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Chapter 6
‘Hi, it’s Tobias from T&M Conversions. I’ve got that quote for you. Are you able to call in, because there are a couple of things I want to go over with you.’
Seren listened to the message on her phone, thinking how rumbly and deep Tobias’s voice was, but not too deep – not like the voice on the film trailers for thrillers and such like. His voice was as sexy as he was, and rather uncharitably she wondered if it was natural or whether he practised the smooth, rich tones.
Her shift had been nine to five today, and he’d left the message on her phone earlier but she’d been unable to take the call. She wondered if it was too late to pay him a visit, then decided it wouldn’t be any bother to take a detour and walk home via his garage. It was only a little out of her way. Half an hour was nothing in the scheme of things, and the exercise would do her good. Never mind that she’d been on her feet all day: standing around filling shelves or checking the dates on fresh food couldn’t be compared to a brisk walk on a chilly November evening. It would do her good and blow away the cobwebs.
Wrapping up warmly in her padded coat, and winding a scarf around her neck, she took her hair out of its bun and ran her fingers through it, rubbing at her scalp and letting out a groan of relief. Letting her hair down (literally, not figuratively) was the best part about leaving work and, scalp massage finished, she shook her hair out, letting it fall around her ears to keep them warm.
Once outside the shop, she wished she’d thought about putting some lipstick on, but it was too late now; besides, she was going to a greasy, grimy garage, not a nightclub. Tobias would have to take her as he found her. And why she was even thinking about her appearance, she honestly didn’t know.
The roller doors were still up and the lights were on when she turned into the street where the garage was located, she could see Tobias – he had his back to her and his head under the bonnet of a boxy truck.
Not wanting to make him jump and risk him banging his head, she stomped across the forecourt, her flat shoes clomping on the tarmac and she also coughed loudly.
It did the trick.
‘Hi,’ Tobias said, straightening up and turning around. ‘How are you today?’
‘Good thanks. You?’
‘Busy.’ He picked up a soiled rag and wiped his hands on it, which only served to smear the grime around rather than remove it. ‘Let me wash up first. Would you like to wait in the office?’
‘OK.’ With a quick glance at the ice cream van (which didn’t look any less ice creamy or any more appealing than the last time she’d set eyes on it) Seren walked into the office and sat down. It was as tidy as she remembered it being from her previous visit, and it was remarkably clean for a garage.
‘Sorry about that,’ Tobias said, appearing in the doorway and making her jump. His hands were cleaner, although he had a smudge of dirt on his cheek.
Seren got a tissue out of her bag and offered it to him. ‘You’ve got an… um…’ She pointed to her left cheek.
His hand went to his right one.
‘Other side. Oil or dirt. Not sure.’
‘Could be either. Or both,’ he said, rubbing at his face with his fingers. ‘Gone?’
‘Yeah.’ More or less. She was beginning to wish she hadn’t mentioned it in case he thought she was flirting with him. He was rather sexy and she enjoyed looking at him, but there was no way she was going to let him know she thought that.
From the smirk on his face, she didn’t think she’d been very successful at hiding it.
Instead of sitting on the other side of the desk, Tobias sat in the seat next to her, so close she could smell his aftershave and an underlying aroma of engine oil.
‘Before I show you the quote, I’ve done a couple of drawings to give you an idea of what it will look like when it’s done,’ he said, pulling a buff folder towards him and opening the flap. ‘What do you think?’ He took out several sheets of paper and fanned them out across the table.
Take a card, any card, she thought inanely as she scanned them, then she began to focus as she saw what he’d drawn. ‘Is that my van?’
‘It could be, if you’re happy with my suggestions. Feel free to tell me if there are any aspects you don’t like – or if you hate the whole concept.’
‘Hate it…?’ she repeated, dazed. The drawings were wonderful and the finished van looked far better than she ever could have imagined. ‘I like all of it,’ she said, her voice coming out all squeaky.
‘Good.’
‘I love the colour scheme,’ she added.
He simply nodded as though he’d been expecting her to. If these drawings were any indication, he was very good at what he did, and she hoped the finished article would look the same as the drawings.
‘What about making it look Christmassy?’ she asked, because wasn’t that the whole point of the van in the first place?
‘The easiest thing to do would be to buy some festive decals. They are so easy to put on and take off, and you could swap them around to suit what you wanted to push.’
