Page 96 of Unbearable
My gaze sweeps over the shop at the cars on lifts, the sounds of air tools filling the metal building. Beside Lenny is a guy I’ve never seen before. He’s younger, probably Daniel’s age with blond hair he’s got tucked under a Walker Automotive hat. “Who’s the kid?” I ask, giving a nod behind him.
“Wesley. He’s a friend of Jude’s. We hired him as a lube tech last week.” He knows by the look on my face what I’m thinking and he’s quick to add, “He’s not taking your job, man. He’s only changing oil.” Glancing over his shoulder, he sees him standing by Lenny as she changes brakes on an Explorer, flirting with her. Red looks over at me with an unamused expression. “He’s not going to last long if he doesn’t keep his eyes off my girl.”
I’m only out there five minutes when Mia comes inside the shop, Nova at her feet. The bus just dropped her off and she still has her backpack on. Her brow scrunches when she sees me sitting beside her dad. “What happened to your hair, Uncle Ty?”
I run my hand over my head. “I made a really bad decision and didn’t take my vitamins.”
Knowing where I’m going with this, Red shakes his head, smiling.
Nova’s eyes widen. “So they shaved your head?”
“Yeah.”
“Jesus Christ,” she mumbles, walking off toward the office.
I burst out laughing, as does Red, knowing she shouldn’t say that but it’s funny anyway. “Nova, you can’t say that.”
She says nothing to him and keeps walking. She probably thinks if she doesn’t respond, she can pretend she didn’t hear him.
Colt makes his way over next with a beer in hand. “So next time you’re thinking about taking out a building, why don’t you swing by my house,” he suggests, smiling. “I got a fence I need to tear down and I’m just too fucking lazy to do it.”
I chuckle. “I’ll keep it in mind, old man.”
“Get back to work,” Red tells him.
He raises his hands when Red pushes him away. “I’m just saying, if he’s going to run shit over, he’d be doing me a favor.”
I’m glad someone finds entertainment in this. Leave it to Colt.
Red points to the door when another car comes in and I’m staring at it. “Go upstairs.”
I do as he says, mostly because I don’t want to do what he did and come back too soon and then have to take another week off. I have supplemental insurance that will pay for my time off but still, I can’t afford to take three weeks off work.
All day I try not to think about Raven, but it’s hard. All I do is think about us and where our relationship currently stands. I know she said we’re good and basically together, but I finally understand why she wanted a definition with us before. It’s maddening not knowing.
It’s around six and I’m contemplating fixing myself something to eat when I hear the front door open. The only people who have a key are Red and Raven.
My heart lurches at the thought of seeing her. Gently I turn my head the direction of the door and sit up.
I breathe a sigh of relief when she walks through and turns to close the door. Once she’s back facing me, I see she’s holding two bags from the Chinese restaurant up the street. “Don’t you dare get up, Tyler. Stay on the couch.”
I do as she says because I want to watch her walk through the room and when she turns, I get a view of her ass. “You drove all the way back here from Eugene to bring me dinner?”
“Well, yeah.” She looks at me quickly, and then away to the bags she sets on the coffee table in front of me, uneasiness masking her features. “Don’t make it sound like it’s that big of a deal. It’s really not.”
I study her thoughtfully for a moment, desperately wanting that uneasy look she carries to disappear. “It’s kind of a big deal.”
She reaches up and tugs at her hair, letting down her ponytail. Her hair spills down around her shoulders as she takes a seat beside me on the couch. “No, a big deal would have been me cooking for you.” She gives a dismissive flick of her hand at the boxes on the table. “I brought takeout. There’s a difference.”
“Oh, well, in that case….” Pausing, I gaze at her speculatively. “It’s all good.”
It’s then I notice she’s wearing a T-shirt and sweat pants and while they look good on her, I miss those shorts and tank tops she wore all summer long. I hate winter for this very reason. Less skin visible for me.
“If you’re going to play nurse, dress the part.” And then I grab a fistful of her shirt and pull her on my lap. I shouldn’t be doing it, but as I’ve said before, I’m not good at following the rules.
She steals a glance at my face when she’s on my lap and slides off to sit next to me. “Tyler, I don’t have a change of clothes with me.Don’trip my shirt.”
“Oh, man. That sucks for you. Guess you’ll have to play the part of the naughtynakednurse.”
