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I felt a flutter in my stomach as the words left his mouth. Knowing he could fix my car made him even more attractive. I pictured him on one of those rolling planks that people used in movies to slide underneath vehicles with a wrench in one hand and a rag in the other. Auto Repair Jaxon looked pretty hot in that fantasy, especially with the fresh haircut.
I lifted myself into the passenger seat of his Jeep and looked around. It had a black interior, and a faint new car smell lingered in the fabric. There wasn’t an object out of place, as if this was his first time driving it since he arrived on campus.
Jaxon rolled down the windows and scrolled through his phone for a song before he took off down College Drive. Somehow even watching him drive made him sexy.
Soon, Rihanna’s part in “Take Care” played through the speakers, and I sang along to the lyrics.
“Okay.” Jaxon turned up the music. “I wasn’t expecting you to know some Drake.”
“This album was my life after high school,” I said, mentally prepared for Drake’s intro. I felt Jaxon staring at me to see if I was going to trip up. I was taken back to late-night car drives with old friends, drive-thru runs for bagels at Dunkin and walks in the park.
“Alright, I’ve got one for ya.” Jaxon searched his playlist. He tapped a song and turned the volume down so I could hear him. “If you get this one, I’ll be impressed. I would’ve sworn you were all into country and shit.”
“Oh, I can get down with some country,” I answered playfully. “I am a woman of many tastes in music.”
His next song choice played through the hefty bass in the Jeep. He was kidding himself if he thought I didn’t know every word of Lil Wayne’s “She Will”.
A few minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of Al’s Auto and Towing. Jaxon put the car in park and turned to face me. I caught myself staring as his mouth curved into an adorable grin. With one hand still on the wheel and the other resting behind my seat, I had to remind myself that we were sitting in a parking lot because I lacked attention to detail.
“I thought you said you were fixing it?” I asked, eyeing up the beat-up red barn that was the auto shop.
“Oh, I can,” he assured me, “but I need the oil, Mace.”
And just like that, Auto Repair Jaxon was back.
Chapter8
Jaxon
October 2015
Maci rolledher eyes and handed me her debit card. I had never seen her so unsure of something. It was cute, and I wanted to keep it going.
I opened the car door to step out and immediately turned back to her. “Do you know what kind of engine you have?” When she narrowed her eyes, I stifled a laugh and continued, “You know, for the oil?”
She propped her elbow up on the dashboard and cocked her head. “I will give you a moment toreallythink about if I know the answer to that question.”
I took a mental image of how sexy she looked leaned over in my passenger seat. I laughed and locked the doors since she was alone in the car. She didn’t seem alarmed by the action, but the guy lingering in front of the side entrance rubbed me the wrong way.
I bought the oil and parts I needed from an older guy at the register, who I assumed was Al, and made my way back to the Jeep. Maci was talking with someone on the phone when I returned to the driver's seat.
“Mom, I’m not sure, okay?” Maci said. “My friend Jaxon is going to look at it, and he said he can fix it.”
I started the drive back to Maci’s car, and her conversation continued.
“No, Mom, he is not making me pay him.” She shook her head as if she had to explain this a dozen times today. “I bought him what he needs, and we are heading back to the car now . . . Mom! I’m going to try and forget you even mentioned that.”
Maci widened her eyes and looked over at me. I raised my eyebrows and smiled, letting her know I wasn’t bothered by the conversation.
“Okay, well, Mom, I will throw that out there and see what he says. Okay . . . okay . . . I will. Love you too, bye!” Maci hung up the phone and sighed. “God, my mother isexhaustingsometimes.”
“She sounds kind of funny to me.”
“Well, she invited you to a family dinner in case you ever want to cash that in,” Maci said sarcastically.
I stared at the road ahead and tapped my thumb against the steering wheel. I tried to picture what that event would look like. Other than meeting them for a brief moment or accidental run-in, I had never spent time with a girl’s family. There was never any reason to get to know them when their daughter was only temporary.
I pulled behind Maci’s car and turned off the engine.
