Page 35 of Ice Darling
Sasha: I’m here if you want to talk about it.
Brenda: I appreciate that.
Sasha: We’ll put a pause on our plans for now. Your granddaughter comes first.
Brenda: Thank you, Sasha. I’ll keep an eye on things on my end.
Chapter Thirteen
Cordelia
“April, I don’t understand why the mass air flow sensor would be causing this issue.” I curl the paper over the clipboard, so I can read the second page. “Why would the client say that?”
April wipes her hands on her navy jumper and glances at me with bright green eyes. “I know. It ticks me off too.”
“Because the client thinks they know more than us?”
“It’s not the client’s fault. Whoever worked on their car before didn’t run enough tests. They just told the customer to buy new parts, but new parts won’t fix a problem that hasn’t even been identified.”
“So the client told us it was the M.A.F. sensor because of their previous mechanic?”
“Yup.” April’s lips twist into a frown. “I wouldn’t pay that any mind. Run your diagnostic tests first before you come to any conclusions.”
I slip my notebook from my back pocket and turn the pages until I locate the prior week’s notes. “I’m supposed to use the picoscope and OBD2 scanner to test the waveforms, right?”
“Right.” April gives me an approving nod. “You’re a quick study, Davenport.”
That’s because my entire life is auto repair now. I eat it, breathe it, and, well, if I could sleep…I’d dream of it too. I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole and entered a whole new world.
Glancing around, I realize that April and I are the only two people here. “Where did Rebel go?”
“To Stewart Kinsey’s old garage.”
My eyes widen. The last time Rebel interacted with Stewart Kinsey, the old man got The Pink Garage’s building condemned and threatened Rebel and her mom with a bat. Now he’s in jail where he belongs. Last I heard, his garage was being shut down.
April taps her engine-oil-stained fingers on the table. “She technically owns that garage now.”
“Rebel?”
April nods.
“So are we moving into Stewart Kinsey’s garage?”
Obviously, it’s a bit awkward. Stewart Kinsey was such an awful man. But, the idea isn’t unpalatable. Kinsey’s garage is much larger than The Pink Garage.
“Rebel doesn’t want to move there, and neither do I.” April checks the waveforms on her scanner while she talks. “That place has too many memories for us.”
“But it’s abuilding.One you don’t have,” I argue. “One you need.”
“The mechanics working there need it more.”
I wouldnotbe sentimental about this. Rebel owns Stewart Kinsey’s garage, and therefore, the old mechanics can either be booted out or given new jobs at The Pink Garage.
April smiles. “Rebel and Gunner talked about it, and they want to hire a new CEO and have them run the shop with the other technicians.”
“What? You’re building up your own competition!”
“Look around, Delia. We have more cars than we can handle.” She gestures to the packed lot. “Diagnostic repair isn’t quick work. The more we dive into this type of repair, the more patient our customers have to be. Not everyone wants that kind of service.”
