Page 21 of The Relationship Mechanic

“You do have your own bed.”

Dani’s smile was soft and still fuzzy-looking from sleep. “Yeah. But yours is more comfortable.”

Vini frowned as Dani settled in, tugging the blankets around her shoulders until only her head was left exposed. It wasn’t the first time Vini’s bed had been invaded, but usually it was Jordan making an appearance when Dani had to work a late-night shift. When they were children, Dani, Ava and Vini often did share beds, but it was a practice that had stopped years ago.

“What’s with the sudden need to be in my bed?” Vini asked as she rolled over onto her back. She stared up at her ceiling, its bumps and ridges familiar to her, as was the glow-in-the-dark stars that she had put up when she was in middle school. Some of them had fallen off over the years, but many of them remained glowing faintly in the dark of night.

Dani was quiet for a moment, and when Vini glanced over, she saw Dani’s eyes were closed. She was startled when Dani finally spoke.

“Yesterday went well.” When Vini hummed noncommittally, she continued. “Dad seemed to like Jessica.”

“That’s good,” Vini replied tentatively. She wasn’t sure what Dani was trying to get at, so she thought it best to play it safe. “I know Grace probably felt more comfortable with a friend.”

Dani snorted but conceded the point. “We can be overwhelming at times. But beyond Grace, it seemed like Jessica enjoyed herself. Have you talked to her since?”

Vini shook her head. “When would I have had the time?”

“Last night after she left maybe. It seemed like you two were getting along well, and people have seen her at your shop more often than not.”

Vini turned her head. She knew now where this conversation was going, and she wasn’t in the mood for it. Especially not when she was still trying to figure out how she felt about the whole thing. It had been three weeks of her and Jessica sneaking around and finding snatches of time to be together, and yet she still didn’t feel any closer to understanding who Jessica was. She knew she was a great kisser. She knew that one heated look could have Vini’s knees quaking with the need to bend. She knew that she loved to feel Jessica’s skin on hers and how she searched for traces of Jessica’s scent long after she was gone.

But she didn’t know how Jessica liked her eggs or what she’d wanted to be when she was a kid. Hell, she didn’t even know which college Jessica had gone to, and it was quickly becoming a problem. She wanted to ask all these questions and more, but would that be too much? Jessica asked plenty of questions about Vini, but she always seemed hesitant to answer Vini’s own curiosity about her life. Everything seemed to stay frustratingly surface-level and one-sided. Vini didn’t know how to approach things, and when Jessica was right in front of her all Vini could do was breathe.

“We don’t talk that often unless she’s coming to ask questions about car maintenance,” Vini said wincing at the slight whine in her voice. That wasn’t totally true, but she was trying not to spill the beans so soon. “We aren’t that close.”

Dani nodded. “Well, maybe you should change that.” Her response surprised Vini. Dani had been nice enough to Jessica, but she hadn’t paid more than the usual amount of attention to her. Dani opened her eyes, gaze locking on Vini in an instant. “What?”

“Ava warned me to stay away from Jessica, and yet here you are telling me I should, what, befriend her?” The whole thing was confusing. “Make it make sense.”

Dani rolled her eyes. “Ava is a bit overprotective. We both are when it comes to our favorite baby sister.”

“I’m your only baby sister,” Vini pointed out. “That still doesn’t explain why you think I should get closer to Jessica.”

“She seems nice,” Dani replied. “And as much as I know you enjoy your work and life here, I worry about you. Dad was right when he said most people your age go out with friends or vacation. They go dancing and drinking and make bad decisions. You have Aiden, sure, and he’s a great person, but other than him, you’re usually alone.”

Vini swallowed hard at how serious the conversation had gotten. “I like being alone.”

“But you don’t have to be,” Dani replied. When Vini didn’t respond, she scooted closer and wrapped an arm around Vini’s waist. Vini let herself be moved until she was tucked into Dani’s chest like she used to do when she woke up from nightmares she couldn’t name. Dani’s cheek pressed against the top of her head, and Vini felt herself relax.

“What if she doesn’t want to get to know me?” Vini asked before she could talk herself out of it. It was a question that had been floating in the dredges of her mind and now that it was out there, she felt a little lighter. “I’m not that exciting of a person.”

“Then, she’s a fool. You’re awesome, and I should know because I’m the oldest and what I say goes.”

Vini laughed softly. So many arguments had been ended that way, but this wasn’t one where she wanted to argue back. Not when she so desperately wanted Dani to be right.

Vini stared at her phone. She had spent most of Friday turning over her and Dani’s conversation in her mind. Ava hadn’t said much about Thanksgiving beyond moping around now that Grace was gone to visit her mom. It had left Vini with time to come up with a strategy.

She and Jessica had exchanged numbers, but beyond a text here or there, they hadn’t really talked. Now that Jessica was out of town with Grace, Vini planned to rectify that and see if they could hold a conversation when clothes weren’t coming off. Before she could second-guess herself, she hit Jessica’s number and held the phone up to her ear as she waited. Each ring seemed to mock her, and she tapped her blunt nails on the counter in a staccato rhythm as she waited. When the line finally clicked, she almost hung up.

“Hey, Vin. What’s up? Everything okay there?”

“Yeah,” Vini replied. She looked around the shop as she tried to think of what more to say. It was quiet even for a Saturday after a holiday. Aiden had taken the morning off, so it was just Vini alone with her thoughts for another couple hours.

“Aw, do you miss me?” Jessica’s voice was teasing, but her words sent Vini into a tailspin. The truth was she did miss Jessica, but that wasn’t something she could admit. Could she? That was probably a step too far too soon.

She knew she needed to keep it casual and ease into conversation. “I wouldn’t go that far. Especially not with the way you still can’t figure out the difference between a wrench and a screwdriver.”

Jessica’s laugh was carefree and open, and it had Vini smiling at the phone. She pulled it away from her ear and put it on Speaker as she walked into the garage. “So how’s Miami?”

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