Page 19 of Lake
“Well, in that case, your car is in need of so much love right now. I’m sure if I can keep it for a month I might be able to have it running again. She is beautiful and still has many years left in her… young life…”
I could tell he was totally bullshitting me but it made me smile. Which I think I really fucking needed right now.
“Tell me the truth, doctor, will she make it?” I said way too dramatically which caused him to huff out an adorable little laugh.
“I need more time with her, but from what I can tell, it’s not looking good.”
“No, not my beautiful…” I stumbled for a name. She didn’t have one even though I knew it was a she. “Bluebell.” It was the best I could come up with on the spot. Given the fact that she was blue, it sort of worked.
“Shedoesn’t have a name, does she?” He raised a brow at me like I hadn’t fooled him even for a second. Damn him for calling my bluff.
“Okay, fine,” I replied blowing out a huge lungful of air. “She is justShe,I guess.”
He shook his head like he was disappointed in me but I could tell he was just playing around.
Okay, so maybe the fact that he played along with my oddness was a little charming. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I found it adorable and endearing, but I did find myself liking it.
Dad always told me to be myself, even when other people didn’t get it. I was kind of… quirky sometimes and not everyone was amused by that. I had to admit that it was nice to have someone that didn’t make me feel so weird about how my brain worked.
“You okay?” he asked and it snapped me out of thoughts of my dad.
I missed him so much and I wondered if the hole in my heart would ever heal.
“Yeah, sorry.” I shook my head and took a sip of my coffee. “So what can I help with?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. What, I can’t help out because I’m a girl?”
“No, that’s not it. You just don’t seem like… you know a lot about cars.”
“What makes you say that,” I shot back.
“Because I couldn’t even begin to speculate when the last time the oil was changed in this thing.”
“Oh,” I said and let out a breath of air as I deflated a little. “Sure, there’s that.”
There was a long moment where we just smiled and stared at each other. I didn’t want to over think it. Hell, I didn’t want to think about it at all. Sometimes it was best to enjoy yourself in the moment and most of the time, I knew that was all it was— a moment, nothing more and nothing less.
“Hand me something so I can tinker with things,” I said confidently even if my words displayed the opposite.
“Tinker? Oh, God. I feel like I should kick you out of my garage. And you have to put your coffee down if you’re going to… ‘tinker’ with stuff.”
“Oh, no I don’t. I’m very skilled with just one hand. Years of practice and all that.”
His eyes widened with surprise and it was then that I realized how that had come out. But it was very true. I had mastered the art of doing things while holding a cup of coffee. Not necessarily things he might have been thinking, given the slight pink that heated his cheeks, but still.
“I didn’t mean…” I stopped myself from saying anything inappropriate but couldn’t keep my eyes from shifting down to look at his crotch area.
Oh, my fucking God! What was wrong with me?
Well, honestly, there were many things. But right now I needed to get myself under control.
“I don’t know if you looking… down there is something I should be worried about or smile about. I honestly am terrified of you.”
My eyes snapped up to look at his and there might have been a tint of pink tomycheeks now.
“Let’s call a truce,” I said, trying my damnedest to get my mind to focus. “As long as you don’t pull a gun on me, I won’t hurt you in any way. Well, not intentionally. Deal?” I held out my free hand for good measure.
