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But the words cost her to say, and Ana felt a twinge of pain at the thought of another woman seeing these flashes of Rory’s beautiful soul.
Rory nodded, his eyes on her as if he could read her thoughts.
She grabbed her cappuccino and took a big sip. Thankfully, it had cooled enough not to burn her tongue.
Rory smiled at her, and she felt it down to her toes.
Why does life have to be so complicated? she wondered as she watched him take a big bite of cranberry loaf and close his eyes with pleasure.
7
RORY
Rory strode down Ambler Road the following evening, ducking his head against the cold wind that ruffled his still-damp hair.
He’d had just enough time to dash home for a shower after a grueling day at work trying to bring Rick Leonard’s VW bus back to life. The first couple of hours had been dedicated to rerouting and insulating fuel lines, since it came in for vapor lock. But Rory had discovered numerous other minor issues, each of which had to be explained and discussed before Rick would allow Rory to complete the list of needed work to keep the bus on the road as long as possible.
“It’s not the expense,” Rick said finally, after having Rory explain again about the tie rods, the ball joints, and the bad O-ring in the coolant system a third time. “I’ve got the funds, and I know you’re being honest with me, kid. It’s just that, well… I hate tinkering with her.”
Both men had gazed over at the faded blue van, festooned with the remains of big daisy stickers, and Rory finally got a glimpse of what Rick saw when he looked at the bus. The VW represented the man’s identity, and a fondly remembered past. He didn’t blame him for not wanting to make changes to something that was such a part of him.
“She’s been faithful,” Rick said quietly.
“I’ll take good care of her, sir,” Rory promised him. “And I won’t do a single thing she doesn’t need.”
Rick shook Rory’s hand in agreement, and thus began a day of slow and steady labor as Rory worked his way through the bus’s aches and pains with all the care of a family doctor at a geriatric patient’s bedside.
Rick stayed in the downstairs waiting area all day, alternately reading a tattered copy of Kerouac’s On the Road and glancing up at Rory who was working hard on the van.
At the end of the day, Rory took a little extra time to give the old girl a good wipe down inside and out before calling Rick over to examine his work.
“We had so many good years with her,” Rick said, patting the hood, after complimenting Rory on a job well done. “I took Maureen out for our first date in her. And when we were newlyweds, we used to sit outside concerts selling t-shirts out of the back. After we settled down and started our family, all the kids on the block would scramble in on Saturday afternoons, and we’d take them out for an ice cream. I know I’ll have to let go of her one day, but I’m glad today’s not that day.”
“Me too,” Rory told him. “Hopefully, that day won’t come for a long time.”
He’d spent the whole day on one vehicle and was leaving late, but Beau seemed pleased enough with his work.
“The most important thing is the customers,” Beau said as Rory clocked out. “We serve them first and the vehicles second.”
Rory nodded. He understood that well. Even back in the days of repairing stuff with his granddad, he’d known that he was serving their friends and neighbors as much as the motorcycles and lawnmowers they brought in.
Now he ran a hand through his hair, took a deep breath, and headed down the alleyway beside Pura Vida to the door that led up to Ana’s family’s apartment.
The door was painted blue with a pink flower wreath, the bright colors a cheerful contrast with the gray winter day. He smiled at how much that reminded him of Ana herself.
He pushed the doorbell, and a moment later he heard footsteps on the stairs.
“Hi,” Ana said, as she pushed open the door. “Come on in.”
“Hey,” he said.
She moved up the staircase again, fleet as a deer, and he followed after her, trying not to make too much noise on the stairs.
As they got closer to the apartment, he could smell something delicious.
“Mom made corn bread earlier,” Ana said, as if reading his thoughts. “It’ll be good with the soup.”
Rory hummed in appreciation. He’d always had a good appetite, but today he was especially hungry. Maybe it was the increasingly cold weather, but more likely it was because he’d barely had time for a peanut butter sandwich at lunchtime before he had to head back to Rick’s bus.
