Page 14 of The Relationship Mechanic

When Vini paused beside a car, Jessica stepped up to her side. “Seriously,” she said getting Vini’s attention, “what am I missing here?”

Vini looked more amused than angry as she glanced up at Jessica. “That guy was complaining about a woman being a master mechanic.”

“Yeah, I heard that part. Is that what the douche code is about?”

She nodded. “Code douche, yeah. We don’t get them too often, thankfully. Apparently, he was on his way to Florida when his car started making some clunky noises, so he stopped here.”

Jessica was relieved then to know the guy wasn’t local. She still didn’t understand why Vini and Aiden were so amused by the guy requesting to be towed to another shop. “So were you laughing because the guy now has to wait outside for almost an hour to get his car towed?”

Vini snorted. “No, although it was nice to tell him to take hike. We were laughing at the thought of him realizing that Tony is short forAntonia.” Her eyes crinkled at the sides when she delivered that bit of news.

It took Jessica a moment to understand what she meant before it hit her. She widened her eyes before letting out a bark of laughter. “Oh, shit. No wonder you were so quick to offer him up to Tony.”

“Yup. And if he thinks he’s going to push her around, he’s got another thing coming,” Vini added. “She and her wife were pro wrestlers at one point, and Tony is still more built than most men. Add to the fact that I interrupted her first cup of coffee, and he better learn to shut up real quick.”

Jessica let her laughter overtake her as she pictured the moment Tony, or Antonia, stepped out of her tow truck. She glanced at the open garage door. “I need to see this go down. Will we be able to see her from here?”

Vini’s smile went wicked. “Absolutely.” That look did something to Jessica that made it damn unfortunate that they were out in public where anyone could just walk by. She would have loved to pull Vini in and taste how spicy that smile was. Instead, she contented herself with the knowledge that she would soon see an asshole get his comeuppance.

“Now,” Vini said grabbing her attention again, “let’s start with your lesson for the day.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to say something about lessons after dark, but Jessica kept it to herself. She would be good...for now.

It was only two hours and a sweaty T-shirt later that Jessica wondered if she might have chosen the wrong plan for getting close to Vini. Her skin felt tacky as she brushed her forehead with the back of her hand. People had always talked about late fall and early winters in the South being pleasant, but right now she felt like she was about to melt into her clothes. The temperature in the garage had started out fine, but gradually it had warmed until not one part of her remained unaffected and her back ached with all the bending over.

“So tell me what is wrong here,” Vini said as she leaned back and observed. Jessica looked down at the car, or more specifically the engine. That was the one thing that she could label so far even with Vini repeating the other parts multiple times. Jessica could memorize dialogue for a script no problem, but when it came to trying to memorize the parts in this car, she continuously drew a blank. It was like Vini was speaking French and Jessica was speaking Korean. They didn’t even have roots in the same language.

She looked down at the stick in her hand and then back up at Vini. “The stick isn’t wet?” Jessica couldn’t help but phrase it like a question. She knew there was something important here that she should have seen, but she wasn’t completely sure. She didn’t want to make it seem like she wasn’t paying attention to what Vini was saying. She totally was. She just didn’t get it.

“Yes, and why is that a bad thing?”

“Because anytime you put a stick in, it shouldn’t come out dry,” she said unable to keep the smirk off her face. To her relief Vini chuckled.

“Well, you’re not wrong. That’s how you check your oil level, and it definitely shouldn’t go in dry and come out dry.” She raised an eyebrow. “And you’re right. That’s not good in just about any situation.”

Jessica nodded and handed the stick over to Vini. She got that much at least, but she wasn’t sure what else she should be getting. The engine looked like every other engine to her, as in it looked like a mass of winding metal that she didn’t know the beginnings of how to make sense of.

“How did you get into cars and things? I mean, it isn’t something that I think most girls grow up with.”

Vini shrugged before turning and placing the stick onto the rolling tray that she had brought over to hold an assortment of other instruments Jessica couldn’t even begin to name. “The shop has been in my family since my grandfather settled here. My dad ran it when I was a kid, and in high school, I took a couple auto-shop classes and loved it.” She shrugged again. “I think I’ve always loved cars.”

“Oh, really?” None of the schools Jessica had gone to had auto-shop classes. At least, she didn’t think they did. She had never really cared about cars, so she hadn’t paid attention.

“Yeah.” Vini paused for a moment before her gaze shifted to the side. “When I was in elementary school, my mom got really sick. Cancer. My older sisters were usually out of the house doing whatever, so my dad would bring me into the shop with him.”

Jessica swallowed against the knot in her throat. It wasn’t pity she felt as she thought about a miniature-sized Vini following her dad around like a little lost kitten. She always found she had to push hard when emotional topics were brought up. Usually, she attempted to avoid them altogether. But she found herself swaying toward Vini, wanting to learn more about what made her tick.

“So you decided then to take the place over?”

Vini shrugged. “Sort of. I would help out here and there, sweeping the floors or organizing the small things. When I was in high school, dad got injured, so I sort of acted as his temporary hands. He had a couple employees then, younger guys that got married and moved away after a while. He taught me more, and when he mentioned potentially having to sell the place, I realized I didn’t want to let it go.”

Vini rubbed a hand over the frame of the car. Jessica’s breath caught when she saw Vini’s lips curve up into a soft smile. It was so content and tranquil in a way Jessica didn’t think she had ever experienced. It made her want to reach out and taste it so she could greedily gather some of that feeling for herself. She had to say something if only to bat away the alien thoughts in her head.

“So you went straight from high school to taking over the shop?”

“No,” Vini said, shaking her head and blinking slowly as if she had just awoken from a deep dream. “I graduated a year early and enrolled in an automotive technology program. Spent a few years observing some of the guys and apprenticed with Tony until I felt ready to take things over. Actually, I met Aiden in school. He was a year behind me, and I promised him a job when he graduated. Thankfully, he took me up on it.”

Vini’s smile was wide and obviously proud. Jessica could understand why. Here Vini was just shy of twenty-three and she already had her shit together better than most thirty-year-olds Jessica knew. Hell, Vini had things better together than Jessica. It was so different from her experience in life, but she couldn’t help but be impressed by the fact that Vini seemed so secure in what she liked and what she wanted to do even at a young age.

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