Page 25 of Sanctuary

“Although I don’t think any of us would’ve wanted to follow in your footsteps with the sergeant major’s wife,” Solo said.

“That was a mistake, I can admit that.” One she wasn’t proud of and was in no hurry to repeat or dwell on. “Anyway, I offered to restore the car for her if she could get all the parts so she could auction it and raise funds for the Sanctuary.”

Lightning raised her perfectly trimmed eyebrows. “You did what?”

Gabe frowned. “There’s a problem with that?”

“A restoration on a car like that would take three or four hundred hours.” Lightning gestured around her. “You’ve got a new business to run. Where are you going to find the time to fit it in?”

Gabe tapped Solo’s thigh. “I thought I’d get a little help from my friends.”

Solo nodded. “I’m up for it. That’s the kind of car I live to work on, and it’s for a good cause, Lightning.”

“Plus there’s no hurry. From the looks of the dust on the tarp that covered it, the car hasn’t been touched in a while.” Gabe recalled Lori’s reticence to talk about the vehicle and the story surrounding it, though it clearly had something to do with the ex. “And she wasn’t that enthusiastic about the offer when I made it.”

“She wasn’t?” Solo looked bemused. “Why the hell not?”

Gabe shrugged. “I think it’s complicated, and she wasn’t about to share details about her private life with a relative stranger. But it’s a good sign that she wants to talk about it now.” She glanced at Lightning, who narrowed her eyes.

“She better not be taking advantage of your generosity,” she said.

Gabe chuckled at her friend’s protectiveness. “It’s not like it was her idea, and she’s not exactly pushing my arm up my back.” She put her hand on Lightning’s shoulder. “But thank you for looking out for me.”

Lightning huffed. “Someone has to. Otherwise you’ll be burning daylight working gratis for anyone and everyone.”

Gabe smiled. “Only for the people in need.”

“Look outside, Gabe,” Lightning said. “Most everyone’s in need after COVID.”

Gabe rolled her eyes. “Real need, then. Plus, I feel like I owe her. She saved Max’s life, and she didn’t have to. She did it because that’s the kind of person she is; she likes helping people and animals, and I want to help her.”

Lightning smirked slightly, and Gabe knew she’d revealed more than she’d wanted to.

“You like her, don’t you?” Lightning asked to a chorus of whistles from the rest of the gang.

Gabe emptied her beer and grabbed another from the cooler. “Just for that, you’re driving home.” She shut out the resulting cries and calls from everyone, teasing her that she was in love. They knew it was nonsense as much as she did, but that kind of banter had always been part of their dynamic. She just hadn’t been on the receiving end of it much before. “Have you guys been storing all of this up? Waiting for the day I was no longer your superior officer?”

Solo slapped her hard on the back. “Pretty much.”

“Fine. Anyway, if I end up with the project, I’ll do it after hours.”

“Then so will we,” said Lightning.

If Gabe had been the sentimental type, the solidarity of their friendship might’ve pushed a tear to the surface. But she’d only just come out of the Army and was way behind Lightning in that respect. It’d take a lot longer than a couple of weeks as a civilian to start getting in touch with her emotions, or whatever she was supposed to be able to do now that her life wasn’t at risk every second of the day.

Solo nodded. “We could put it in the smaller workshop in the back, and we’d have her stripped down in a weekend if we all pitched in. That grill and the bumper looked like it was in decent condition though, so if the rest of it is as good, it might take less time to restore than Lightning thinks.”

“I love the ‘skirt in the air’ look on the front fender,” RB said.

Woody shook her head. “I’m not a fan. You shouldn’t be able to see all the front-end linkage. It’s just not very modest.”

“I thought you liked your cars like your women—upfront and open.” RB laughed and gave Woody a shove so hard, she lost balance on the edge and had to jump into the inspection pit.

“Jesus, RB.” Woody grabbed RB’s ankle and tried to tug her in.

RB managed to squirm out of her grip. She shook her beer and sprayed it in Woody’s direction.

“Beer fight,” Solo yelled and sprayed her beer at Woody too, which encouraged them all to join in.

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