, even after the whole mess with her mom’s coworkers popped off. That had been an annoyance, an aggravating diversion in the normal flow of her life. This was over and beyond worse.

“Did you eat anything last night?” Grace asked again. The doorknob turned, and Jessica’s mind screamed out for her to stop. She didn’t want to see anyone right now. Not until she could build back up the walls that had gotten her through the majority of her life unscathed. But of course, Grace couldn’t hear her, and by the time Jessica had control of her voice again, Grace was already halfway inside the room looking at her with clear concern. “Are you all right?”

Jessica narrowed her eyes, glaring up at Grace and telling her visually exactly what she thought of that question. How could she possibly be all right when Vini had broken up with her? Or not broken up exactly, but said she no longer wanted to see her? How was Jessica supposed to bounce back from that?

“Right. Horrible question,” Grace said, answering her own query. She twisted her hands before speaking again. “I just wanted to apologize to you about the things I said the other night.”

Jessica gripped the sheets tightly as the memories of everything rushed back. She had enjoyed the dark oblivion of sleep and didn’t want to rehash everything now in the light of day. Truthfully, she wanted to just skip past it all and wake up on Sunday morning in Italy where, for at least a little while, she could pretend that everything was okay.

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not,” Grace insisted in a weird parallel of her conversation with Vini that had Jessica blinking quickly. “I was angry and hurt, but that didn’t give me the right to blame you for that.”

Jessica shrugged to keep from seeming so affected by Grace’s words. “We both said some things that weren’t okay. You were right about one thing, at least. I didn’t think about the consequences if things were to go bad, not just for Vini and me but also for you, and for that I’m sorry.” She looked up at Grace. “I’m sorry I messed up your relationship.”

Grace shook her head as she stepped closer to the bed. “You didn’t. I talked to Ava last night, and we both agreed that it was none of our business what you and Vini do. You were right that you two are adults.”

The admission should have soothed Jessica, but all it did was serve as a reminder of what was lost. It didn’t matter now that Grace and Ava knew and had agreed to take several steps back. Jessica and Vini weren’t together anymore. Truthfully, they never had been, and the only person to blame for that was Jessica and her inability to commit.

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