Miss Mechanic

That was purely to see if he’d been bluffing.

Hey—my parents always said I’d been a limit-tester as a child. Apparently, it was a trait I’d retained well into adulthood.

I pulled up outside the garage. It was starting to lightly rain again, so I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt over my head, grabbed my things, and ran to the safety of the garage. I locked the car when I was in the dry.

“Hey,” Dex called from under a car.

“Hey. It’s raining. I’m closing the doors.”

He slid out. “I’ll get the other.”

He joined me at the doors and slid the first one down. I dumped my purse and handled the second one. Dex locked them both, then turned to me with a smile as rain pelted against the metal. “Just in time.”

“No kidding.” I picked up my purse and walked into the staff room. “Is it busy today?”

Dex leaned against the doorway. “Not really. It’s a lot of sitting around and hoping Mr. Daniels hasn’t killed his fucking battery again.”

“Don’t. Do not jinx that.”

“Jinx is bullshit.”

“Nope. My dad said that once and an hour later…”

Dex slapped his hand against his forehead. “Shit. All right—forget I said it.”

I hit the button on the coffee machine and held out my hands. “I can, but the universe might not.”

“Damn it.” He swiped the mug of coffee out from under the machine.

“What the hell?” I threw my arms in the air and made a swipe for it.

He jerked back and splattered it all over the floor. “Damn it, Jamie, now you made me spill the coffee.”

“I made you? You spilled it! You’re the one who stole my coffee!”

“It’s just coffee!”

My eyebrows shot up, and he froze in place.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “Okay, darlin’, let’s take a deep breath and sit down.” He carefully put the now half-full mug down on the counter and turned to me, gripping my shoulders. He sat me down on the sofa with an earnest look. “Let me make you a coffee.”

I stared at him as he moved to the coffee machine and began the process of making me a new mug. I was mildly annoyed, but only because, once again, I’d woken up late and not had coffee before I’d gotten here. I’d had enough of a mind to shower and dress mildly inappropriately, but not to get coffee.

Hey, I had priorities, and I couldn’t get dressed here in the garage, could I?

“Here.” Dex carefully handed me another cup of coffee.

I took it from him and sipped, keeping my eyes on him. He’d made it exactly the way I liked it, down to the right amount of cream.

“Thank you,” I said quietly, resting the mug on the arm of the sofa.

“Remind me never to steal your coffee again.” He grabbed a second mug and put it beneath the machine.

“I’ll write it on a Post-It and stick it to that cupboard.” I pointed to the one right above the coffee machine.

His laughter echoed through the room. “I’ll set an eight a.m. reminder on my phone just in case it falls down.”

“There we go. It was a shaky start, but look at us, getting along and all that shit.”

Dex met my eyes.

I grinned over the rim of my mug.

His smile slowly grew until it matched mine. “Well, fuck. We did it. We got along.”

“Only just. Don’t get cocky.”

“I don’t know how to be anything but cocky with you, Jamie.”

“Is that literally or metaphorically?”

He poured some cream into his coffee. Added sugar. Stirred. Tapped the spoon against the rim. Dropped the spoon into the sink. Grabbed the spoon.

Turned to me.

Grinned.

“Now, now,” he said in a low voice. “Why would I clarify that?”

Why, indeed?

“Just asking.” I sipped the coffee. “What’s on the diary for me today?”

“Basics. You’ve got an M.O.T, service, and tire change. Coming in in an hour.”

“You spoil me.” I swung my feet up onto the sofa and stretched my legs out. I pulled a cushion onto my lap to rest my coffee on and looked back at him. “Is that all?”

He leaned back, cradling his cup against his muscular chest. “That’s all, darlin’. You sit there and chill out until it comes in.”

“You’re laying this friendship thing on a little thick.”

“Friendship is still off the card, but I was gonna buy you tacos for lunch. Never mind.” He walked past me.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I sat up, only just avoiding spilling my coffee. “Come back right now.”

He turned in the doorway, looking at me over his shoulder.

His five o’clock shadow was a little darker today.

“Yeah, darlin’?”

“You said something about buying me tacos? I’m all about that kind of not-friends.”

Blue eyes looked me up and down. “You’re all about the food aren’t you?”

“You caught me.” I settled back down into the cushions. “I’ll even go buy it if you pay. How’s that for a compromise?”