Page 7 of Full Service

“Coffee?” I asked him.

“Yes, please.”

“Then make it your fucking self. You can see the kettle.” He looked shocked at the rudeness, and I deliberately smirked. It was a good feeling to piss him off.

“If you’re not going to make yourself a coffee, just get dressed and we’ll go,” I said. “Got to get your car today and I’ve got plenty more to do.”

“Coffee first. Always coffee first,” Hywel said. He walked himself over to the kitchen, where I deliberately didn’t look at his arse as he passed me by. I went into the bedroom to change and was surprised to see two cups of coffee on the kitchen counter when I came back out.

“Don’t know how you take it so I just did milk and one sugar,” he said. Hywel walked across the room, grabbed his bag and went into the bathroom. I peered over at his coffee, and it was as black and bitter as my grudge toward him. When he came out two minutes later dressed in a slick grey suit and with his hair brushed back into an elegant quiff, he looked exactly like an older version of the Hywel I’d once had a crush on. No cuddles with this strait-laced businessman. Not that there would have been any cuddles anyway.

Hywel quickly finished his coffee and then washed his mug. “Ready?”

“Ready.” I put my mug down on the counter and walked ahead of him down the stairs. It wouldn’t do to have him think he was in charge. I didn’t know what it was he did in London exactly, and I’d never asked my brother. But here was my domain, my place to be in charge. Hywel would just have to deal with that.

Once we’d walked out into the winter sunshine, I locked the door then opened the much larger garage one. It swung upward electronically to allow me access to the garage. Inside were a couple of cars that I was working on for longer term clients and the tow-truck I used in case of accidents. The tow truck was probably older than me but ran like a dream; even if I did only get a few miles a gallon from it. The tow truck relied on the tyresnot being punctured on the side the car had damaged though. Otherwise we’d have one very scrapey journey back to my place.

I got in the truck and drove it out of the garage. “Press the button!” I shouted out to Hywel, pointing at the door close button. He tapped it and as the door closed behind the tow truck he jumped up into the passenger side of the cab.

I gave him a look of shock. “Did I say you were coming with me?”

“I’m coming. It’s a wonder you get any clientele with that attitude.” Hywel seemed to have slipped on a haughty look that probably intimidated business clients. But not me.

“I’ll have you know I’m a fucking delight.” I revved the engine and pulled out of the yard. I always left my car parked out in the yard, which was protected from the road by five foot tall tyre walls.

“So, what are you working on at the moment? Any nice cars?” Hywel asked.

“Some.”

“Oh, I see. We’re playing that kind of game now.” Hywel looked out of the window away from me.

A moment of awkward silence passed. “So, what are you doing in Hiraeth?”

“Stuff.” It was Hywel’s turn to be cagey.

“That kind of game,” I said. I thought I heard him snort.

The smirk didn’t last long. Soon enough his car came into view and he groaned. “Fuck my life.”

“Looks pretty roughed up,” I said honestly, but also to piss him off more. “God knows what that’s going to cost to fix. Towing is going to cost you enough.”

I saw him bristle and expected him to bite but he deflated as quickly as he’d gotten pissed off. I felt almost bad to see him so deflated. Almost. I knew logically that holding a grudge for tenyears was pretty stupid, but I did anyway. I couldn’t control how I felt.

I pulled up in front of the car then jumped out of the cab to choose the best part of the front of the Aston Martin to the tow. It was delicate work as so many old cars weren’t particularly designed to tow or be towed.

I was aware of Hywel pacing. “Get in and turn the engine on, see if you can reverse a little out of the hedge,” I said. Hywel did as he was told pretty quickly. It was horrible to hear the branches scrape against the car as he did, but he got back and pull forward out of the bush. He lined the car up with the back of the truck. He opened the driver’s side door and got out just as I got to see the side of the car.

“Damn.” I whistled and Hywel shot me a dirty look. The driver’s side headlight and metal around it had completely crumpled inward and the bumper was hanging off. All along the driver’s side were deep scratches to the gorgeous burgundy paint and one long puncture in the doors like the one that sank the Titanic.

“This will be a fun one, even for my skills.” I ran one finger down the puncture in the metal for dramatic effect.

“Who said I was asking you?” Hywel asked.

“Well, I’m charging you for the tow either way. And I could charge you for my fantastic hospitality last night. So it’s entirely up to you if you want to pay someone else to tow it from my garage to another. And I’m not one to brag, but you won’t find anyone within 50 miles who can fix up this kind of shit as well as I can. Or for as reasonable a price.”

Hywel stood back for a second, then nodded. “Tow away,” he said. “Anything I can do to help?”

“I doubt you’ll have the practical skills,” I said. “Just stand back and look…pretty.”

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