Revved To The Maxx

I stood. “I’m leaving. I’ll show myself out. Thanks for nothing, Mary.”

Her laughter followed me out the door.I arrived back at the house a few hours later. I was calmer and my head clear. Charly was unexpected. We’d had amazing sex, and I was still reacting to the memories. It was as simple as that. I would put that aside, treat her as an employee, and give her a shot. She was obviously a hard worker, and I needed that. She could concentrate on the business, and I would concentrate on the customers. Once money was flowing again, maybe I would find the enthusiasm to start a new project. One to replace the one I had lost. I tried not to dwell on that.

Except as I rounded the truck and saw what was waiting for me, all my clarity disappeared. Lying on a blanket on the grass, Rufus stretched out beside her, was Charly. Her legs were bare, a T-shirt hanging off her shoulder. She was on her stomach, knees bent, legs crossed at the ankle as she typed on her keyboard, enjoying the sun. I had to stop and take a few deep breaths before I went over, pushed away her laptop, and mounted her like a dog in heat.

Jesus, she was sexy.

I waited a moment then walked over, and she sat up, looking leery. “Hi.”

“Hi. How’s the hand?”

“It’s fine.”

“What are you doing?”

She crossed her legs and pulled her laptop onto her knees. “Looking at the website. Coming up with ideas. How attached are you to your, ah, logo?”

I sat down across from her, imitating her crossed legs. She was trying, so I could do the same. “It’s old and outdated, I suppose. There used to be a sign.” I indicated the pole at the end of the driveway.

“So, it was your dad’s shop?”

“Yes, he ran it. He worked on cars, motorcycles, anything with an engine.” I smiled as I remembered being young and hanging around his garage. “When I was a kid, people even brought their lawn mowers here to be fixed.”

“So, the house…”

“…was my parents,” I finished for her. “I grew up there. I moved to Lomand when I was older, then when my dad wanted to retire and they needed a smaller place, I bought the shop and house.” I plucked a blade of grass, twirling it in my fingers. “I grew up in that shop. Being a mechanic was in my blood, and it was all I ever wanted to do.”

She shut the laptop, pulled off her glasses, and leaned forward. “Your dad taught you?”

“Yeah. He started me on those lawn mowers, then we moved to cars. It was a long time before he allowed me to touch his precious motorcycles. Those were his babies.”

“My dad’s too. He and my brother Sean worked on them for hours.”

“Does your dad still own the shop?”

She drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Her voice was low and sad when she spoke. “No. My dad sold the shop after my brother died.” She looked away. “Then my dad died a couple of years ago.”

Without thinking, I reached out and touched her hands. “I’m sorry.”

She nodded, not speaking.

“How?” I asked quietly.

“Sean was on his bike. A car cut him off, and he rolled and was struck by another car coming in the opposite direction. He died at the scene.”

“Fuck.”

“My dad blamed himself—needlessly, of course—and he never got over it. He sold the shop, and not long after, he got cancer. I don’t think he had the strength to fight it, and I lost him too.” She met my sympathetic gaze. “So, I know what you mean when you say you miss your dad, Maxx. I miss them both every day.”

A moment of kinship passed between us. A shared feeling of total understanding and clarity. We’d both lost people we loved, and we knew that pain.

Still, I didn’t want to get too personal. Too involved. I couldn’t risk that.

Despite what Mary said, it would be a long time before I could trust anyone new again.

I cleared my throat. “In answer to your question, no, I’m not attached to the logo. It’s pretty old-fashioned.”

“Like your ad,” she teased, but it was without malice.

I chuckled. “I told you, I come by it honestly. My dad was old-fashioned, and I guess I am too in some ways.”

“Holy moly, Maxx. Did you just agree with me on something?”

“Don’t get used to it.”

She laughed. The sound was sultry and rich. She tilted her head back, her hair tumbling down past her shoulders as she let out her amusement. She was breathtaking in the sun, the brightness of her hair, her profile delicate and pale. I had to look away.

“Got it, boss.”

She slipped her glasses back on and pulled her laptop back on her knees. “Okay. Once I catch up on paperwork and invoices, I’ll start designing a new one and work on the website. I already have some ideas.”