Page 18 of If Love Had A Manual

“No one’s saying we would.”

“Then what are you saying, exactly?”

“That maybe,” Ryan says slowly, “Wes finally grew a pair and realized kids shouldn’t be playing in a damn auto shop.”

Connor flips him off. “Screw you, Torres.”

My eyes volley between them before Connor turns his attention back on me.

“She’s good with Rosie,” I say before he can berate me anymore. “She came by almost every day last week so they could get to know each other. She has a degree in childcare.”

Why the fuck am I arguing with this bear?

“A degree in childcare? Sounds fake.”

“It’s not fake.”

“Is she hot?” Ryan shouts over.

I glare at him because of course he’d ask that. He thinks with his cock. “Jesus Christ.”

Ryan’s stupid grin only widens. “That’s a yes.”

“That’s a shut the hell up,” I warn him, heading toward the workbench.

Connor smirks, joining the taunting because I can never get a minute's peace in this place. “That’s definitely a yes.”

“That means get back to work.”

“You mean the work you keep abandoning to go check your phone for an update on Rosie?”

I freeze, hand hovering over the phone I was about to grab.

Before I can tell them exactly where they can shove it, another voice chimes in.

“Alright, enough harassing the boss,”

We all turn as Kate strides into the shop, long blonde braid swinging behind her.

Kate is the real boss around here. Sure, I own the place. But Kate? She runs it. She’s been my right hand since day one, and she takes absolutely zero of our bullshit.

She narrows her eyes at Ryan. “You touching my tools, Torres?”

“Just admiring them, sweetheart.”

“You so much as breathe on them the wrong way, I’ll make you regret it.”

Ryan laughs, lifting his hands. “Damn, Kate. A guy flirts with you, and you threaten his life? No wonder your husband likes you so much.”

“My husband likes me because I know how to use a torque wrench better than any of you idiots.”

“And yet,” Ryan muses, “he still does all the oil changes on your car.”

Kate grabs a rag off the workbench and throws it at his face. “Don’t you have a carburetor to fix?”

He catches it and tosses it aside with a grin. “I do, but this is more fun.”

She gives one last death stare to Ryan before turning to me. “Lena’s officially on duty?”

---