“Thanks, Beau.”
After playing an adult version of Jenga, rearranging multiple cars so he could work the most efficiently, Beau grabbed his coveralls from the hook hanging by the office door and tugged them over his clothes. Not that he would have cared about his attire. The jeans that had seen better days because they were worn so thin he could make out his boxer briefs beneath the material and the white T-shirt that was nothing more than an undershirt. He never minded getting dirty while he worked, but Tate liked to keep up the mechanic image and we all had matching coveralls. Sometimes he swore she was more girly than she needed to be.
Yanking the zipper up his body, Beau ran his hands through his brown locks and made his way over to the first car needing the oil change. It was a common compact car in the area; one Beau had worked on more times than he could count. Changing the oil and filters in a vehicle was something he could do with his eyes closed.
As he was engaging the lift unit to put the car in the air, a delicate voice called out, “Excuse me?”
He knew that voice instantly.
Hidden behind the large oil catch can, Beau’s body froze in place. He hoped that she moved toward the office, effectively reaching Tate, who could assist her, but everything in him wanted to be the one to offer his help.
He continued pushing the container toward the car and maneuvered it in the perfect position to catch the oil as it drained. It was obvious the women were talking. Beau noticed the tell-tale signs of the office door opening. Its creaks and squeals always echoed in the shop, even with the hard rock he kept blaring from the speaker.
Doing his best to ignore the woman that entered the shop, Beau began working on draining the oil, letting the dark liquid spill into the catch pan with ease from years of repetitive process.
“Hi.”
Beau startled and almost knocked the catch can over as he jumped. He’d never been surprised like that. He was always aware of his surroundings, something he’d taken up in his spare time. He’d been working with Cliff, who worked undercover with the government and had honed his sensory skills. But this woman that saved his dog seemed to take down all of his senses.
“Um. . .hi. . .hello,” he said with a quiver as he righted the oil container and ensured that it was properly settled underneath the vehicle. There was no need to spill the oozy liquid all over himself and the beautiful woman before him.
He hadn’t noticed that Tate was standing next to Savannah until she cleared her throat in a very unladylike manner, smirking like she stole the last cookie from the cookie jar.
“Ms. Monroe was asking for you. So, I decided to walk her over. I hope that’s okay?”
Beau knew that Tate was up to something. Not just by the twinkle in her eye, but by the way she knew Beau better than anyone and knew that he would have to explain everything later. That was the worst part about having a girl as a best friend. Where was the testosterone?
“Yes,” Beau said as he reached for the rag hooked in his belt loop and wiped off his hands. “What can I do for you, Ms. Monroe?”
“Savannah, please. Do you have a moment? I apologize for interrupting you while you’re working.”
The good doctor looked like she wanted to be anywhere else. She was definitely a city girl.
Beau nodded, then sneered in Tate’s direction as he motioned for Dr. Monroe to follow him back to the office. He hoped that Tate understood that he knew what she was up to, which was setting him up. Too bad it wasn’t going to work. Now that Landon had made Carson his home base, Beau planned to leave as soon as he could. Nothing was tethering him to the town any longer.
Savannah dutifully followed him to the office. She slipped past him as he held the door open, not coming within an inch of his dirtied body. Beau’s gaze traveled up and down her elegant figure as she skidded by.
What a pair they must look like? He thought. The grungy mechanic and the classy doctor. He wondered if her shirt was made of actual silk, nothing like the fake garments his mother would wear. Beau bet Dr. Monroe’s skin felt the same as the soft material.
He wasn’t even sure why he thought he’d ever have a chance with this woman. She wasn’t just out of his league. She was out of his galaxy.
“Oh my,” she whispered as Beau began closing the door. It was just loud enough for him to hear and for his new pet to recognize the visitor. Belle’s ears perked up and her tail began to wag against the dog bed. She was still too weak to stand but made her presence known with a whimper.
“You’re looking so much better, pretty girl,” Savannah cooed as she knelt by the dog bed and gently rubbed the soft fur on the top of Belle’s head. If the dog could smile an open-toothed grin, Beau bet she would at that moment. He almost wished he could trade places with the canine.
“She’s healing up nicely,” Savannah added as she stroked Belle’s fur. Beau stood by the door and watched the doctor. “I give her a few more days and she’ll be back to her normal self.”
“That’s good,” Beau replied, unsure of what he was supposed to be doing at that moment. He noticed that when he finally spoke, Savannah jumped just the smallest bit. Nothing someone else would notice, but trained his eyes on her.
Of course, she would be frightened of him. In his coveralls, he looked like a creature from the black lagoon.
“Can I help you, Savannah?”
“Yes. Sorry,” she began as she stood where she knelt beside the dog. “I tend to get distracted by animals.”
“That’s okay.”
Finally, the woman turned to face him, and he was struck dumb again by her beauty. A slew of beautiful women lived in the town of Carson, some of whom he had dated at some point, but none of them compared to Savannah Monroe and he had no explanation why.
Something about her called to him, like a Siren calling out to a ship in the ocean. This woman already had a hold of him and he barely knew more than her name and occupation.
“I just. . .well. . .I. Shit,” she mumbled. “This all sounded a lot better in my head on the way over here.”
Beau took a step closer to her, mesmerized by the fact that he had her all twisted up in knots the same way he was.