Page 27 of Stuck with my Mechanic Daddies

“Being out in this sort of environment.” She exhaled, looking almost embarrassed. “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just a lot.”

I nodded. “Yeah. I get it.”

She studied me. “Do you?”

I held her gaze. “More than you think.”

Aurora didn’t look away this time. Didn’t fidget or shift like she wanted to escape.

She just sat there, really looking at me, like she was seeing me in a way most people didn’t bother to.

And damn if that didn’t do something to me.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Aurora

This was notwhat I expected.

I wasn’t surewhyI was even here, aside from Owen inviting me in. It was a little small-town, but it was actually kinda cool.

The sound of pins crashing filled the air, followed by groans and cheers. At one of the lanes, a woman stood between two firefighters, laughing at something they said. She had the kind of presence that turned heads—bright, effortless, like she belonged everywhere she went.

I didn’t know her, but I recognized the type. The golden girl. The one who made friends easily, who fit into places like this without a second thought.

So when she caught my gaze and smiled, warm and welcoming, I surprised myself by smiling back. And when she made her way over, drink in hand, I didn’t immediately look for an escape.

“Hey, Owen,” she teased, sliding into the seat beside me. “Didn’t know you had a date tonight.”

Owen snorted. “It’s not a date.”

I took a sip of my cider, smirking. “You sound offended.”

He opened his mouth, then shut it again, shaking his head. The woman grinned.

“I’m Lila,” she said, turning her attention to me. “And you must be Aurora.”

“Must I?”

She laughed. “Oh, you're funny. I like you.”

The words caught me off guard. Not in a bad way—just in a way I wasn’t used to.

People were different here.

Not as cold as they were in the city. Not so career and money obsessed.

It was weird.

Before I could think too much about it, another woman approached. Blonde, sharp green eyes, and a knowing expression. She looked familiar.

She set her drink down on the table, giving me a once-over before nodding slightly, like she’d already figured something out about me.

“Samantha Barnes,” she introduced herself. “You're the bookstore girl, right?”

“That's me,” I said.

She tilted her head, studying me like I was some kind of puzzle. “I’m the barista at The Brewed Bean. So what do you think of Medford?”

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