Page 55 of Mechanic’s Christmas Match

But she knows Ana’s setting me up with Maggie…

“Hang on for one second,” Mrs. Gutierrez told him.

He stood, watching after her as she disappeared into the back and then reappeared with a coat in her hands.

It was green, made of warm-looking wool, but cut a bit like his leather jacket, with plenty of pockets. It even had a hood.

“It’s beautiful,” he told her honestly.

“Well, let’s just see if it fits,” she said, holding it up and fussing with the coat instead of meeting his eyes.

He hoped he wasn’t going to disappoint her. Nothing ever really fit him well. He’d be lucky not to rip the seams.

But as he stuck one arm in the coat, and then the other, he realized that it actually was big enough to accommodate him.

“Try zipping it up,” she suggested.

He did as he was told and was amazed to find that it fit him well. It wasn’t too snug or too loose, and he felt completely comfortable.

“This is really nice,” he told her.

“Good and warm, right?” she said, smiling.

It occurred to him suddenly why she still wasn’t looking him in the eye.

“Did you make this for me?” he asked.

She looked up at him, and he saw the warmth in her eyes.

“I started it for my husband many years ago,” she said with a small smile. “But he passed before I could finish. He was a big man, like you.”

“Wow,” Rory said, instinctively touching the coat and swallowing over the sudden lump in his throat.

“When you stopped in the other day, you made me remember it,” she went on. “I thought maybe I could rework it a little, so I took it in around the waist a bit and finished it. What do you think?”

She pointed him to the mirror in the corner and he went over to have a look.

The man looking back at him was really no different than before. But somehow, Rory felt transformed. The warm coat made him look gentler than he did in his leather jacket, and more like he belonged in the sweet little town. But it was really the kindness of Mrs. Gutierrez in sharing something from her heart with him that made him feel different. She had seen that he must be cold, and chosen to warm him with a coat she had made with her own hands, for someone she loved.

“Wow,” Rory said, gazing at himself and wishing he had the words to tell her how much he loved it.

“That’s just right,” she said, smiling at him in the mirror. “I’ll grab a bag for your jacket, and you can wear your new coat home.”

“Thank you,” he told her, taking one last look at himself in the mirror before following her to the counter.

He pulled out his wallet while she ducked to grab a bag. The coat was going to be costly—the wool was good and thick, and the craftsmanship was impeccable. But it was worth it to feel like the version of himself he wanted to be.

“Oh goodness, put that away,” Ana’s mom said. “This is a gift.”

“I couldn’t,” he said, amazed that she would even offer. “It’s beautiful. You must have spent hours⁠—”

“No,” she said firmly. “I would never sell it to anyone. And it can’t sit in the back taking up space forever. You’re doing me a favor.”

She slipped out from behind the counter, moving away from the register to put an end to the whole discussion.

He stuck his wallet back in his pocket, determined to do something for her, but unable to think what.

“Come back soon,” she said with a fond smile, patting his arm. “We like having you around.”