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“So, you don’t want the money? Huh. I’m willing to pay, Jo, a lot.” I briefly hesitated. Lucas noticed it and smiled. He stepped away, putting his hands in his pockets, and sauntered slowly toward the barn.
Closing the car door, I turned the key. Nothing. Not even a groan. “Come on, Sheila, don’t do this to me now, babe. We need to make an exit here.” I tried again. Still nothing. I kept trying, each time more frantic than the other, until I rested my head on the wheel and exhaled. I did not need this right now. First, the shitty call from Reef. Then the hot water. And now, my Sheila abandoning me.
Lucas rapped on my window. “Problem?”
“No. I’m fine. I just need a jump.” At least, I hoped that was all I needed but remembering the loud squealing sound from earlier did not give me a good feeling.
“I can call for a tow to a repair shop,” he said.
“I can’t go to a repair shop right now.” I’d get Sheila home and figure something out. My fucking life.
I stepped out and shut the door.
“You need a better car. This one’s about done, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, well, no shit. But I don’t see a car fairy anywhere, so I’m gonna have to make do with this one.” Probably not good to be yelling at the client, well, the client’s hot son, but there I was. This day was getting better and better.
“Jo, you have cooking skills and need a new car. I have money for a new car and need someone with cooking skills. Don’t you think there’s a way we can work something out?”
Fuck my life.
7
LUCAS
We satat the big kitchen island in the farmhouse waiting for the tow truck. That car had seen better days five years ago. How was she expecting to conduct business with unreliable resources? It was like building a smartphone app on twenty-five-year-old code. Epic fail. The foundation had to be solid.
Growing up around farm machinery, I didn’t know how to fix a car, but I knew how to break one. I helped the inevitable along, that’s all. That wagon would not last much longer, and she couldn’t afford something new yet. If she could, she would have bought it already. I was her knight in shining armor if she’d stop being so stubborn.
If I learned anything from making deals in tech, it was to work the angle I had. Loosening a spark plug or two wasn’t wrong if it made her get out of her own way and accept my help. We’d both get what we needed. That’s how great deals worked. Win-win. I was good at win-win deals, or I used to be.
She needed my money. I needed her food. And looking at her on the regular wouldn’t be a hardship. Those curves and those curls coupled with her sass were a great combination. There was something about her. She wasn’t like other women I’d known. There was fire and determination in heaps like they had, but if you looked closely when she talked about that restaurant guy, or you complimented her food, a vulnerability was present. A fragility that made me want to move mountains for her. Weird.
While I was on a temporary break from working magic and solving big problems in my tech role, I’d work some magic here. Keep my skills sharp for when I headed back to my life in Seattle soon.
“Thank you for reconsidering my offer,” I said.
She sat straighter and looked me in the eye. “I’m at The Elliot four mornings a week until about ten. We’ll have to work around that. Afternoons are best for me. I’ll give you a list of ingredients to have on hand the days I’m there. I can come by once a week and prep the food at your house. I prefer to be there when you aren’t. I wouldn’t want to disturb you. What’s your routine?”
“I work out early most weekdays and then head over here. So, afternoons are fine. I’m at Emily’s old place on the northwest side since she lives with Finn now. Where are you?”
“My apartment is up from the commercial dock, near the dry dock lot.” She shifted and looked forward into the kitchen again.
If Perry Harbor had a dodgy side, that would be it. Older buildings that weren’t as kept up as they should be. Some had water views, but not the glamorous kind. More like a view of dock pilings, cranes, and boats parked on risers.
“How about Wednesday afternoons? Until your car’s fixed, I can pick you up around three. You cook, and I’ll work upstairs and out of your way.” She nodded. “When can you start?” I asked.
“ASAP. I have to pay for those repairs.”
“How about we get a jump start tomorrow? Pardon the pun,thenmove to Wednesdays? You’ll get a little extra cash, and I don’t have to wait for your delicious cooking.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
“You know, you really should consider something more reliable to drive around here. I could go with you to a dealership anytime.”
“My car isn’t any of your business.”
“It is if I’m the one giving you a ride to my house until you have one that works.”
