Page 5 of The Relationship Mechanic

Ava hummed before taking another bite. She didn’t appear anymore interested than normal, but looks could always be deceiving. “Is that so?”

Her question was deceptively calm, but Vini wasn’t fooled. Whereas Dani might have a few questions, tease her a bit and then let things go, Ava was like facing an inquisition. If not for her being a teacher, Vini had no doubt that she would have made an excellent lawyer. Her way of asking questions back-to-back until you had no other choice but to give in and spit out the truth would have had her highly sought out. Still, Vini refused to surrender so easily. If Ava wanted information, she was going to have to work for it.

“I knew she wasn’t from here, so I decided to be nice.”

Their father grunted and nodded as if cosigning her words. It really wasn’t that outlandish. Sure, she had never offered anyone else a ride to town before, but there was a first time for everything. And surely Ava could agree that being nice to Grace’s friend was the way to go.

“Anyway, other than that, it was a boring day in the shop. Got some parts in and had Aiden—”

“Does she date women?”

Dani’s question cut her off, but she continued like she hadn’t heard it. “—unload them and put them in their places. I’m thinking it might be time to add onto the shop, given the last few jobs Patrick had to send elsewhere since I didn’t have the equipment for them.”

Her dad nodded again. “Always said you would need to add to the new place. Sounds like time to do that. We do have some money saved. Probably a good idea to look at hiring another person part-time at least.”

“You should probably ask Grace if her friend dates women,” Dani powered on, refusing to be ignored. “It’s not every day we get some new blood flowing into town. Was she cute?”

“Anyway,” Ava replied. She looked at Vini. “If it’s the same Jessica Grace has mentioned before, your best bet is to stay far away.”

“Why?” Vini asked the question before she could think about whether it was a good idea to show any interest. It wasn’t like it would be the first time she was interested in someone at all, but it had been a while.

Ava arched an eyebrow. “From what Grace has told me, Jessica isn’t exactly known for settling down with one person. I believe the word she used wasfree-spirited, but what she really meant wasflighty. You should probably keep away from her.”

Vini frowned and looked down at her plate. She didn’t doubt Ava’s words. She would know more than her about Grace’s friends, but nothing Jessica did had read asplayerto Vini. Then again, Vini probably wouldn’t have known if she did. It wasn’t like she got a lot of practice when it came to the dating game. Peach Blossom was progressive as far as small towns went, but that didn’t mean the dating pool was any bigger.

“Besides,” Ava continued. “From what Grace was telling me, the only reason Jessica is here is to let things die down after being caught with two of her mom’s coworkers. Not exactly a pillar of stable relationships. You don’t need to get caught-up with someone who doesn’t plan on sticking around or being serious about you.”

“Still, how often do new people come in?” Dani insisted. “She could at least ask. No harm in that.”

“The harm is getting involved in someone who comes into your life and fucks everything up because she can’t sit still,” Ava counters. “I’m sure Jessica’s a nice person, but is that really someone you want Vini to date?”

“It really doesn’t matter what either of you want since, number one, I am in fact an adult and, number two, I have no plans to see her again outside of giving her the car back.” Vini jumped back in when she saw Ava about to argue. “I helped her out because of her relationship to Grace. That’s it.”

Vini continued eating, ignoring how wrong that sentence felt. Ava and Dani kept the conversation going, but she was no longer interested. Meeting Jessica had been a fluke, and nothing would come from it. She could keep things professional, and then she would never have to see the other woman again.

Four

Walking to Vini’s shop was probably not the smartest idea, but despite questioning herself after each mile, Jessica refused to be defeated. Sweat beaded across her forehead, and she sighed in relief when Vini’s building came into view. The day was beautiful with blue skies and a few fluffy clouds. A cool breeze blew which was enough to keep her from being completely overheated, but the sun was enough to have her wishing for a wide-brimmed hat. At least she had been smart enough to put on her comfortable tennis shoes. She had thought about dressing to show off her best assets, but in the end, she didn’t want to seem like she was coming on too strong.

The overhead bell rang as she pushed the door open. Inside, cool air rushed over her, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the lower light. The place was empty with soft music playing from the doorway across from her. She walked up to the counter and paused. If she were in anyone else’s place, she would have walked around the counter without a thought. But she was trying to make a good impression. Vini had been hard enough to read during their first encounter, but Jessica was pretty sure just barging in and making herself at home was not the best way to go about things.

“Can I help you?”

Jessica jumped slightly when a voice called out from somewhere deeper in the shop. She leaned over the counter and tried to see beyond the doorway that looked like it led to some dodgy back room. A figure came around one of the shelves and walked into view.

“Did you need help with something?”

The man was tall and stocky with broad shoulders that looked strong enough to do some heavy lifting. He was tan, almost tanner than Jessica, with curly dark brown hair that flopped over his eyes making him look boyish despite his size.

“I was looking for Vini. She brought my car in yesterday.” That was mostly true. Jessica didn’t actually give a shit about the car. She had already called the rental agency to put them on blast about the dud of a vehicle they’d given her. When she mentioned being stranded on the side of the highway, they relented and let her know they would be reimbursing her for any costs of fixing the heap of junk. “I’m Jessica.”

The guy walked around the counter and held a hand out toward her. “Aiden. I’m Vini’s right-hand man around here.” Jessica shook his hand to be polite, though she glanced behind him. “You must be the one she dropped off in town yesterday, then. She mentioned you were pretty.”

“Oh, did she?” Jessica had been more interested in finding out if Vini was around, but now that she was here, she wondered how much more information she could get out of Aiden. Vini thinking she was pretty was a nice start, but that didn’t mean she was attracted to Jessica. Still, a girl could hope. “Did she mention anything else about me?”

Aiden’s smile morphed into a knowing smirk. “Maybe. Why? You interested in our mini mechanic?”

Jessica shrugged, not wanting to seem too obvious. “It would be nice to get to know my savior, considering I’m going to be spending a few weeks here.”

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