Page 18 of Suits and Spark Plugs

“Not necessarily. Just once a week, after hours. Whatever day works best for you.”

“My shift at the diner isn’t set. Could it be a different day each week?”

“Sure.”

I looked away from him to take in the lobby. Then I walked to the bathroom to check it out. It was a bare minimum one-seater and didn’t look to be too awfully dirty. Heck, if I could clean my entire family home in two hours, I could do this rinky dink shop in under thirty minutes, no problem.

“Okay. Sounds like a deal.”

“I’ll pull your car out of the bay. Your new job starts next week.”

He stepped behind the reception desk to snag my keys and then walked back into the shop where he pushed a button that got the big bay door sliding open. I exited the lobby and waited for him to pull my car around to where I was standing in the parking lot. Ice melt pellets crunched under my boots as I shifted my stance, still a little nervous about everything.

He pulled the car over to where I was standing and left the engine running as he got out. He held the driver’s door for me while I climbed in. “You shouldn’t have any more trouble getting it to start. If you do, let me know.”

I closed the door and offered a slight wave as I pulled from the parking lot and headed in the direction of the grocery store. The grinding and knocking noises were gone. Things felt a lot more solid. The man really did work magic.

In the privacy of the car, relieved tears pricked at my eyes. I’d tried to play it off, but I’d been worried for weeks over the repairs I knew my car needed. I felt safe driving for the first time in a while, and it felt amazing.

CHAPTER SIX

You thought Connor was trying to proposition you?” Kelly laughed, her shoulders shaking, tears of amusement pooling in her eyes. “I can’t get over it.”

“I noticed. You’ve mentioned it about eight thousand times today,” I growled.

“I’m sorry, it’s just...Connor? There’s no way.” Kelly handed me a stack of clean plates out of the dishwasher at Jake’s Diner and leaned back to get her own.

I took the heavy stack from her and walked to the counter where we stored them. “What do you mean, no way? Connor is probably the only man in town I would worry about soiling my reputation.”

“Because it’s still 1850 and he ruffles your petticoats?” Kelly hip bumped me out of the way and stacked her plates next to mine. “Liv, listen to yourself. Has Connor ever done anything to you personally to make you distrust him?”

“He doesn’t have to. I know all about him. I’ve lived here my whole life, remember?” Kelly pulled a face and walked back to the dishwasher with me following. “It’s like you’ve forgotten that we had a front row seat to all the stuff he was doing, Kell. What happened?”

“I told you, he’s my friend now. Besides, we’ve all been out of high school for years now, and people can change. Connor isn’t going to chase a girl who’s not interested in him, which you clearly aren’t, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“Thank goodness I’m not his type,” I mumbled sarcastically and picked up another stack of plates. “Does that still include you?”

“It does. Now that we’ve spent some time hanging out, I’m willing to say he was right. We’re good as friends.”

“So, he’s not your next potential husband?”

Kelly dimpled at me. “I didn’t say that. If he changes his mind, I could still climb on the love train with him.”

I couldn’t help a little grin that peeked out. “Classy as always.”

“How does Blaine feel about you working at the shop now?”

“He doesn’t know. I just told him that I worked something out. It’s my private business.”

“You’re the only girl I know who doesn’t tell her boyfriend squat about her actual life.” Kelly handed me a big bin of clean silverware and led the way out of the kitchen to a booth where we could sit and wrap the silverware into sets for the next day.

“I tell him things,” I defended. The vinyl on the booth seat squeaked as I slid into place and reached for the bin.

Kelly sat across from me and shook her head. “Nothing real. Like, does he know anything about your family?”

“He doesn’t need to worry about all the struggles in my life.”

“Those struggles are what make up your life. Not telling him about those is the equivalent of not talking at all. He obviously wants to be a part of things.”

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