Page 20 of The Secret Mate Society

We crossed the Willamette River, the skyline stretched out before us.Rather than heading back to the coffee shop, he turned north, heading toward the less urban districts.I wasn’t sure where he was taking me, but I didn’t care.I was too lost in the sensation of being that close to him to worry about much else.However, it wasn’t until we came to a stoplight that he turned back to me.

“Looks like it’s gonna rain,” he called over the engine, pointing toward the western sky.Sure enough, dark clouds were rolling in fast.“Let’s swing by the shop and drop this off before we get soaked.”

I nodded, a little disappointed our ride was being cut short, but also intrigued at the prospect of seeing Calder's garage.The light changed, and we took off again, weaving through the streets with renewed purpose.The first fat droplets of rain began to hit my helmet as we pulled into an industrial area with several warehouses and repair shops.

Calder slowed the bike, turning into a lot with a large sign that read "Thorne Automotive" in bold red letters against black.He pulled up to a bay door and hit a button on his keychain.The door rumbled open, revealing a spacious, immaculately organized garage.Several cars in various states of repair were lined up inside, and tools hung in perfect order along the walls.

He drove the bike inside and cut the engine, the sudden silence almost deafening after the constant roar.I reluctantly unwrapped my arms from his waist as he kicked down the stand.

"Nice place," I said, pulling off the helmet and running a hand through my flattened hair."Very...clean."

Calder removed his own helmet, shaking out his dark hair."A messy garage is an inefficient garage," he replied, placing the helmet on the seat of the bike.“My father always had the place in shambles and it drove me crazy.When I took over I made sure to clean it up and keep it that way.”

“Did your dad retire then?”I asked, pulling off my own helmet.

The moment Calder’s expression fell, I knew I’d made a mistake.I knew that look.It was the same one I saw in the mirror every single day.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” I said before he got a chance to respond.

“No, it’s alright,” he nodded.“He died a couple years ago.Heart attack.It was pretty sudden.”

“My dad’s dead too,” I spouted before I could stop myself.

Calder's eyes met mine, that hard edge softening just a fraction."Recently?"

"No," I shook my head."I was fourteen.It was… uh… a car accident."It was a lie, but it was better than telling Calder my father had been murdered by a monster in the middle of the woods and that I’d been haunted by that day ever since.That wasn’t first date material.

"That's rough," Calder said, his voice gentler than I'd heard it before."At that age..."

The sudden crack of thunder interrupted whatever he was about to say.Rain began hammering against the metal roof of the garage, creating a symphony of pattering sounds that filled the silence between us.

"Guess we got inside just in time," I said, grateful for the distraction.

Calder nodded, running a hand through his hair."Can I get you something to drink?I keep the office fridge stocked.”

“Sure.”

I followed him across the garage and through a set of doors into the lobby of the shop.Ducking behind the front desk we went through another door into a short hallway that ended in a large communal space.There was a full kitchen, a big dining table, and a fridge tucked in the back corner.It was pretty nice for a car garage and a handful of grease monkeys.Calder went to the fridge, grabbing a can of soda for each of us.

“So, how many employees do you have?”I asked, trying to strike up a new conversation.

“Just two,” he said, taking a long sip from his can.“Trevor and Patrick.They’re great mechanics, but they like to bitch.”I snorted at that.“But I do all the admin work and when I’m not swamped with that, I fix a few things too.”

“Sounds pretty intimate,” I nodded.

He nodded.“They’ve been my friends for years.We grew up working here together with our fathers and now we’ve taken over.They’re my pa—… my family.”

“That’s kind of adorable,” I smiled, unable to hide my admiration.

Calder scoffed.“It’s work.Someone’s gotta do it and the bills need to get paid.”

“It’s still cute.”Before he could retort, I added, “And it looks like you’ve done a lot of good for this place too.Everything looks nice, most of the tools are new, and all your paperwork up front is super organized.”

Calder stared at me for a long moment, one eyebrow raised.“You don’t miss anything, do you?”

“Investigative journalist,” I said, pointing to myself.“Remember?I notice things about people they don’t even know about themselves.That’s what I do.”

“Right.Sure.”