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“You two better get on to work,” Annie says, squeezing Nore’s hand.
I tug Annie into a hug. “Thanks for your help.”
“No problem, dear.” She pats me on the back and pulls away. “Either of you, don’t hesitate to call today. I’ll keep my cell phone on me. The appointment is later this morning.”
“I’ll call at lunch and check in.” Lenore jumps as the sound of papers falling off a table fills the kitchen and looks guiltily at Annie. He must have discovered the breakfast nook.
“Try not to worry. It’ll all work out. You’ll see.”
I guide Lenore to the truck with a hand on the small of her back and help her climb up.
When we get to the shop, we have a few minutes to settle in before my rescheduled appointment, and then a steady stream of customers starts off the day.
While I’m out in the garage, I can hear Lenore answering the phone and helping customers. She calls me into the store twice to ask questions about parts but already has the computer system under control.
Working without the distraction of having to answer ringing phones reminds me how nice it is to have someone to help, especially on busy days like this. The limited interruptions mean I can get more work done in the garage and stay on schedule. Plus, customers inside get help more quickly, and the phone doesn’t ring more than a few times before it’s answered.
Lunchtime approaches quickly, and I hustle my last appointment out of the garage. We’ve had a lot of customers today, and judging by the line of cars in the parking lot, they’re lingering inside to talk to Lenore.
Before heading inside, I wash my hands in the citrus soap and check my reflection in the small mirror for any missed spots. Nothing like a sweaty, grease-covered mess to ruin the mood for lunch. I don’t worry about my work shirt since I’ve been wearing a coverall all morning. Even though we’re not going out, both of us having remembered lunches today, I still feel the urge to make sure I don’t look like a slob.
I hear her before I see her. She’s with a customer in one of the aisles, happily chatting. I know she was nervous, but she’s a natural with them. I duck into the office and take a moment to confirm my afternoon appointments.
After making sure everything is ready, I take out our lunches and pop mine into the microwave to heat. I set hers out and grab a bottle of water from the fridge. The bells on the front door chime, and the shop falls quiet, so I head out to switch the sign on the door to ‘lunch break.’
“Wanna eat?” I ask when I see Lenore standing by the register.
“That’d be great. The morning’s just flown by.” A neat stack of receipts is in the filing tray, and I grab them before heading back. She doesn’t need to think I’m completely useless in the office.
“Thank you!” She falls into the chair next to her lunch and quickly uncaps the water before drinking it down.
“No problem. Sounded like you’ve been busy.” After filing the receipts, I sit across the table from her, the microwave still humming in the background.
“Yes, but everyone’s been so nice and patient.” She pops the top off her salad and pulls a fork from her bag.
“Thanks for coming to help with those two. I didn’t want to tell them the wrong thing.”
“My pleasure. I—” I’m cut off and saved from saying something stupid by the dinging of the microwave.
“That smells delicious.” She peeks into the tray before I peel the top plastic off, but her nose scrunches. “Is it supposed to be meatloaf?”
“Looks a lot worse than it tastes.” I crack open my own water bottle and slice the meat with a fork to cool it down. “Wanna try a bite?”
“No, thank you.” She digs into her salad. “Do you usually do frozen meals for lunch?”
I finish chewing before responding. “Most of the time, I don’t usually take a lunch break.”
“You don’t have to change your routine for me.” She pushes some vegetables through the dressing before crunching down on them.
“Think of it as my daily reminder to take a break.” I bite into a piece of meatloaf and cough. It’s still as hot as molten lava, and Nore gives me a skeptical look.
“Breaks are definitely good for you.” She points her fork at my lunch. “I’m just not sure about that.”
“I’m sure Annie would agree with you.” The easy banter keeps up while we finish our meals.
As she’s bustling around, cleaning things up, I realize how at peace I feel. How relaxed I am despite realizing that if this were any other circumstance, if I’d met her somewhere without the adrenaline of Wednesday, I might have missed this opportunity to get to know her better since I would have been too focused on picking her up and trying to get into her pants.
