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He glanced at her. “You want to talk about it?”
She gave him a pointed look. “We sorta did already, remember?”
Understanding washed over him. “The part about whether or not I like you.”
“Bingo. Yeah, only two of my sisters who currently live at home have vehicles. And they’re the two I decided to pick a fight with. So I’m stuck.” She groaned. “I don’t want to call an Uber.”
“I can take you.” The offer slipped from his lips before he was able to consider the consequences of such an offer. Faye shot a surprised look in his direction. Great. That wasn’t something he should have said. She’d probably just tell him no anyway. She wouldn’t want her sisters to tease her about their weird relationship.
“Are you sure?”
Okay, he was wrong. “Yeah. Why not?”
“I promise I’ll make sure I get a ride next time,” Faye murmured as she climbed into her coveralls and pulled the zipper up to her neck. Even though that was the suit Bridget had worn in the past, it completely drowned Faye from head to toe. She’d pulled the sleeves to her wrist, but they didn’t have elastic and would need to be rolled up just like her pants.
She got a good look at herself and let out a laugh which only spurred his own laughter. “At least you don’t have to wear some silly helmet.”
Faye pointed an accusing finger at him. “It wasn’t silly. That thing probably saved your life because of your rash choices.”
“Point taken.” He returned to the cabinet and pulled out a matching blue cap. Ignoring her protests, he slapped the hat onto her head and stood back. She was adorable. How she could make that suit look good was beyond him.
It was time to stop allowing his thoughts to stray from where they ought to be. Adam moved toward the driver’s side door. Apparently, Faye didn’t realize he needed to access the hood release. She ended up backing up as if doing so, she’d be out of his way. Pressed up against her truck, she looked up at him with wide eyes. Her eyes were green like the pine trees that grew in the Colorado forests. The deep coloring made her eyes seem even bigger than they already were, and for a moment he was mesmerized by them. Then she blinked and broke the trance.
He gestured toward the door she blocked. “I need to get in there.”
She released a breath and scooted to the side. “Right. Of course.”
Adam peeked at her as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and put even more distance between them. “The first thing we have to do is remove the hood. It’s gonna take both of us. You think you can handle that?”
Faye nodded. “Sure.”
He pulled the release and the hood popped open. It was easy to find the latch, and he was able to lift the hood without much hassle.
“So is there a button I have to push?”
Adam gave her a crooked grin. “If only it was so easy. No. We have to disconnect the clips holding the wiring to the hood. Then we remove the hoses for the wipers. After that. There are a couple fasteners holding the hood to the truck and we have to take those out. Then we’ll take the hood off.”
Her eyes bounced to the truck and then to him. “That’s a lot.”
“And that’s just the beginning of this whole process.” His cocky attitude got the better of him and he adjusted his voice to make it sound like the guy from that karate movie. “Stick with me, grasshopper, and I will make you a master in the art of mechanics.”
Faye’s next laugh came out in more of a snort, causing her to cover her mouth with her hand. She glanced at him, her whole body ducking, and she laughed again. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t supposed to come out like that.”
“I like your laugh.”
She sobered, straightening as she stared at him with an unreadable expression.
He let out a cough and headed around the front of the truck to start disconnecting wires. “Let’s get the hood off and then we can start on the next thing.”
While he worked, Faye hovered. She handed him the tools he asked for, all while chatting about some of her sisters. He’d only known of Constance when he was in school, but that was because they shared a math class together and she was one of the smartest people in the room. As he kept to himself most of the time, he didn’t really get to know many of the rancher’s kids. He spent more time with his dad working on cars than playing with kids his age.
At the rate Faye talked, he had a hard time keeping up with which sister married whom or things about their personalities. It put into perspective just how small his family was. He only had two brothers, both of whom had moved away around the same time he had. Neither of them had gone into mechanics, which was why he was the only one to come back.
He gestured toward the right side of the hood. “Okay. You’re going to hold that steady while I take care of this last bolt. Then we’re going to take it off.”
Faye followed directions immediately, though it did unnerve him slightly that her gaze remained trained on him while he worked. Normally he’d do his work alone or with very little help. Perhaps that was the reason for his discomfort.
With the final bolt removed, he grasped the hood and they lifted it from the truck. Together they walked to the side of the garage and placed it carefully on the floor.
