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When Charlie found out her now ex-boyfriend was cheating on her, we came up with a plan to catch him in the act which involved spying on him through a restaurant window which led us to being accosted by some touchy feely bushes.
“Oh yes! That’s way better than my idea,” Tatum says with a laugh.
“So, I just need to go hang out at The Blue Anchor and hope he shows up again?” I glance down at my black, knee-length skirt and metallic sheen top. “Because I won’t stick out like a sore thumb.”
“How else do you expect to find him? This is the only lead we have,” Charlie says.
“Okay. I’ll just go to The Blue Anchor and hope I see him again. But what if I do see him? What do I say?” My mind races. I don’t know what I would do if I saw him again. Probably tell him to kiss me.
“Holy shit. You must really like this guy. You’ve never been this frazzled over someone before.” Parisa sets down her drink.
I’ve dated many guys over the years, but none of them have implanted themselves in me as fast and as hard as the bad boy has. “I guess for as much as I can like a guy without knowing his name. So, I’m doing this. I’m going to find the hot bad boy.” I just hope I’m not disappointed if I see him again.
FOUR
TROUBLE’S A BREWING
Ledger
I crank the wrench, but the bolt holding the mount doesn’t budge. All morning I’ve been working on rebuilding the engine of a two-thousand-three Harley Davidson Sportster. Currently, the carburetor and its mount are being a real bitch. With one last turn, the bolt breaks free. One down, one more to go. But even this rebuild can’t distract me from the blonde duchess from The Blue Anchor. She’s infiltrated my dreams every night since we met. I’m kicking myself for not getting her number because I wouldn’t mind pushing her against a wall again. When I saw the text message, all my thoughts went somewhere else. My focus was only on one thing, and it was no longer her.
The rumble of a motorcycle engine pulling into the parking lot of my shop draws my attention from the second bolt. A familiar bike comes into view, and I rise to my feet.
I set the wrench on the tool bench and grab a blue shop rag, wiping the grease and oil from my hands before tossing it onto the bench.
Archie, a longtime friend, comes to a halt just outside the large overhead garage door, kicks down the kickstand, and swings his leg over his bike. When I’m standing in front of him, I hold out my hand for a shake. He grips it and pulls me in for a one handed back pat.
“Long time no see. I thought you retired this one years ago.” I glance down and admire the black 1953 Indian Chief. With its sleek lines and streamlined skirted fenders, it’s a beauty.
“After spending countless hours fixing it up, I was tired of watching it collect dust. You remember those long, grueling hours. It was great having you right by my side in my garage.”
A weak smile plays on my lips. “Yes, I remember those nights. And how much Stevie hated them.”
“That’s because she wanted to spend her time with you, but you wanted to spend your time working on engines.”
I give him a tight smile because he’s not wrong. At the time, I was more interested in taking engines apart and rebuilding them than playing house. Every free hour I had, I was in the garage with Archie. I suspected she was jealous of how much time I was spending on the bike instead of chasing her. Eventually, she wore me down but could never get over the fact my first love would always be a wrench. “Why the visit? Heard anything from Stevie?”
The night at The Blue Anchor, Archie’s text was asking if I’d seen or heard from his daughter. While our relationship has been over for years, I don’t want anything to happen to her because I know Archie would be devastated.
He purses his lips and shakes his head. The wrinkles around his eyes have grown more prominent over the years. I’m sure Stevie is the cause of more than a few of them.
“After all these years, I still can’t believe she’s doing this shit.”
“Well, you’re familiar with her free spirit and how she’ll take off for days at a time—”
“Part of the reason it never worked out between us.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“Yeah. Unfortunately, it’s been more than a few days this time.”
“How long?”
“A week.”
“Damn.” I shake my head. “And you haven’t heard anything. No text? No phone call?”
“Nothing. While this isn’t unlike her, I wish she would let me know she’s alright. I’ve made a few phone calls to some people she typically sees when she’s gone, but they haven’t heard from her either.” Silence fills the space between us. “Too bad you two couldn’t make it work. You would have been one hell of a son-in-law. You might have even kept her grounded.”
Archie has been like a father to me since I was a seventeen-year-old punk running the streets. He took me in and kicked my ass into shape. After I got my shit together, he gave me a job working in his shop. Then I met his daughter. She was always parading herself around the garage, but she had no interest in tools. For years, it was great. I thought we would marry and become the family I never had. But that was the biggest lie I ever told myself.
