Page 3 of To Belong Together
She nodded but didn’t give him anything in return. She’d made family sound like a priority, her reason for living in an area she didn’t like. If anything got her talking again, this would.
He offered a little more. “My baby sister’s getting married in a couple of weeks. Instead of having to fly in, I can drive.”
“I bet she loves you calling her the baby.”
“With three younger sisters, I have to differentiate somehow. You have siblings?”
Erin shook her head.
He was out of ideas. Fine. If they were doomed to stilted conversation, he’d simply ask for the information he wanted. “Why a cross necklace?”
Erin rubbed the gold symbol, then tucked the chain under the collar of her uniform. “It was a gift from my parents when I rededicated my life to Christ at seventeen.”
So, she was a believer.
Hopefully, she also believed in extending grace, because he would need heaps to get through this conversation. “I’ve got a tattoo for something similar. Life was getting crazy, and I wanted a permanent reminder of my priorities—Jesus first.”
“Let me guess.” Erin cracked a grin. “A cross on your ankle?”
“You’re funny.” The ink portrayed a spear wound on his side and a verse about being healed by Jesus’s stripes. But it seemed premature to talk about something usually covered by his shirt.
Erin saved him by not asking. “Tattoos are forever, so I never worked up the nerve. I could see getting one about my faith, but mostly, I’m happy with the less-permanent alterations.” She ruffled her fingers through the blue tips in her hair. “Anyway. I still can’t believe you’d move here this time of year.”
“There must be something redeeming about winter.”
“It’s not thirty-below anymore.” One dimple appeared with her wry smile. “Honestly, there’s no pleasing me. I don’t like super-hot weather either. Most shops aren’t air-conditioned, but they are, at least, heated. Anyway, family’s important, so I’m here to stay.”
Hirsh Auto Repair, a narrow brown building almost as deep as the block, came into view. Philip’s SUV idled out front, waiting to give John a lift to Gannon’s. Erin turned her head, possibly noting the luxury vehicle Philip had purchased after signing on as Awestruck’s bassist a year and a half ago.
If John wanted to get a foothold before fame and fortune became factors in Erin’s decision, he needed to make his move before she pieced together the clues and learned his identity. Besides, he’d gotten the sign he’d asked for. On the chance that God was involved, he couldn’t walk away without trying.
He steered to the same parking spot they’d left a few minutes ago. “Want to get coffee sometime?”
Her eyebrows lifted toward her side-swept bangs. “Really?”
Did she really think he was joking?
If Gannon and Philip had been in the back seat, they’d fill the silence with howls of laughter.
He realized now, far too late, that a mechanic probably wouldn’t wear a ring at work, and even if she weren’t married, she might have a boyfriend.
Erin offered a small smile. “I should focus on the car. I’m not looking for romance.”
Which meant she wasn’t involved with anyone. She simply wasn’t interested in him.
“Fair enough.”
Next time, he’d ask for a more unlikely sign.
He imagined God chuckling and reminding him that striking out wasn’t a big deal. Just a lesson in humility. John’s favorite.
Or maybe God wouldn’t laugh it off. Life had become lonely in ways John’s friendships didn’t cure, and he believed God cared.
Fighting to keep the disappointment off his face, he climbed from the car. “I’ll hear from you when it’s done?”
“Once I’ve diagnosed the problem, we’ll call with a price quote and a time frame.” She accepted the key from him and paired it with the invoice. No pity softened her voice or those bright, brown eyes.
Didn’t help. He felt pretty pitiful.
