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“Dante.” I hurried over to him, a sweat breaking out on my brow. “D’ye have time to fit another car onto your log? I’ve only gone and made a terrible mistake and double booked two cars, and now—”
“Ina, breathe.”
I couldn’t breathe. I was about to vomit.
“Dante, please.” I clutched the tablet to my chest. “Mr Chambers is so angry with me. I’m worried he’ll shout at me again if I don’t fix this.”
“Who fuckin’ shouted at ye?”
Dante’s eyebrows took a nosedive, and his body tensed.
“Dante, just tell me whether or not ye can fit another car onto your log. Please.”
He kept eye contact with me, and after a moment, he sighed. “I can do one more dependin’ on the issue.”
“It’s minor,” I assured him, hope bursting inside me. “Two new front tyres with alignment and balancin’.”
I handed him my tablet that outlined the client’s car information. I lifted my fingers to my mouth and chewed on my nails as Dante’s eyes rolled over the screen. I was screwed if he couldn’t make this work because all of the other lads were busy with their full-to-the-brim logs. They couldn’t help me.
“Did the client choose this specific tyre brand?”
“Yes,” I answered with a bob of my head. “He gave me the tyre size and told me what brand he wanted. He already has this kind fitted on his car, and he likes them. We had them in stock, so I booked him in for them to be fitted today instead of tomorrow.”
“He’s in the reception?”
I nodded.
“Okay, come on.”
I didn’t pause to feel relieved. I took my tablet from Dante and hurried back into the reception.
“I’m so sorry for the wait, Mr Chambers.” I scurried behind my desk. “Dante here will bring your car into the hangar and get your new tyres fitted onto your car.”
The man barely glanced at Dante, who leaned his elbows on the counter next to him, because his focus was on me.
“Did ye order the correct tyres, or do I need to have ye double-check that too, darlin’?”
I felt about an inch tall as the man spoke to me.
“I ordered the right ones.” I scanned his booking on my computer. “225/60 R17 is your tyre size, and ye went with the generic brand, Zero X. Those tyres are ninety-five euros each. I have your invoice already prepared for you. I just have to wait until the service is completed before I add on the labour.”
The man huffed and handed over his car keys. “How long will this take?”
“Forty-five minutes,” Dante answered for me, straightening to his full height. “And before ye rattle off another smartarse remark to her, that’s the standard service time we give for tyre fittings unless an issue arises.”
The man turned in Dante’s direction, and instead of coming face-to-face, he was looking at Dante’s chin. The man was taller than me, but not taller than Dante. The customer took a step back, and whatever cheeky remark he was about to make never left his mouth. He knew he could treat me poorly, and I’d not say a word, but I knew that he knew that he wouldn’t get the same response from Dante.
I promised myself I wouldn’t let a man treat me poorly again, but fear had gripped me when the stranger’s eyes narrowed my way. For a moment, I felt like I was trapped by him. I hated that feeling, like I couldn’t breathe.
“Forty-five minutes is grand,” he said to Dante. “I’ll just sit in the waitin’ area.”
Dante didn’t blink. “That’s what it’s there for.”
Wordlessly, the client turned and walked towards the seating area.
“And mister?”
The man paused and turned his head. “Yeah?”
“Don’t ever raise your voice or speak down to my missus again. Understand?”
Mr Chambers saw something in Dante’s eyes that made him straighten, clear his throat, and nod once. “Yeah, sure.”
He continued to the waiting area and sat down. Dante turned to face me, and the burning in my lungs told me I was holding my breath without realising it. I placed my hand on my chest to calm myself down.
“That was horrible,” I whispered, sliding the man’s car key towards Dante. “I thought he was gonna square up to you.”
“Hardly,” Dante grunted. “He’s a hard man with women, not able-bodied men.”
I exhaled a breath. “Thank you for helpin’ me.”
“I’m not doin’ it for free.”
My heart thudded against my chest. “What d’ye want as payment?”
“I don’t think you’re ready for the answer to that question, country.”
I felt my face burn, making Dante smile.
“I’ll collect a kiss from ye later, good lookin’.”
He left the reception with a wink, and I bloody well nearly started giggling. The fear and worry I felt a moment ago vanished because I knew I had nothing to worry about with Mr Chambers now that Dante had spoken to him. My attention quickly turned from Dante back to work when the phone rang. I picked the handheld up and pressed the green button before placing it to my ear.
