Page 51 of Stuck with my Mechanic Daddies

I groaned. “Fine. My boss is pissed at me.”

“Why?”

“Because I was only supposed to be gone a few days, and now it’s been… longer. And I’m not even done yet.”

Lila let out a low whistle. “Damn. Yeah, I can see why they’d be mad. But come on, you're a marketing executive, right? Don’t they have a million of you in the city?”

I let out a dry laugh. “Not quite. And not ones who handle my accounts.”

She raised a brow. “So, what? The whole company will collapse without you?”

“Honestly? No,” I admitted. “But itfeelslike it will. That's the thing about my job. It’s all high pressure, all the time. If I don’t answer emails within an hour, people act like the world is ending.”

Lila frowned. “That sounds awful.”

I let out a breath. “Yeah. I mean, I thought I loved it. I’ve spent years working my way up. Late nights, early mornings, pushing harder than everyone else. And now?” I stared down at my coffee. “Now I’m not even sure I like it.”

Lila didn’t say anything right away, just watched me with that sharp, knowing look of hers.

“How come?” she finally asked.

I contemplated before admitting, “Because for the first time in years, I’ve had a chance tobreathe. A moment away from it all. And I’m realizing that my whole life is work. I don’t really have anything else.”

Lila’s expression softened. “No friends?”

I swallowed, feeling a little ridiculous. “Not really. I mean, I have work friends, but outside of that? I don’t know. I’ve been so focused on my career that I never really thought about it.”

“Wow.” Lila nudged me gently. “That's kinda sad, babe.”

I let out a dry laugh. “Yeah. I’m starting to figure that out.”

She tilted her head. “So, what now?”

I exhaled. “I don’t know. Part of me feels like I should go back. But another part of me—” I paused, staring out at Biscuit as he happily pounced on a leaf. “Another part of me doesn’t want to. Is that crazy?”

Lila grinned. “Sounds to me like Medford might be growing on you.”

I bit my lip, thinking of the bookstore. The people. The Grady brothers.

Maybe it was.

“But things aren’t easy at Page Turners either, you know?”

“You having trouble selling it?”

“It’s not just that.” I sighed to myself. “It’s weird. I feel like things areoff.”

She arched a brow. “That's cryptic.”

I toyed with the lid of my drink. “I found a key today. At the auto shop.”

Lila took a sip of her iced tea, waiting.

“It was from Page Turners. I found the same one in my bookstore basement.”

That got her attention. “And what the hell was it doing there?”

“No clue.” I shook my head. “Mason swore it wasn’t his, and he seemed as confused as I was. He said he’d ask his brothers.”

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