Page 69 of Grease Monkey
“Fuck, Teddy, you were meant to fill that,” he admonishes, kicking at the small indent that caught my heel and created this disaster. He smooths his hand down my arm, squeezing my hand lightly. “I am so sorry, Ana. Are you okay?”
“She’s fine,” Teddy clips, guiding the tall and beautiful lady from the coffee shop around the spillage and out the door without so much as a second glance.
“Fucking asshole,” Ozzy mutters, staring at where Teddy disappeared. “Can’t believe he did that.”
It wouldn’t be my first time catching him in a compromised position.
My stomach lurches at the memory as bile rises.
“It was my fault. I should have waited until the shop opened.”
Ozzy frowns, his lips pursing in annoyance. “No, we always have customers drop cars off before opening hours, so he should have known better. It’s not professional. I can only apologize that you had to see that.” He huffs a laugh, combing his hand through his short blond hair. “I’d like to say he doesn’t normally do that, but he’s been getting worse recently.” He winces. “Shit, now I sound like the unprofessional one, airing out my boy’s dirty laundry.”
I force a smile, trying to look unaffected, even though I want to be sick. “It’s okay. I guess he and his girlfriend can’t get enough of each other. My fiancé and I are the same way.”
Why did I have to say that? Richard and I have never been the can’t-keep-our-hands-to-ourselves kind of couple.
Ozzy almost chokes as he inhales. Coughing and spluttering, he laughs as if I had just told the world’s funniest joke. “Girlfriend? Teddy doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
I gape, unable to form words. This is like history repeating itself.
Thankfully, Ozzy doesn’t notice my impersonation of a fish as he lifts my left wrist, holds my hand out, and whistles.
“Damn, Ana, just break my heart, why don’t you.”
Oh God, he really is Teddy’s friend.
He jiggles my hand, making the light bounce off the diamond that suddenly feels too big to be worn in public. “I thought for a second you were only saying you’re engaged so I wouldn’t ask you out. But damn, this is some rock. He’s a lucky guy.”
As I bend, I mutter a quiet thanks, gathering everything back into the tin can—anything to avoid having to answer questions about Richard.
Between Ozzy and I, we tidy everything quickly before he walks to the shutters, clicks a button, and the loud buzz of a motor and metal rolling up on itself comes to life. I’m speechless as warmth and sunlight filter into the garage, touching everything with its rays, showcasing Teddy’s dream come true. Four cars are suspended mid-air, another two are in various states of repair, and the whole shop floor is covered in car parts, oil, and machinery that I have no clue what they even do. It’s magnificent.
“So,” Ozzy says with his wide smile firmly back in place, stretching his arms, “Welcome to Grease Monkey, home of youralmost alwaysprofessional mechanics here in Phoenix. Now, let’s talk about your car, yeah?”
I nod, dusting off my hands on my skirt as Ozzy begins to explain the issue with my car when all I want to do is explore, look at everything, touch everything, bask in how much of himself Teddy has poured into this place by the bucketload. My heart twinges, an ache I have no right to feel. It’s a sort of loss and regret that I wasn’t by his side to do this with him.
“Earth to Ana?” I blink, my eyes snapping to Ozzy, confusion etched on his face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nod, glancing under the hood with fake interest as if I know what I’m looking at while Ozzy points at different things. I keep nodding, adding in a few “oh, Isee,” or “that’s a good idea,” anything to hurry this up so I can disappear from here.
I can find another mechanic to fix my car. Grease Monkey surely isn’t the only garage in this town. Then I won’t need to face Teddy or his perfect girlfriend again, and I can try to forget I’d ever seen him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Teddy
Storming, I circle the block a few times, waiting enough time for her to get the fuck out of my garage.
Ana. Fucking Ana.
Morgana Adler was Ozzy’s damsel in distress. My gut fucking knew it, a sixth sense in the pit of my stomach warning me something terrible was going to happen. What did I do in a past life to deserve this? Fine, I wasn’t perfect, but I never hurt anyone. To send her to my fucking doorstep has to be some sick joke from the universe. And for her to walk in while my ass was out, cock so fucking close to pushing inside Claudia, my fingers still slick with her arousal… that had to be karma’s way of saying my way of living as a fuckboy needs re-evaluating. Well, fuck you, karma. The only thing I’ll be doing is making sure Morgana’s life is fucking miserable now that she’s here.
Mess with the bull? Get the horns, bitch.
I fumble, trying to pull my cell from my pocket and stabbing theCallbutton hard enough that my finger buckles under the weight. The dial tone pierces my head as it rings, each double drill sound only serving to piss me off more.
“Hey, man. I’m just about to head into work, can I—”
