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Grace turned toward the door and Sid followed alongside her. As they reached the door, he noticed the biker still watching the Garage. Grace noticed too.
She inhaled a deep breath. "Are you going to be alright, Sid?"
He swallowed the emotion that rose in his throat. When was the last time someone truly cared about him in this way? It had been entirely too long for sure.
"I'll be alright, sweetheart. You ladies go on down to William's and get your stuff. If he's still there when you come past, stop in and I'll get you home safely."
"Okay. We'll be alright."
She took a couple of steps then turned back to him. "Thank you."
He chuckled. "For what?"
"For caring. For complimenting me. But, mostly, for caring."
Emotion clogged his throat and his vision wavered as moisture gathered in his eyes. He took a deep breath to let his body adjust to the flood of feelings that raced through him. "You're very welcome, Grace. I should thank you for the same thing. Thank you for caring, lady."
She smiled as their eyes locked. Chiefy whined and Grace shrugged. "Gotta go."
He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded but he couldn't say anything just now. He watched Grace and Chiefy hurry toward the sidewalk, then turn left to head to William's. As he turned, his eyes skimmed past the biker still watching the Garage. He moved to the toolbox and pulled a couple of wrenches from the drawer, then went outside to finish putting the old Knucklehead's parts back on after they'd soaked in an oil bath last night.
He kept a side-eye on the biker to make sure he didn't follow Grace and told himself it didn't matter that he sat here all day watching the Garage. What did he think he was going to see anyway? Or, perhaps it was a scare tactic. Whatever. If the biker only knew the things he’d had to do in his life in the military, he’d realize not much scared him. Certainly not someone staring at him.
He wrestled a couple of parts back on, worked over some of the parts to get them on using a rubber mallet, and clapped when the final part had been man-handled onto the old bike.
He glanced toward the Garage, then chuckled as he straddled the old ripped and rusted seat pan. That and the paint on the old girl would be the last thing he worked on. Right now he wanted to get her started, then he'd work on new tires, brakes, the chain, and other components to make her actually rideable.
Turning the gas petcock to on, he turned the choke to full choke. He primed the motor and filled it with gas, turned the key on and kicked the kick-starter a few times. She rumbled at first, sputtered a bit, then she started. He rolled the throttle a couple of times and Coop stepped out of the garage laughing and clapping his hands.
"Well done, Sid. Well, done." The old man praised.
Sid's heart swelled with pride. She had a lot of work to be done on her, but he’d gotten it started! He couldn't wait to tell Grace he'd gotten this old girl started. He glanced down the street and didn't see her coming, and a sadness washed over him. He wanted to share this with her. Coop came to stand a few feet away from him, the biggest smile on his face Sid had seen to date.
Then, he saw her. Grace. She had started to jog toward him, Chiefy running alongside her. Grace's smile was wide, her face an absolute delight. She and Chiefy stopped next to Coop and Grace clapped her hands. Chiefy wasn't as excited and barked at the noise.
8
Oh, the look on his face at his accomplishment. He was a sexy man. He looked good in a garage, surrounded by tools and bikes and cars. He seemed relaxed here. And working with his hands seemed to come second nature. The PTSD aside. There would always be things that could trigger him no matter where he was. But, last night on the beach, while they had a nice chat, he seemed a bit stiff. When she looked at him now, his body showed a relaxed state she hadn't noticed yet.
She clapped her hands and smiled so big her cheeks hurt. He twisted the throttle a couple of times and the bike sputtered slightly. When it sputtered and coughed, then stopped, he grinned and moved off the bike.
"She still needs some work, but I couldn't wait to get her started."
She giggled. "It's awesome. Congratulations."
Coop nodded and slapped him on the back. "You've got a knack, I'll say that, miracle man."
His cheeks turned an adorable pink. He nodded, "Thank you."
He pulled a rag from his back pocket and wiped his hands on it.
He glanced down the street briefly then looked into her eyes. "You want me to take you home in the truck?"
Her eyes slid to the biker still watching them. "No. I'll be fine. I have Chiefy and not far to go. I don't want to take you away from your work."
"Call me if something happens. Actually, pull your phone out and have it ready just in case."
"Okay." She pulled her phone from her little shoulder bag. She leaned down to Chiefy and rubbed her neck. "Ready to go, girl?"
