Setting his mug down, he crosses the room effortlessly and slips his hands around my waist, tugging me close. “Because I like what I see, too.”
Heat stirs low in my stomach as he lowers his head and kisses me, slow and certain, like he has all the time in the world. My fingers find the hem of his shirt, anchoring me as everything else fades.
When he finally pulls back, he stays close, resting his forehead against mine. “You happy?”
I nod, my breath catching. “Yes. Very.”
He studies me for a beat and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, smiling gently. “Good.”
We stay like that a little longer, wrapped in the soft hush of morning and the kind of closeness that doesn’t need words. Then he eases back with a sigh.
“I gotta get to the garage before Henry explodes again.”
I laugh. “He explodes at least once a day.”
“Yeah, but I’d prefer not to light the fuse.” He grabs his keys, pauses at the door, and turns back for one last look. “See you in a bit?”
“I’ll be there.”
The door shuts behind him, and I exhale, leaning on the counter.
I wasn’t exaggerating. I really am happy.
***
An hour later, I make my way to the garage. I could have gone in earlier, but I wanted to give Jack a head start. And honestly, I was enjoying the quiet contentment of the morning too much to rush it.
When I walk in, Jack and Henry are half-swallowed under a lifted truck, voices raised over the hum of tools and exhaust fans.
Henry rolls out and stands, wiping his hands with a rag. “Well, well. Look who’s finally clocked in.”
“I wanted to see if he’d get any work done without me here to supervise.”
He barks a laugh. “Bless you for that. He’s been worthless since you moved in.”
Jack shoves out from beneath the truck and shoots him a look. “You’re hilarious.”
He comes over and kisses my forehead, grease-smudged hands careful not to touch anything else. “You here to work or distract me?”
“Both.”
He grins. “Thought so.”
I leave them at the bay and head to the back office. It’s just as bad as I remembered—receipt piles, scattered invoices, accounts that don’t add up. Jack and Henry might be wizards under the hood, but this? Chaos.
I roll up my sleeves and dig in.
By noon, the numbers are starting to make sense. Shocking, really.
“You know,” I call out to Jack as he walks by the office, “you’re actually making a profit.”
He leans on the doorframe. “That a dig?”
“More like a miracle.”
Henry passes behind him and hollers, “Told you we needed her!”
Jack flashes a crooked smile. “Yeah. You did.”
