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“And you never told me you were a mechanic,” I pointed out.
She paced back and forth nervously, then snapped her eyes back to me.
“Look, if you want me out of here, I’ll go. No hard feelings. I’ll pretend this never happened,” she said.
Her response stunned me. I knew she was surprised to see me, especially considering neither of us had any idea the other would be involved in the same field. But I couldn’t imagine she would really think I would try to push her away from a job she was qualified for because of my personal feelings. I took a step toward her.
“What? No. Of course, I want you here.”
Kelly stopped pacing and stared at me. The intensity of her blue gaze made a hot blush climb up onto my cheeks. But I wasn’t lying or exaggerating. I wanted her there. The idea of her working with me was not only exciting, it felt like it was the first step of everything falling into place. I wanted her there on the racing complex. I wanted her in my bed. I wanted her in my life.
The attraction was so strong I wanted to just scoop her up into my arms and not let go. But I held back. It was probably best if we just started with the job. She’d just gotten back into town and having a solid job would help her settle in and make this really her home. I didn’t want to try anything else too soon and make it seem like her employment depended at all on a personal relationship with me. As long as Kelly was close, I could be patient.
“You do?” she asked.
“If you want the job, it’s yours. Your resume is the most impressive one I’ve seen in a while. And I know if you’re in the garage, Quentin has already vetted your references. I have no problems trusting you with my bike.”
I smiled at her, hoping she believed me and that she understood just how much that meant to me. My bike was not only my most prized possession, it was the key to my profession. Trusting her with taking care of it meant I was trusting her to help me maintain my success, but also to keep me safe. It was something I didn’t take lightly. The main reason I liked to spend most of my time in the garage was because I was very particular about how my bike was handled and liked to do as much of it myself as I could.
As I searched her face, I tried to figure out what she was thinking and if she would need more convincing. I would do anything I could to encourage her to take the job. Finally, Kelly nodded.
“This is a professional arrangement. We can be coworkers and friends, right?” she asked.
I nodded. It wasn’t exactly all I wanted from her, but I was willing to start there. After some time of letting her settle in and us getting used to each other again, I would see if I could swing her around to my way of thinking.
“Absolutely, we can. This is a great place to work, and I don’t just say that because my older brother owns it,” I said.
She shook her head and let out a short laugh. “I still can’t believe I didn’t put it together. When I first saw Quentin, I thought I recognized him. He looked familiar in kind of a distant way, but I couldn’t place him. I figured he must just have been somebody I’d seen when I was out somewhere or maybe it was because I saw his avatar on the emails he sent me. Now I realize it was because I saw him across the bar when you pointed him out.”
“He doesn’t appear to have recognized you either,” I pointed out. “To be honest, he might not have even realized I’m a woman much less that you and I know each other. I’ve had plenty of interviews or jobs when people see ‘Kelly’ and still think I’m a man.” She laughed again. “It’s quite the surprise for them when I show up.”
“I’m sure it is,” I agreed. “Hopefully, these guys didn’t give you any trouble about it. I’ve never known either of them to have any problem with women mechanics—my mother would destroy both of them if she caught wind of it. But they are known to tease and poke fun.”
“No,” Kelly said, shaking her head. “They were both perfectly polite and really friendly.”
“Good. And they obviously like you since you made it all the way to me.”
We stared at one another for a minute before Kelly cleared her throat. “Well, I should probably get back there before Gus and Quentin think I kidnapped you. That probably wouldn’t bode well for my future with the company. Hopefully, I’ll talk to you soon.”
