Page 13 of The Relationship Mechanic

“That, and someone shorter and younger than him.” She shrugged like it didn’t bother her. For all Jessica knew, it might not. If Vini had been running this place as long as she said, then she probably had dealt with a lot of bullshit before now. Jessica had seen that kind of bullshit sexism at play so many times when her mother was in the role of director and not just actress. It has always made her bristle at the dismissive attitude, but her mother had always handled it with the type of grace Jessica only reserved for pets and children. Young children. Teenagers could suck it.

“I should get out there,” Vini said gesturing at the door.

The door that Jessica was still standing in front of. With a twisted grin, Jessica stepped away, though her eyes never left Vini as she walked by. Her scent, warm and citrusy, tickled Jessica’s nose, making her draw in a deep breath. For as messy as Vini’s work got, she smelled so refreshingly sweet that Jessica’s teeth hurt with the need to taste.

“Change into those pants and then come on out when you’re ready,” Vini threw out before she left the office and closed the door behind her.

Jessica stared at the closed door wondering how the hell she had gotten herself into this mess. She had spent most of the weekend relaxing in her suite and fielding questions and concerns from her parents and brother, Jason. She felt enough guilt about the whole mess with her mom’s costars, but then the guilt set in from refusing to join her parents in Italy. She knew they just wanted to make sure she was okay. Well, her parents wanted to make sure. Jason probably wanted to hear the whole sordid story as fodder for his addition to drama. Still, Jessica hadn’t been able to stand the thought of hearing firsthand about the increased scrutiny her mom was under. Especially when it wasn’t even her fault.

Things had been all fun and flirty when Jessica first got involved with Jang-Mi. They had kept things quiet and just made it seem like two friends enjoying one another’s company, and despite their nighttime fun, neither had mentioned feelings or going beyond a casual and fulfilling friends-with-benefits situation. When Jang-Mi had fallen off the grid for a couple days, Jessica had chalked it up to the good times coming to an end. She hadn’t even thought twice about her mom’s other costar, Irene, showing up out of nowhere declaring that Jang-Mi had slept with her girlfriend. Said girlfriend being Jessica. The shock had left her frozen until Irene launched into a loud tirade and the cell phone cameras came out.

When the inevitable fallout came, the scrutiny of flashing lights and ruthlessly dedicated paparazzi had become too much. Jessica had felt bad about fleeing, but she hadn’t signed up for that kind of drama when it was all supposed to be no-strings-attached fun. She had sent both of them one last text before blocking both their numbers and going on a social media blackout. It had been Grace who suggested coming to Peach Blossom, and Jessica hadn’t thought twice about it. A small town where people probably didn’t know her mother and definitely didn’t know her was perfect.

Or had been until now.

She didn’t think this thing with Vini would draw in such a crowd of spectators, but she also was happy enough to find someone to help keep her mind off her six-week self-imposed isolation to begin with.

“Just got to keep it from going too deep,” she whispered to herself as she pushed down her wide-legged jeans and slipped on the slacks Vini had left for her. She didn’t want to make it seem like she was just waiting for Vini to get back, so she opened the door and headed back to the front of the shop. When she stepped through the doorway, immediately, something set her on edge.

Vini was standing behind the counter with Aiden a rigid line by her side. Across the counter, another man stood, eyes looking hard as he looked back and forth between the two. Jessica tentatively walked forward but jerked to a stop when the man turned to look at her.

“Oh, great, another chick,” he spit out before stabbing a finger at Vini. “I don’t know what kind of shit you’re trying to pull, but I want to speak to the master mechanic, now.”

“And I told you,” Vini replied, her voice hard in a way that had Jessica standing straighter, “I am the master mechanic and the owner. If you have an issue—”

“My issue is the quality of you people’s work,” he bellowed, cutting her off. A flush rose from his neck sliding up his chin. “I don’t know what kind of town doesn’t have a proper auto shop, but I will not have you fucking up my car.”

Jessica was shocked. It wasn’t the first time she had seen someone act a fool over customer service whether they were justified or not, but she hadn’t expected to see it here. Peach Blossom so far had seemed so wholesome and nice, proving that at least here, the stereotype of Southerners being uber friendly was true. She didn’t know if this guy was a local or what, but his behavior seemed so at odds with what she had experienced so far.

“Fine.”

When Vini spoke, her voice was even with not even a slight rise in volume. If it had been Jessica being yelled at, she would have already been over the damn counter ready to fight the guy, size difference or not. Still, she stayed quiet. This wasn’t her fight, and Vini didn’t need her to begin with. If she needed backup, Aiden no doubt would have jumped in without a moment’s notice. Jessica took her cue from him, hanging back and letting the boss handle it.

Vini’s concession seemed to confuse the man, and his mouth opened and closed a moment with no sound coming out. Clearly, he was just as confused as Jessica about what would come next.

“If you’re concerned with the quality of our work, you’re more than welcome to find an alternate place for your vehicle.” Vini moved then, not waiting for him to respond. She picked up the phone and dialed. Jessica waited like the other two men. She didn’t know what was about to happen, and the sense of anticipation threatened to undo her. “Hey, Tony. I got a guy here looking to get some work done on his 2018 Benz C-Class.”

“It’s a 2019,” the man barked out.

Vini didn’t do much but raise her eyebrow. “Sorry ’bout that. I meant a 2019. He’s real concerned about the quality of the work we do ’round here, so if you would be so kind to tow him to yours, I know he would appreciate it.”

Aiden turned as if to sneeze, but Jessica saw what could only be described as a shit-eating grin on his face. When he saw her looking, he winked before turning back around.

“Thanks, Tony. Tell the wife and kids I said hey.” Vini chuckled before hanging up. When she spoke to the man again, her voice lacked the warmth it had previously had. “Tony is en route and will get you squared away.”

The man nodded sharply. “Good.” He looked around before frowning again. “Where’s the lounge where I can wait?”

Vini’s smile went sharp. “I’m sorry, sir. The lounge is for customers only, and seeing as you aren’t a customer, it is not available for use.”

He frowned, expression falling. “But the—”

“Tony will be here in forty minutes, so if you need a place to sit other than your car, there’s a bench right outside.” Vini turned dismissing him. “Have a wonderful day.”

The man stood there for a moment, fists balled at his sides, but as if realizing there wasn’t much he could do, he turned on his heel and yanked open the door sending the bell clanging wildly as he stomped outside. For a moment, the only sound was his footsteps crunching on the gravel, but slowly it was replaced with a soft giggle. Jessica raised an eyebrow when she saw Aiden lean over and prop himself on the counter as his laughter slowly gained momentum. She saw Vini grin at him and wondered what the hell she was missing.

“What?” she asked, wanting to be in the know. “Why are you laughing?”

Vini thumped Aiden on the back before gesturing for Jessica to follow her into the garage area. Jessica glanced back at Aiden and saw him slowly rise before he gave her a big goofy grin and a thumbs-up. She shook her head with a smile. There was something she was missing, as had the asshole who wasted their time.

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