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“A woman can only be right for one night,” I insisted, laughing it off.
John just shook his head sadly. I hated when he did that but didn’t want to ruin the night, so I held my tongue.
It was funny how I could tell when trouble was coming — like a wolf smelling a change in the wind. It wasn’t from John, who I knew would always have my back. No, there was a new threat on the savanna. One that wore cheap cologne by the bottle full.
“Hey, boss,” Will said, smacking me on the back so hard my eyeballs shook.
It was probably some kind of bullshit power play, like seeing who could shake hands the hardest. I really didn’t have time for his bullshit so let it go. Will was one of the last mechanics working for me, but the guy was a jerk.
Truth be told, I would have let him go instead of Jim and Hank. Except Will had seniority. We both knew the garage would be even worse trouble without his skills — a fact he used to be an asshole at every opportunity.
“How is it going with the daycare?” he asked.
Will had been a prick about the idea of bringing in trainees. Particularly so soon after I had to fire Jim and Hank. So much so he had basically refused to work and took all his sick days at once. It was an act of solidarity with the guys he saw as wronged. I was tempted to show him the books and ask what he suggested. That would have shut him up for a good while, but I couldn’t bring myself to be that open about my situation. No matter how insufferable he became.
“Fine, I think it will end up being good for the shop.”
“Better than having Jim and Hank?” Will teased.
“Certainly cheaper,” I snarked, “though if it goes like I hope, I’ll soon have enough money to hire them back. Probably with raises.”
It sounded nuts, but I knew it wasn’t their fault for what was happening. Yeah, they’d been upset, but I seriously doubted Jim or Hank would have sent people to fuck with me. Which was honestly more than I could say about Will. Another reason he was still on the payroll.
“I might be able to help you with that,” Will said, in the offer-you-can’t-refuse tones of a mafia thug, “though I might be needing a raise too.”
“Like the one you’ve been pushing for since you started but has yet to materialize?”
“Yeah, something like that,” he said, his tone even less friendly.
I took a slug of my beer. “I don’t have the money yet, and even if I did, it’s doubtful it would cover three raises. Particularly considering what you’re already paid. I could lower your salary to get Hank and Jim back, if you like.”
If there was one thing Will really hated, aside from short jokes as he only stood five-foot-four, it was being reminded that he was wrong. Which he most definitely was in that case. The chair almost clattered on the floor as he got up to beat a hasty retreat. His fragile ego unable to take any kind of criticism.
“Sad, isn’t it,” John mused.
“In more ways than you know,” I sighed.Chapter Five - NinaIt was like an extension of my dream, sliding out of my bed and into overalls. Auntie Blair insisted I eat something before driving me down, so I compromised with a couple of Pop-Tarts. I’d come equipped for my new internship with a set of purple overalls bought for me by Daddy. They were top of the line with a too-clean name patch sewed into them. I had the gut feeling this could be a problem. As though the other mechanics would need any further reminders that I was a girl.
In my experience, people weren’t too welcoming for females in the once male-dominated domain of auto shops. Particularly in Texas, which on average, was a good twenty to thirty years behind the rest of the county. Yes, including Florida.
I had auntie Blair drop me off a few blocks away from the garage, not wanting to let on that I didn’t have my own car. It would be like apprenticing at a tattoo shop with no ink of one’s own. I had the clothes but still felt a burning need to back it up with a show of my skills.
They were already there when I arrived. The other trainees even keener than I was, waiting for Chad’s Garage to open so they could continue their training. I started thinking of them as padawans, partly due to the rat-tail ponytails on at least half of them.
“Did someone order a stripper?” one of the more jerkish ones asked as I walked up.
There was a smattering of mirthless laughter, the shyer trainees looking at the ground. They didn’t look much older than me, and I doubted most of them had actually been around a girl before. Car nerds trying to go pro. If only they could see we were in more or less the same boat.
