Page 216 of Ice Darling
I laugh as I take in their chatter.
Rebel washes her hands at the sink and yells to me, “Delia, are you driving with us or are you taking your e-bike?”
I glance past the ladies to the e-bike parked just beyond the tents. It’s not as great as my Harley, definitely not. However, I use it to pick up Gordie from school. She loves riding in the sidecar, and that’s one huge perk my motorcycle can’t compete with.
“I’ll ride with you,” I say.
“Ooh!” May jokes. “She wants an excuse for Renthrow to drive her back.”
“Enough teasing, squirt.” April tugs May to the door. “Let’s go save the guys a seat before the Tuna gets crowded.”
I ride with Rebel while May drives over with April. My boss and I discuss cars for the first few minutes of the drive.
“Did you ever find a mechanic to manage Stewart Kinsey’s old garage?” I ask during a lull in the conversation.
“Actually, I did.” Rebel tilts her chin up. “She’san aviation mechanic.”
My eyes widen. “You hired a female mechanic?”
“A femaleaviationmechanic,” Rebel says again as if she’s extra proud of it.
“Wow. When is she coming to Lucky Falls?”
“Next week. She’s here because of the nursing home. Her mother’s going to be a resident, and she wants to be close by.”
“I can’t believe it.” I blow out a breath. “Soon, Lucky Falls will be known as the town for female mechanics.”
“There are worse things to be known for.” Rebel winks.
“True.”
“Anything is possible, right? Isn’t that why we entered this field?” She gestures between us.
Rebel has a point.
“Let’s do it,” I say. Why not? It’s Lucky Falls. Anything can happen.
Rebel parks in front of the Tuna, and we join April and May to walk inside.
“There are myfavoritemechanics.” Mauve greets us from behind the counter.
“Mauve,stahp it,” May answers, flipping her hair. “I do try.”
Rebel snorts.
April sighs heavily.
I laugh.
May points to me, grinning from ear to ear with pride. “I got Cordelia to laugh at my jokes!Finally.”
“Here are the menus,” Mauve says as she brings the laminated plastic around. Quietly to me, she says, “I fought to find a new source of fish, so we could put seafood back on the menu for you.”
My heart melts. Another check for small towns. People don’t hide that they care, and I love it.
“Thank you, Mauve.”
The bell above the doors jangle.
