"Eggs are perfect." Sasha accepts the coffee mug that Zack hands her and then pours herself a cup from the pot on the counter.
Zack sits again and then looks over at me. "You going in to the shop today? A friend of mine asked me to take a look at her carburetor. I didn't get a chance to do it yesterday."
The way he says friend tells me that he's doing it for some girl.
"I probably should. I need to catch up on some paperwork."
Zack nods. "Better you than me. You should come with us Sasha."
I have the refrigerator open and freeze with my hand on the carton of eggs. What the hell is Zack doing? Sasha isn't the type of girl who wants to hang around in an auto-shop with a bunch of guys.
Awkward silence descends and Sasha shakes her head. "I should probably get going pretty soon. I have some stuff to do."
"It would be fun. I'd much rather look at you than this guy's ugly mug." Zack points at me.
Sasha takes a small sip from her cup, eyeing me over the rim. "Honestly, he's prettier than me."
Of course, that has Zack howling with laughter. He gets up and pulls Sasha into a hug. "Please come entertain me. Don't leave me alone with this stick in the mud and a bunch of horny old men."
Laughing she hugs him back. "I'm sure Gabe has a lot of stuff he needs to get done today. I wouldn't want to get in the way."
Something about the way she says it makes my hand pause in the act of cracking the eggs into the skillet. She looks uncertain. Then I remember our rules last night. Keep things casual. I hope she didn't think that meant she has to make herself scarce every time we have sex.
I abandon the skillet on the stove so I can look her directly in the eyes. "Sasha, you are never in the way. Ever. I want you to come. I was hoping that you'd hang out with me today. I didn't even get to give you a full tour of the house yet."
At my words, she gives a little nod. "Well, I really can't anyway because I don't have anything to wear."
Zack speaks up, looking over at me mischievously. "Wear something of Josie's. She's got a ton of stuff here."
When Sasha's face closes up, I want to strangle him. "She stays over sometimes when she can't deal with her folks. All her stuff is in the guest room." I emphasize the words while glaring at Zack.
"I'm sure she doesn't want some random chick wearing her stuff," Sasha protests.
"Good thing you're not some random chick then."
After a quick breakfast of eggs and toast, I lead her upstairs before Zack can stir up any more shit. She comes down ten minutes later in a pair of jeans that are slightly too loose and a blue sweater. Her hair is bundled up on top of her head in some kind of complicated knot.
"I'm ready to go."
After grabbing our coats, we head outside. Sasha flips up her hood as a defense against the brisk wind. Once settled in the passenger seat of the car, she looks over at me.
"I really don't mind staying in the car while you do whatever you need to do."
"Why would you stay in the car?"
She shakes her head slightly. "I just don't want you to feel obligated. I know Zack sort of pushed you into inviting me but we're just hanging out, remember? I don't expect you to introduce me to everyone you know. No expectations."
"I don't feel obligated. I want you to meet the rest of our crew. They're a bit rough around the edges but they're good guys." The thought that she feels like I don't want her with me is so far from reality that I'm not sure how she even arrived at that conclusion. If anything, I want her with me way more than I should. We're supposed to be keeping things casual but I want her to be at home in every part of my world.
She smiles and nods. As I pull out of the driveway, I can feel her sneaking glances over at me.
I park in the back lot behind the shop. As soon as we enter, Jim looks up from the computer in the back office.
"Good, you're here. The inventory is fucked up again."
"Uh, Jim. This is Sasha."
At the sight of her, Jim stands a little straighter. "Beg your pardon, miss."