Miss Mechanic

She laughed. “Then you’re definitely forgiven. Ouch. She’s going to kick your ass.”

I nodded with a grimace. “Yeah. But I couldn’t just stay there, you know? I had to run.”

“You’re such a pussy.”

“Shut up. It was awkward. She knew what had happened and, yeah.”

“What did happen?”

“I confused myself,” I admitted. “And I have no idea how she feels.”

Roxy pushed her phone to the side. “Are you admitting you have feelings for her?”

“There’s no need to look so shocked. I am capable of emotion, you know.”

“I know, but you two…” She paused. “Actually, now that I think about it, you make perfect sense.”

“I guess I have feelings for her. I don’t really know how to put it in a box. I just know that… I don’t know.”

“I know.” Her lips twitched up. “You smile a lot when you talk about her. Even now, and I bet you don’t even realize it.”

I covered my mouth with my hands. Shit, she was right. I was smiling.

“See? And, in the nicest possible way, you’ve been obsessed with her ever since you hired her. You’ve spoken about her just about every day, so I’m really not surprised that you’re falling in love with her.”

“Wait. I didn’t say I was falling in love with her.”

My sister propped her head up on her hand and said, “You don’t have to, Dex. It’s written all over your face.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven – Jamie

“How could you!” I shouted it before I’d even stepped foot in the garage. “How could you leave me alone with her?”

Dex jumped, banging his head on a car hood. “Hi to you, too.”

I tossed my purse to the side. “Don’t you “hi” me, Dexter Ryne! You left me alone with my mother!”

He turned around, rubbing his hand across the back of his head. “The horror.”

“Don’t start with that!” I stalked across the garage and jabbed my finger against his chest. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, you little shit.”

“Hey, hey! That hurts!” He grabbed my wrist.

“Good!” I jabbed him with my other hand. “Maybe you know how painful that conversation was after you ran out on me!”

He grabbed my other wrist and met my eyes. “I didn’t run out on you. I had to get ready for work. You know that.”

“Oh, cut the bullshit,” I snapped. “You knew exactly what you were doing, and if I were a smarter woman, I’d have left with you to avoid that sweet hell!”

“It’s good to know we’re both traumatized by the events of this morning.”

“She asked me why you ran off. And I said, “Gee, Mom, maybe because you let yourself into my house and walked in on him practically naked?” and she didn’t see the problem. She didn’t see it, Dex!” I paused. “Can you let me go?”

He cast his gaze over my face. “No, I don’t think so. I think you might hurt yourself.”

I was pretty incensed.

“Then she shouted at me—at me!—because I demanded to take her key back and kicked her out.”

“You took back her key?”

“I forced her to give it back,” I corrected. “I told her that if she didn’t, next time, I’d make sure you were completely naked.”

“Next time!”

“If I forgive you for running out and leaving me to explain to my mother why the man who was naked in my kitchen is my boss!” I wrestled my hands free and smacked his chest.

Dex laughed and grabbed my hands again, this time linking his fingers between mine. “Well, if it helps, Aunt Greta was waiting for me at the front door and interrogated me.”

“Not at all.”

“My sister bugged the hell out of me.”

“I’d feel better if she didn’t do that on a daily basis.”

“I’m not going to get forgiven for this, am I?”

I stared at him. “There’s literally nothing you can do to make me feel better about the fact you abandoned me.” I pulled back from him, but his grip on my hands was too strong, and he pulled me right back against his body.

“Go to reception and look on the counter,” he said in a low voice.

I jerked back. “What? Why?”

“Don’t argue. Just do it.”

I eyed him for a moment, then pulled my hands out of his. He let me go, and I stared at him suspiciously before finally dragging my eyes away from him and walking into reception.

A large, brown envelope was sitting on the computer keyboard. My name was scrawled on the front in blocky capitals, and I picked the envelope up with a frown. It wasn’t particularly heavy or thick.

What the hell was inside?

I flipped it over to find that the flap was open. I hesitated for a second before I opened it and pulled the contents out halfway.

CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT

I dropped the envelope on the desk like it was on fire.

Was that—did that say what I thought it did?