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I smiled at her. “It was great, but I’m clearly out of shape.”
Remi waved a hand at me. “You’ll be fine in no time. Can you come to my class on Wednesday evening? I teach every other day at the same time.”
“I’d love to.” Despite how tired I felt, it was a good kind of exhausted. I liked doing something physical that wasn’t gardening or arranging flowers. It was a nice departure from my normal routine. It was good to remember there were other things in the world besides my shop and the farm.
“Would you like to come out with the girls tonight? We try to get together outside of Shops on Main meetings occasionally.”
“That would be great.” I pulled on a light sweatshirt and my sneakers. I wanted to network, and this was the perfect opportunity.
Remi threw her duffle over her shoulder. “We’re going to Max’s Bar & Grill where the Shops on Main meetings are held.”
I smiled. “I know it.”
“Perfect. See you there in a little bit.” Remi gave a little wave as she walked out of the room.
I didn’t have time to go home and shower since my house was out of town. I freshened up the best I could in the studio’s bathroom. Then I walked back to my shop, where Berta was parked out front. A surge of pride went through me each time I saw her. It fed right into my plan of people associating the van with the shop. The only problem was, her rusty undercarriage was detracting from what people thought of her.
Sighing, I climbed inside and pushed the visor to the roof since it wasn’t sunny. A card landed face-up in my lap. It must have been tucked into the visor somehow.
Black lettering declared it to beHarbor Garage & Service Repair Center. I turned it over in my hands to find a scrawl on the back. There was a phone number and the name, Jake. The note read,Call me if she breaks down.
Warmth flowed through me at the unexpected gesture. I was touched and irritated at the same time. It was exactly what we’d discussed. It was inevitable I’d have more trouble with her if I didn’t do maintenance.
Berta depended on me to figure out a solution. I didn’t want to go back to my old life. I wanted to be a successful business owner, doing what I loved. I wanted to be strong and independent. I wanted my parents to respect me.
My stomach tightened at that idea. A part of me knew my mom would never accept all the ways I was different from her and Cora, but the irrational side of me, the little girl who’d always longed for her approval, never stopped trying.
I let out a breath as I ran a finger over the raised letters of Jake’s writing. I loved that he’d left a little piece of himself in my van. A surge of anticipation went through me. Was he being nice, or was it something more? It was crazy to think he felt the same attraction I did.
I sensed I wasn’t his type. He probably went for the women at the bar who dressed in tight jeans, stilettos, and revealing shirts with plunging necklines. Maybe even the types with purple hair and tattoos. Neither were me.
I wasn’t normally one to go out, so a night at the bar with girlfriends was a little out of my comfort zone.
It took a while to find a parking spot on a side street. When I finally opened the heavy wooden door to the bar, I was pleasantly surprised to see that, although the dining room was filled, the bar wasn’t.
Scanning the room, I headed toward Remi, who sat at the bar with Zoe, to say hello.
When I tapped on Remi’s shoulder, she turned to hug me. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
Surprising myself, I said, “Me too.”
It was hard not to feel accepted around Remi. She just had this way about her.
The bartender I recognized as the owner, Max, winked at his fiancée, Zoe. Then he turned his attention to all of us, and asked, “What can I get you ladies tonight?”
We ordered drinks. When Max left to get them, Remi waved a hand in Zoe’s direction. “Only Zoe and I could make it tonight. Everyone else was busy.”
Zoe smiled at me before she said, “The problem is that everyone’s paired off now. It will be harder to get everyone together.”
Remi’s forehead wrinkled. “A few of the women have kids, too. Savannah has Miles, and Hailey has Corey, although he’s older. Corey is Ryan’s son. Hailey is Jake’s sister.”
Realization set in. “Oh, right. Ryan and Jake from the garage.”
“You’ve been to Harbor Garage?” Remi asked.
My fingers tightened around the strap of my purse. “My van has.”
“I love that blue VW van you drive. It’s the cutest thing, and it fits you,” Remi gushed.
