Page 26 of Suits and Spark Plugs

Wait, Kelly? “What are you...”

“Answers later, movement now.”

Her head popped back out of sight about the same time I registered how sparkly her eyes had been. Whatever was going on, Kelly was happy about it. I pushed my arms into the sleeves of my coat and followed. Willing my heart to settle wasn’t as easy as it should have been. This unexpected twist was making my skin itself jump.

I followed Kelly through the lobby and into the shop area where Connor’s tow truck was backed up to one of the bays. On the bed was a greenish SUV of some sort. The rear end had two flat tires.

Kelly and Connor were standing next to the tow truck with their backs to me. I could feel the cool air blowing across the shop, and shivered a little. Kelly was wearing a big coat and had a bright purple scarf wrapped around her neck. She was listening as Connor said something I couldn’t hear. He too was dressed in warm clothing, but where Kelly’s coat was big and puffy, he was in a plain brown work coat.

Kelly turned as I walked up to stand next to her. “Isn’t this a beauty?” she said happily. I wasn’t seeing beauty, but I said nothing, understanding that my car wasn’t going to win any contests either. “Connor helped me find it for a real great price.”

“It’s got two flats.”

“Tires are an easy fix.” Kelly shrugged. “Everything else seems to be in good working order.”

“Good, you can do the driving from now on.” I smiled. Kelly had never owned a car, and this would be a fun step for her. It would also be a fun step for me, as I’d no longer have to endure her whining about my driving.

“It’ll be nice to not have to wear a helmet anymore.” Kelly grinned, proving my inner monologue to be true.

Connor turned, and I noticed a smudge of dirt across his forehead. It made him look more human and less perfect. “Can one of you jump in the tow truck and move slowly forward until I tell you to stop? I need a little more room back here.”

I shook my head. “Sounds like a job for Kelly.”

“Come on, Liv, you can do anything.” Kelly cheered and waved fake pompoms in the air. “Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate...”

I held up a hand as a corner of my mouth lifted. “Lies and peppy cheers won’t help you.”

“Get in the truck, Liv,” Connor suddenly barked in an angry voice. I jumped, eyes wide, and he laughed. “I was trying a different technique.”

Kelly giggled. “I’m not sure it got the result you were after. There’s a little accident over there to mop up.” Their eyes met and they shared a look that was surprisingly chummy, and annoyingly at my expense. Then Kelly turned to me, her eyes still big and bright. “Come on, I’ll just die if I can’t see the whole process in motion. Please? Bestie?”

“Fine.” I pursed my lips and walked to the front of the big vehicle. “I expect a warm apple pie delivered directly to me.”

“How about years of loyalty and devotion instead?” She pulled a face and I rolled my eyes, which was her signal to wrap me in a hug. “I love you the very best,” she said. I hugged her back, briefly.

“When you two are done hugging it out, keys are in the ignition,” Connor called. “Just start it up and close the door. You should be able to see my hand signals in the side mirror. Take it slow, like idle speed, until I tell you to stop.”

I didn’t feel like the right person for the job, but I climbed up the Mount Everest of trucks and positioned myself in the driver’s seat. I couldn’t reach the pedals, which made me wiggle with nerves. I was going to have to move the seat forward, and I hoped Connor wasn’t one of those people who hated having their seat moved. Like me. I hated it. If someone else drove my car it took weeks of back and forth tweaking until I found the sweet spot again. This was one bonus to having a beater: no one asked to drive your car very often.

I let out a little squeak of surprise as I turned the key and the engine roared to life. I’d spent very little time around big rigs. Okay, none. I’d spent none. The way it jolted and rocked while sitting completely still surprised me. I hadn’t known you could feel the vibrations that way.

“Ready?” Connor yelled. I slammed the giant door shut and angled my head to see him in the mirror. He was facing me, and I reached out a hand to wave. “Go ahead,” he called.

I put the truck in drive and let off the brakes. It began to crawl forward inch by inch. I kept my eyes on Connor. He seemed okay with the speed, so I avoided pressing the gas pedal. He waved continually, only once signaling for me to stop before he disappeared around the back of the vehicle. Then he was back, waving at me to go again.

It felt like it took a long time, but really it was probably only sixty seconds or less before he signaled me to stop again. This time he yelled to cut the engine. I put the big guy in park, turned it off, and jumped down.

“Nailed it.” I smiled as the three of us came to stand next to Kelly’s new ride.

He grinned down at me. “What’s happening with these curls of yours tonight? Did you have an incident with a light socket?” He reached out a hand, and before I could react, he was winding one of my spastic ringlets around his pointer finger.

“Oh, no, bad move. She hates people touching her hair,” Kelly said before I had a chance to.

I shook my head, confused as a rush of unwelcome heat crawled up my back. His expression was unreadable, but he dropped his hand. “Rule number five: Leave my curls alone,” I said, only it was missing the strength I’d meant to inject it with. Instead I sounded confused.

“I agree to nothing,” he stated.

Kelly laughed. “She’s setting rules already, huh?”

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