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“Oh really?” She scoffs.
“Yeah, really.” Gathering my thoughts, I think back to that first day we met. “You had some trouble, but you were figuring it out yourself. I know you would have taken care of it if I hadn’t helped. You’re smart, resourceful, and I don’t think you realize how capable you are.” Picking at a spot on my hand, I add, “Plus, look at the great cat you’ve acquired. And I certainly hope you consider this job an upgrade.” I wink at her.
She sits perfectly still, flummoxed by the unexpected praise. Blinking rapidly, she whispers, “It is an upgrade.” She finally looks at me, and I try to play it cool.
“Thanks.” I nod and watch her.
“And thank you.” She swallows. “For saying those things, for believing them. I sometimes struggle with positive thoughts.”
Taking a step closer, I watch her tense up. I don’t reach out like I’d planned, not wanting to push too far and ruin the moment. “I’ll remind you whenever you need.”
“You’re annoyingly perfect, you know that, right?”
“Tell that to my mom.” I smile, turning back to her car. “Or Annie.”
“They did a pretty good job with you, at least.”
I don’t respond, and a moment later, I hear her feet land on the floor, slowly coming closer. She stands next to me, watching me work but not talking.
I finish replacing the sensor and close the hood. “You want to pull it back out?”
“It’s ready?” She sounds skeptical again.
“I still have another sensor to replace, but it’ll do for now to get you around to the back again.”
“I suppose.” She seems reluctant to get in the car, which is understandable after having it fail on her twice in one day.
I toss her the keys and watch as she slides in.
Her hands shake with nerves, but the engine turns over smoothly. She pulls it out the door and, without anything traumatic happening, circles around to the spot out back where I’ve had it parked.
I hear it idle for a moment before it turns off. As the engine winds down, there’s a distinct thunk, almost like someone kicking from inside the trunk. I’m still going to replace the other sensor and see what happens, but it only confirms my suspicion that something else is happening.
Lenore seems more relaxed when she comes back in and gives the keys back to me.
“Well, I didn’t kill it.”
I take the opportunity to let my fingers connect with hers.
“Didn’t think you would.”
The quiet of the morning is broken when two bright toots of a car horn signal my first client. It’s a middle-aged lady who’s good friends with Annie. I wave her in and watch as Lenore takes off to the shop.
I should tell her to bring a book for when things get slow in the store. Something about her tells me she doesn’t handle boredom well. She’s such an efficient worker that the things she needs to get done are usually taken care of by noon, even when we’re busy with customers.
The greedy part of my brain says she should come out here, spend time with me. This morning passed quickly with her perched on the stool. I enjoyed talking to her, even if it's under the guise of a game of twenty questions.
I stay busy the rest of the afternoon; the next time I look up, it’s time to close. My weekend customers like to get in and out quickly, and with Lenore here, I could stay on top of my schedule and keep everyone happy.
After finishing my closing routine, I wander into the shop to find Lenore scrutinizing our inventory records.
“How often do your delivery trucks come?” she asks without looking up.
“It depends but usually weekly. Why?”
“You’re running low on a few things, and I’m hoping they won’t run out.” She glances up, and I see the little crease of concern between her eyebrows.
“Let me take a peek at the numbers.”
