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“Me, too.”
Inside, Tanner was working under a car with his headphones on. I wondered how long he had been here.
Chase walked me over to a car that was already up on the lift. “My dad left a list of cars that need their brakes done. Brake pads are over here. All the tools you’ll need are here.”
I nodded as he pointed. “What do I work on when I’m finished with these?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Tanner called from where he was working. “Just focus on the list.”
Chase opened his mouth to respond, but I held my hand up to stop him. I walked over to where Tanner was now standing. “I just wanted to know what else I should be doing. This way, I don’t have to keep bothering you every five minutes, asking what I should do next. You guys need help, and I’m here to do that. Simple.”
“Get through the list first, and we’ll see how much of a help you are.” He abruptly sat and rolled back under the car.
I looked at Chase, who was clenching his jaw from where he stood, and overdramatically rolled my eyes. His mouth slowly turned up into a smile.
“Get to work,” I growled as I swiped the list out of his hands.
His smile turned into a grin as he walked away.
It felt good to be busy working in a garage again – too good to let anything else bother me. It passed the time and kept my mind occupied. I felt productive. Everything else in the world was shut out by the sounds of air compressors and metal clanking.
It was also thoroughly enjoyable watching Chase work. The focused expression on his face was incredibly sexy, while the muscles in his arms stretched and pulled with every twist and jerk. I had to face the opposite direction after I felt the schoolgirl smile plastered on my face. I hoped Tanner did not notice.
By the end of the day, I had completed the list of relatively small jobs Tim had left. I also did several oil changes and tune ups. Every now and again, I noticed Tanner sneaking a peek at me. He said nothing each time, and I was glad. The less we talked, the better. I did not like seeing the brothers at odds, and definitely did not want to upset Tanner any more than he already was.
At five o’clock, Chase took out his keys after cleaning up his area. “You ready?”
I nodded. “Just need to put these away. You go. I’ll be out there in a minute.”
He glanced at Tanner before walking into the front office.
I put all of the tools back in their respective drawers, and grabbed my purse.
Tanner looked up as I walked over to him. He took out one of his earbuds. “You did good work today.”
His compliment took me by surprise, though I would not let him see it. “We’re taking Khloe to dinner. You should come.”
He shook his head, and looked down at his hands. “Nah.”
I took a deep breath and spoke gently. “Isolating yourself from your family will only make it worse.”
He looked up again, this time with fire in his eyes. “Your dad dies and you’re a shrink now?”
I took the bullet. I expected it. “Yeah, but lucky for you this first consultation is free.”
“Well, I don’t need advice from anyone. Especially not you.”
“You’re right. You don’t need advice. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks you should do, or how you should feel. If you’re angry, feel angry. If you’re sad, feel sad. Scream, cry, throw things – do whatever you need to do to get it out. But don’t do it alone. Your family needs you, and you need them. Just because your dad is dying doesn’t mean you get to act like a dick. The rest of your family is still alive. They’re going through the same thing you are – they don’t deserve your bitterness and anger. It’s not their fault. They’re all suffering right along with you. Your mom and dad, most of all. Imagine how your mom feels, having to watch her children grieve the loss of their parent. And your dad – he knows he’s leaving his family behind, and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. You need to cherish these last moments with each other, and stop wasting your time taking your anger out on the wrong people. You can make your comments at me, I don’t care. Life sucks sometimes, I know. It fucks us all in different ways. But you and your brother should be picking up the pieces together. Don’t do this alone – and don’t make him go through this alone, either.”
I watched as he forced the welling tears to remain behind his lids that were about to brim over – something I was very familiar with. We stood there in silence, until I accepted the fact that silence was all there would be at this point.
“Want us to bring you back anything?” I tried one final attempt.
“No thanks.” He put his earbud back in and slid under the car.
“What took you so long?” Chase asked when I finally sat in the passenger seat next to him.
“I just wanted to clean my area. I’ve only got one arm, you know.”
