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Running fingers through her hair, she glanced down at the appointment book.
Bull was in the main shop.
Once they had finished dinner last night, Bull had danced with her for some time before taking her home. She hadn’t been ready to invite him in for a coffee or anything else. He had stayed in his car and waited for her to enter her building.
It had been the best date of her life.
Since arriving at the shop, Bull had been busy. He already had two cars up on the ramps. Pat had been with him, and they’d been talking for a good half an hour while she tidied up from the previous day, did a bit of dusting, and then headed out for breakfast for them. She’d already delivered their pastry to them along with the coffee in the main shop. It was rare for them to eat out on the main floor with all the muck and grease, but there was always a first time for everything.
Maddie sipped at her coffee.
Her weight loss kick had hit a snag last night with ordering a burger. This morning, she’d woken up and enjoyed a small bowl of oats with non-dairy milk and a single banana. Coffee was more than what she needed.
She had a brown rice bowl in her bag she’d made herself for lunch, complete with a hummus sauce.
“Hello, beautiful,” Bull said, coming out of the shop. He placed a hand at her back and kissed her cheek.
At first, she tensed up from the contact, and then, slowly, she accepted his touch and smiled.
“Morning,” she said.
He’d been the perfect gentleman to her.
Bull rounded the counter so he stood in front of her. He took a large gulp of coffee before tearing open his pastry. It was a special Carl had done for him. Breakfast wrapped in some puff pastry.
“Apparently Carl said to give him a real challenge next time,” Maddie said.
Bull chuckled. “Don’t worry, I will.”
“What is all that about?” she asked.
“Ah, Carl is a good guy. He’s a fantastic cook. He told me he could cook anything. Every now and then, I throw out little tasks to see if he can handle it. The key is to cook what I want, offer it out to the diner, and to see if it sells good. Most of the people of Carnage are little taster bunnies.”
She smiled. “Carl is the best cook around, no doubt.”
“Got it right. So, how are things looking today?”
“Slow. Not too many challenges.”
“I’m going to need to order a whole new engine,” Bull said. “I’m going to need Neilson’s contact details so I can give him the bad news. I don’t want you handling the call.”
She moved toward the shelf where the files of current projects that were ongoing were. She found Neilson’s file and handed it straight to him. She had no problem with him dealing with that particular client, especially as he had a reputation for being … mean.
“Everything you need is in there,” she said.
“I want to take you out tonight.”
“You do?”
“Yep. I’ll pick you up at the shelter.”
“You know I’m going.”
“I know I can’t stop you, but I’m not going to worry. I’ve got a few of my guys close by. They know to keep an eye on you. Don’t worry. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
She wasn’t worried at all.
“I better go and deal with this asshole,” Bull said.
“Bull,” she said, stopping him from leaving. She closed her eyes and internally groaned.
“What is it, babe?”
“What is this?” she asked.
“What’s what?”
There was a whole lot of whats flying around.
Her mouth was suddenly dry.
“What is going on between us?” she asked. “What is this?”
“I guess that’s for you to know and you to tell me, babe. I know what I want, but the real question here is what you want.”
He turned on his heel and left, leaving her with more questions than she thought were possible.
Pushing some hair out of her face, she got to work on the paperwork he’d left behind. Bull was always so thorough.
She jumped a few minutes after Bull left when she heard him yelling. Neilson was not a good man. There was more arguing.
Glancing toward the main shop, she saw Pat laughing. She couldn’t help but smile as she went back to work.
The day flew by. It wasn’t long before she had to go out and get lunch. Bull was back in the main shop when she delivered it. He stopped what he was doing to kiss her, but he didn’t touch her. His hands were covered in grease.
Bull let her know that she could leave slightly earlier if she wanted to head to the animal shelter. Maddie made sure to complete all the tasks that were expected of her before she left at three. This was early for her.
Normally, she enjoyed closing up with Bull, but she wanted to go and see the dogs. She’d already approached the landlord where she lived, to see if he’d consider changing his policy on no pets. He refused.
