Page 38 of Shifting Sands

“So, how was Bald Head?” Brew asks, leaning against the car, arms crossed.

I can’t decide if he looks better slinging drinks or covered in grease.

“We had a good time,” I say, trying not to stare at the way the sweat makes his shirt cling to his collarbone.

“We?”

“Yeah, um, Amiya came along—she’s a girl I met through my neighbor,” I say, suddenly nervous. “We rode bikes.”

He grins. “Bikes, huh? That does sound like fun.”

I quirk an eyebrow. “More fun than you’re having.”

“I’ll have you know, I just rebuilt a carburetor from scratch, and it was a blast,” he says.

“Wow. Using big words now to impress the lady?”

I glance over my shoulder to see Willis returning with two Styrofoam cups. He hands one to me and takes a huge gulp from the other.

“None for me?” Brew asks.

The old man frowns. “Something wrong with your legs?”

He shrugs, smiling. “Nope. I’ll be right back. I’m gonna wash up and grab a cup.”

I shake the bag in Willis’s direction. “I brought sandwiches from Sandcastle Cove Deli. I wasn’t sure what Brew liked, so I picked up extras if you’d like to join us for lunch,” I offer.

“Nah, I appreciate it, but lunchtime was a couple of hours ago,” he says. “I’ve gotta get back to it or that crew of mine will slack off.”

“Oh, yes, of course. I’m sorry I showed up late. I don’t mean to distract Brew from his job. I can leave and come back another day,” I say.

The old man’s brow furrows. “Why would you do that?”

I shrug. “I don’t want to get him into any trouble.”

He opens his mouth to say something just as Brew returns.

“You ready, Brandee? We can go this way.”

He gestures to a door at the back of the bay and starts in that direction. I smile as I pass Willis to follow him.

“You kids enjoy your food.”

I set the bag down on a wooden table and take a seat on the bench. I begin to pull out its contents—chicken salad, ham and cheese, tuna salad, Italian and cheesesteak sandwiches, fruit cups, barbeque and plain potato chips, and two Saran-wrapped brownies.

Brew lets out a laugh, and it’s the kind that dances along my skin. “You must be starving.”

“I didn’t know what you liked, so I got one of everything. I figured if you had a refrigerator here, you could save the rest for later, or the other mechanics could take them home.”

He grabs a chicken salad sandwich and takes a bite. “Mmm. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to seduce me with food.”

“I use all my best moves on the first date,” I say. “Gotta make it count.”

He lowers himself down beside me, knee brushing mine, and raises an eyebrow. “First date, huh?”

“Well, we’ve already seen each other naked. If this isn’t a lunch date, it’s the weirdest non-date I’ve ever had.”

He chuckles and grabs a bag of chips. “So, what you’re saying is … we’re past the small-talk stage.”

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