Page 18 of A New Chapter in Rosewood Beach

She bit her lip, watching Ryan’s face while he was distracted by taking another sip of the milkshake. She hoped that everything would work out between them, but she knew that until she spoke with him about her fears, she was going to feel as though there was a wall between them. She needed to muster her courage and figure out a time to tell him exactly what was on her mind in the best way possible.

But when, and how?

“That’s great, Mrs. Finnegan.” Dean smiled as he listened to one of his customers chatter excitedly on the other end of a phone call.

He was sitting in his office at Main Street Auto. He’d been able to take more breaks since Jeff had started working there, and already he was feeling his energy levels improve. He had been sitting at his desk, resting his body and doing some paperwork, when Mrs. Finnegan had called. She’d brought her beloved Mustang in the day before, and Jeff had been the one to repair it.

“I’m telling you, Dean, this car has never driven so smoothly,” Mrs. Finnegan gushed. “I took it five over going up that massive hill outside the farm, and it didn’t even hesitate. It’s like that new mechanic of yours has a magic touch or something.”

Dean grinned as he glanced out at the garage through the indoor window in his office. Jeff was in the middle of doing an oil change on another car, and Dean could tell that the other man was working quickly but with care and precision.

“I’ll let him know that you love it,” Dean told Mrs. Finnegan. He almost made a joke that she was welcome to mail Jeff a thank-you card, but then he stopped himself in case Mrs. Finnegan thought that he was being serious and decided to do so. “Let us know if you have any trouble with any of your other cars.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll be bringing in that darn truck again soon enough. Thanks, Dean!”

He said a cordial goodbye to Mrs. Finnegan and hung up the phone. He smiled to himself as he went back to his paperwork, glad that Jeff was already making such a great impression on Main Street Auto’s customers.

There was a soft knock on Dean’s office door, and he looked up curiously.

“Come in!”

Noelle poked her head inside a moment later. She was wearing a sundress, and her light brown hair was pulled back into a wispy ponytail.

“Hi, sweetheart.” He stood up and welcomed her into a big hug. “You look beautiful. How’s your day off?”

“Lovely. I got coffee with Julia this morning and ever since then I’ve just been wandering around town looking at all the cute things and buying myself all kinds of fun beverages. Have you been to that boba tea place yet?”

“No.” He grinned at her as she sat down in the chair across from his, and he sat down as well. “We’ll have to go together. I’ve never had boba tea before.”

“You’ll love it. I’ve been there seven times already, so I can help you pick out a flavor that I think you’ll like. There are so many.”

“Seven times today already?” he teased, and she laughed.

“No, just once today. But that was after an iced raspberry latte and an orange guava kombucha and a mango banana smoothie, so you are still free to judge me.”

He chuckled and leaned forward to give her a kiss. “I’m glad you’re staying hydrated.”

“Very. How’s Jeff working out?” Her eyes glinted gleefully, clearly delighted that her plan to hire another mechanic had worked out.

“So far so good.” Dean smiled at her. “I don’t want to get too excited, since I barely know the guy, but he seems like a totalgem. He fixes the cars really well, he’s on time, and he treats all the customers really well too.”

“Ha! I knew it would work out!” she crowed in triumph. “I’m so glad, sweetheart.”

“You were right.” He chuckled. “Remind me of that next time I want to be so pessimistic again. I appreciate you being so persistent about it, sweetheart. I needed you to push me to not give up. Having this extra help has really been helping with my fatigue already.”

“It wasn’t all my doing.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “We decided together. We’re a team, after all.”

She offered him her hand and he took it, squeezing it gratefully.

“Yes. We’re a team. I feel like I’ve got the best teammate in the world.”

“So do I.”

For a minute, they sat there smiling adoringly at each other, and then Noelle glanced at the time.

“I’d better go,” she said reluctantly. “I promised my grandmother I’d come over this afternoon to help her weed her garden, and I need to stop at home and change my clothes first. You’re still coming over for dinner tonight, right?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Dinner nights at Noelle’s place were some of his absolute favorite times. She was an amazing cook, and he loved being able to spend time alone with her. They usually watched a movie together after dinner or went for a walk or played cards.

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