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“Not dolled up. Just washed up. For my other job. In case you forgot.”
“Ah, yeah. Right. Movie night.” He rubs at the back of his neck. “Alice and I will be there. Sounds fun. Or at least fun-ish. It’s not like there’s a whole lot of places to take your girlfriend in this town.”
Fantastic. Just what I need: a reminder that I don’t have a girlfriend. And yet I’m still supposed to convince Frank I’m dating someone. I’m already two weeks down on our timeline, and my options are getting slimmer. There’s Tess, who doesn’t want a relationship at all, and if she does, it would probably be with Clive; and Kayla, a woman who might actually like me, but I’ve got no interest in her.
“So can I go early?”
Frank shrugs. “Sure, Spencer.”
Wait. My brother’s using my real name? Not calling meSpenceyordudeorbro?When he bumps up the rim of his cap, his expression is almost … nice. But that can’t be right.
What’s he up to?
“You better get back to your detailing now, though,” he says. “I’m not letting you offthisearly. And if you finish soon, you can go ahead and clean the bathroom around back.”
My stomach full of wrenches goes directly into lurch mode. “How come Buster and Renzo get to destroy the toilet all week long, and I’m the one stuck scrubbing it on Saturday?”
Frank laughs at me with his eyes. “Because you’re my brother, and you love me.”
“Not that much.”
“Hey.” He trades his laughing eyes for a smirk. “Don’t forget, I’m paying you to work here.”
I glance over my shoulder at the shop. “You pay Buster and Renzo too.”
“Yeah, but I inherited them. I didn’t have a choice.”
When Jerry Pullman retired and sold Apple Valley Auto to my brother, he made Frank promise to keep his old buddies on part-time. Buster’s a pretty good mechanic, and Renzo’s great with bodywork. But they’re getting up there in age. And they really like prunes, if you know what I mean.
“Fine,” I say. “I’ll clean the bathroom.” My stomach lurches again.
“Good man.” Frank nods. “Besides, there’s a limit to how much a guy like you can improve his looks, no matter how much extra grooming time he gets.”
Ha ha ha.
There it is. Like clockwork, my brother’s back to his typical chop-busting ways. But who cares? I’ve got important work to do today. And I’m not talking about washing cars and scrubbing toilets. I’m talking about finally being face to face with Tess again.
Yeah, and then what, Spencer?
Lurch.
