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“It won’t matter. I’m not here to see Reed. I’m here to see his dad.” I turned off the car engine before I could reconsider and placed a firm hand against my stomach in the hopes of settling the jitters I could feel there. Surely, I wasn’t this nervous to see Reed again, was I?
Mia went to unbuckle her seat belt as I undid mine, but I shook my head at her. “Uh, you’re not coming with me.”
“Of course, I am. I’m not letting you go in there alone.”
“I’m a big girl, Mia. It’s fine.”
“You need backup.”
“Yes, because if Danny Darling really is a fearsome mobster, he’ll obviously be terrified of you.”
“I can be scary,” Mia insisted.
“I’m sure you can be, but I really don’t need anyone to hold my hand. Danny seemed really nice the other night.” She looked prepared to argue, so I quickly continued. “Besides, if we’re both in there, who’s going to call the cops when we don’t return?”
She scowled at me. “That’s not even slightly funny.”
“I thought it was.” I smirked. “Tell you what, if I’m not back in ten minutes, you can send in a search party.”
“Vi…”
I jumped out of the car before she could object. She didn’t follow after me, and I suspected she really was worried she might have to call the cops.
There were several cars parked outside the garage, and the smell of gasoline and oil lingered in the air. A large open roller door marked the entrance, and the sounds of tools clanging and scraping metal echoed from within. As I made my way inside, those pesky butterflies suddenly multiplied. Reed was here, and he was looking even more appealing than I remembered. Wearing a set of dark navy coveralls, he was bent over the engine of a car. There was a smear of grease on his cheek, and my fingers itched to wipe it off.
He was so focused on the car he was working on he didn’t notice my entrance. I took advantage of that and headed straight for the office that was off to one side. My tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth, and my stomach churned, sending a wave of nerves coursing through me. The adrenaline pulsing in my veins made me feel exhilarated and terrified all at once.
I guessed I had my answer. Yes, I really was that nervous to see Reed again. The more concerning question though was why.
7
REED
I knew Violet had entered my dad’s garage without even looking. The back of my neck prickled to alert me, but by the time I glanced up from the car I was working on, she was already making her way into the office. I’d been anxiously awaiting her arrival. Partly because I was eager to see her again but also because it was almost time for hockey practice, and if I stayed here much longer, I was going to be late. I never came into the garage on a Monday after school. It usually wasn’t worth it because there was so little time before I had to be on the ice. But I’d made an exception today.
I had to fight the urge to follow Violet. It wasn’t as if she’d come here to see me. She just wanted to know what was wrong with her car. Still, I couldn’t seem to help myself, and after only a few minutes, I found myself drifting over to the office.
Through the window, I could see my dad talking to Violet, detailing all the repairs her car needed. Her brow was knitted together, and she was slowly nodding along as she listened. The slightly vacant look in her eyes revealed she didn’t have the slightest clue what my dad was saying, but from the way she gently bit her lower lip, I could tell she was desperately trying to understand.
She was wearing her school uniform today. It consisted of a shapeless knit sweater in a deep shade of green and a pleated tartan skirt that fell to her knees. I’d seen the Sunshine Prep uniform plenty of times before, and she was the first person who managed to look good despite it. But then again, she probably looked good in anything.
I waited outside the office, letting my father and Violet finish their conversation. I made an effort not to watch them too closely and focused on the cars in the garage instead. I would have preferred to watch Violet talk, but I didn’t want to give Parker’s stalker comment from Saturday night any more credence.
“Reed.” Violet startled as she came out of the office and found me leaning against the wall by the door.
“Hey, Sunshine,” I said, giving her a smile as I stood tall. “It’s good to see you again.”
Her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink in response, and she quickly averted her eyes. She brushed her fingers through her long, red hair a couple of times as though she was trying to straighten it, and I felt the need to reach out and do the same. I longed to look directly into her bright blue eyes, but she was struggling to meet my gaze as she clutched my dad’s quote to her chest. I got the impression she’d been hoping she wouldn’t bump into me here. I didn’t let that derail me though.
“So, you spoke to my dad about Betty?” I asked.
Her eyes flashed back to meet mine once more. “You remembered her name?”
“I never forget a car.”
The corner of her lips curved. “You really like this stuff then, huh?” She waved a hand at garage surrounding us.
“Is it that obvious?”
