Page 9 of Mechanic's Charming Bride

Sam’s waiting for me in one of the chairs in the front of the shop, while her big poofy dress is tucked around her in a cocoon. She’s taken off her veil and has it wrapped around her arm where she strokes the light fabric between her fingers, kind of like some fancy stress ball.

She’s watching the TV mounted on the wall that’s playing a closed-captioned game of golf.

When she spots me coming through the glass door, she immediately stands. “Please tell me it’s nothing major.”

Even without saying anything, I think she can tell by the look on my face that’s far from the truth.

Her shoulders sink. “You’re kidding… what’s wrong with it?”

What isn’t wrong with it? I hold back from saying.

Instead, I go with, “Well… you’ve got quite a bit of work that needs to be done. In all honesty, I’d probably suggest just having it towed to a junkyard. You’d get more money out of them paying you for parts than trying to repair it.”

“How much would it cost to get fixed?”

I glance down at my assessment paperwork. “To do it right? Three or four thousand. I’d have to get precise prices on parts to get an exact amount.”

“In the meantime I can put a patch on your radiator leak. It should hold temporarily, but your gonna want to get that along with these other suggested repairs done soon.”

She groans and gently lowers her head to rest her forehead on the counter. I feel for her, I really do. My fingers are itching to reach out and rub her bare shoulder as a sign of sympathy but I doubt she’d want my grease-stained fingers anywhere near her perfectly pristine gown.

“If you really want it fixed up, I can… I can give you a discount. But it will take me at least a few days since I’ve got to special order some parts—”

Her head pops up. “Really?! You’d do that?”

My heart thumps. God, she is so damn cute. “Yeah, of course.”

Sam claps her hands together gleefully. “Oh my god, you are the best! Yes, yes, please. I don’t care what it costs. I have my card in my—”

She shoves her hand down into the pocket of her dress to reach for something, freezing instantly. My brow shoots up as her face falls and she slowly pulls out her hand. In between her fingers is a crisp twenty-dollar bill.

Her horrified expression tells me all I need to know. “Forgot your wallet, huh.”

“Fuck me,” she whispers.

I hate how much my cock responds to that.

A loud groan leaves her. “I can’t even get a hotel with this.”

I’m probably the stupidest man to ever walk this planet. Not because I’m pitying this girl and most likely going to give her a huge discount on whatever needs to be done, but because the instant both of us realize she’s got no money to her name, my first instinct is to offer her the guest room upstairs in my loft.

Like this woman would ever want to bunk with a complete stranger. This isn’t some TV episode where I’m left screaming at the screen because of the complete ignorance of some people to trust absolute strangers for no reason. This is real life where if that same scenario were to happen right here and now, Sam would be trying to run for the hills.

“I’m going to have to pan handle…” She’s mumbling while she holds her head in her hands. “You know any good street corners around here? Or better yet, you know any good spots to do a street performance?”

Not meaning to, I burst into laughter.

Who the hell is this girl?

She lifts her head, looking at me with tears in her eyes. It has me sobering instantly, clearing my throat.

“Sorry, I’m not making fun of you. This is a small town, so people will probably avoid you if you try and beg on the street corner. But,” I say just as her face begins to fall again. “What I can offer you is a place to stay. No cost.”

The air in my lungs freezes while I hold my breath, waiting for the inevitable cussing me out and accusing me of being a creep. I’d deserve it, even if it’d hurt my ego a little bit. But this is the least I can do for a woman who’s truly down on her luck.

To my surprise, she grins. “Wait, really? Oh man, okay. Yes. That would be amazing. Can I take you to lunch or something?”

She waves her single bill around in the air like some kind of mini flag of celebration. I don’t realize that I’m smiling until my cheeks begin to hurt from how wide it is.

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