Page 64 of Ice Mechanic

“They don’t even look good together, so why bother?”

Another round of laughter rings out.

The nurses glance at the door and I hurry past, my heart hammering against my ribs and angry tears forming in my eyes.

For a moment, I’m back in that garage with Evan as he listed all the reasons a man would cheat on me.‘You don’t even TRY to look nice, April. It’s like you want everyone to forget you’re a woman. How could any man be attracted to that?’

I run to my car, crawl inside and slam the door. Wrapping my fingers on the steering wheel, I lean my head against it and squeeze for all I’m worth.

In the chaos, the shame and the embarrassment, I hear my dad’s voice.

Return to the principles and build from there.

I straighten and stare unseeingly through the windshield. Dad’s advice will take too long, and there’s no guarantee it’ll work. Right now, with so much at stake, I don’t have time tobuild on foundations. I need results fast. And that means playing the game by the world’s rules. Not mine.

Pulling out my cell phone in a flash of angry determination, I text May to come to the garage.

Next, I call Rebel.

“Hey,” she says chirpily, “how’s your dad?”

I talk right over her. “Rebel, remember you said I could always raid your closet. No questions asked?”

“Uh… yeah?”

I start my car and reverse out of the parking lot so hard that I spit stones and gravel. “I need to borrow a dress. ”

CHAPTER

NINETEEN

CHANCE

I sulkin the backseat of Derek’s rented BMW, giving my fidget spinner a moody flick. My agent glances at me in the rearview mirror before darting his gaze back to the road.

He taps his finger on the steering wheel three times and sighs out loud. “What’s going on with you and that mechanic?”

I say nothing.

The spinner makes a soft, whirring sound as the fans blur in front of me.

“Are you seriously into her?”

Another flick.

“Come on, Chance. I haven’t seen you in ages. What’s with all the angry glares?”

“You haven’t seen me because you tossed me like garbage after the suspension.”

“What’s the point in bringing up the past? I came back, didn’t I?”

I scowl.

“Look, I know what you’re really mad about. It’s because I said the wrong thing in front of that girl—” At my dark look, herectifies, “that strong, independent female mechanic.” He waves a hand dismissively. “I apologized for my comment about her being a small town girl but the thing is… sheisa small town girl. I wasn’t wrong about that.”

“Aren’t you tired of running your mouth, Derek?” I growl.

“How am I the bad guy for reminding the both of you not to get attached? You think this is a romance movie, bro? There isnoway you can have herandthe league.”

---