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“As in… president?”
A single nod is all I get in confirmation.
Axel speaks up before I can ask what he’s the president of. “I’ve got some unfortunate news about the car,” he starts as he opens the hood of my red Toyota circa 1999. “We flushed out all the ethanol from the engine and cleaned her up a bit, but we’re going to need a replacement. Might take a while to find the right parts with this being an older vehicle…”
Axel’s voice fades into the background as I stare at the now shiny but worthless engine.
“Sonya?” Blade asks, his tone indicating this isn’t the first time he’s said my name. “Do you have somewhere to be? A deadline or anything?”
I shake my head no, swallowing past the lump in my throat.
“Where did you drive this thing from?” Axel asks.
“Um… Pennsylvania,” I whisper, unsure if I should be giving out that information.
“Where are you headed after this? Maybe you can take a loaner car?”
“I… I don’t know. I don’t… I don’t have a plan,” I admit softly.
Tears well up, but I blink them away, not wanting to upset Blade or look stupid in front of Axel. Not that any of that matters at this point. I’m a failure, like my father told me. Alone, broke, and homeless.
My head spins, and I grip the side of the car to steady myself. I’m vaguely aware of Blade thanking Axel before his hand rests on the small of my back, guiding me through the back door and into the lobby. He leads me into an office in the back and encourages me to sit on the couch. He joins me a second later, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
“We’ll fix your car,” he says, his gaze as serious as ever.
“It’s not just the car,” I say miserably. I can’t look at him while I’m feeling like a foolish child. “I don’t… I don’t have any money. No plan. Nothing. What was I thinking? Stupid, right? Silly, stupid Sonya, thinking she could make it alone.”
“Sonya, you’re not stupid.”
“Stranded, then.”
Blade huffs out a grunt. “Can’t be stranded if you don’t know where you’re going,” he counters.
A smile replaces my frown at his response. He’s trying to make me feel better in his own way.
“Furthermore, I don’t need a car if I have no destination, right? So the problem solves itself!” I joke. The intense, tatted-up biker frowns at me, and I can’t help but laugh.
“That’s not what I was saying,” he sighs.
“When’s the last time you smiled?” I blurt.
Blade’s brow tips up. His mouth opens and closes before he frowns. “When’s the last time you got angry?”
It’s my turn to raise my eyebrow. I wasn’t expecting that question, and honestly, I don’t know the answer. “I… I was always told that anger is a bad emotion. So I try to transform the anger into understanding and gaining a new perspective.”
Blade stares at me for a beat, then shakes his head. “That’s bullshit,” he says matter-of-factly.
I can’t help but giggle. He’s so freaking serious about everything. He also hasn’t answered my question about smiling, which breaks a little piece of my heart.
The corner of his lips twitch, and for a moment, I think he might reward me with a smile. It’s short-lived, but he was trying. I hope I can bring that out in him.
“Look, how about you help out around the shop?” Blade offers.
“I’m not sure you want me poking around cars. Might be bad for business.”
He gives me some side eye, but there’s a glint of amusement in those dark depths. “You’ll stick to the lobby area, making appointments, light filing, organizing, stuff like that.” Suddenly, Blade’s eyes widen, and he looks at me as if struck by a horrible realization. “Not that I think you’re only good enough to be a secretary. But with the cars and my guys not having any manners, and…”
“Slow down there,” I tell him, placing a hand on his massive shoulder.
