Page 3 of The Relationship Mechanic

Vini turned right, and the road got a little bumpier before a picturesque house came into view. Jessica couldn’t help but be delighted by the quaint feel of the place with its long porch and old-school shutters. She didn’t even know people put shutters on houses anymore.

“Wow. This place is adorable.”

A soft chuckle beside her wasn’t enough to pull her attention away as the truck rolled up the driveway. The two-story house was painted white with sky-blue wooden shutters adorning the windows giving it a homey feel. There were a few trimmed bushes in front and a driveway leading up to it that made Jessica wonder if at some point there had been a basketball hoop at the end of it. It reminded her of those homes she saw in the old television shows her mom liked to watch. It was all very...domestic.

When Vini pulled the truck up to a stop, Jessica almost told her to turn around. Jessica Jae-eun Miller didn’t do domestic. She was a spirit that could not be tamed, especially not by a town so small it didn’t even have taxis.

“Well, here you go. I can wait here if you need?”

The offer was tempting, and Jessica wondered again if maybe there was something more to it. She was absolutely down for a roll in a cornfield, but she didn’t think Grace would appreciate her defiling the guest room so soon after her arrival. Jessica did have some tact.

She turned and favored Vini with a wide smile that she had been told a few times was rather captivating. Vini’s eyebrows lifted slightly, but besides that her expression didn’t change. It left Jessica a bit off-kilter. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Vini stayed quiet as Jessica gathered her things and opened the door. It wasn’t until Jessica was halfway up the small stairs leading to the porch that Vini spoke up again. “Wait.”

She turned when she heard the sound of a door opening, and Jessica smirked briefly before fixing a curious expression on her face and turning. Vini was only a couple steps away and she looked just as good as she had only a foot or so away inside the truck. She moved with no hesitation as she made her way to Jessica. Before Jessica could get out a word, a piece of paper was thrust in her direction.

“What’s this?” she asked reaching out. Their fingers brushed as the slip of paper changed hands. She looked down at Vini’s retreating fingers before jerking her gaze over to the piece of paper now in her own. “Your card?”

“Yeah. So you have my information for updates on your car.” Vini pointed to the back of the card, prompting Jessica to turn it over. “That’s my personal cell. I’m not always in the shop, so feel free to shoot me a text, and I can let you know when I think I’ll be finished with it and how much it’ll cost.”

Jessica nodded slowly before looking back up at Vini. “That’s really kind of you.”Damn. Cute and nice? Grace will just have to forgive me.She gestured to the house. “Want to come inside for a bit? I’m sure I could find some coffee or a bottle of wine.”

Vini shook her head. “I should get back to the shop and get under your hood. Tell Grace I said hey.”

Jessica blinked quickly and tried to remember if she had mentioned Grace’s name. Before she could say anything else, Vini turned and made her way back to the truck. With a little wave, she was gone, leaving Jessica confused and slightly turned-on. Without another word, she turned and tried the door, shocked—and yet not—to find it unlocked. She made her way inside, her gaze focused on the slip of paper in her hand as she wondered how soon was too soon to call.

“Where’s my favorite PR nightmare?”

Jessica rolled her eyes as Grace came around the corner, but she didn’t hesitate before going in for a tight hug. The rest of the afternoon had been uneventful as she unpacked her suitcase and explored the house she had only seen in pictures and over camera when they FaceTimed. It wasn’t what she was used to, but there was something strangely comforting about the step back in time. Many of the rooms had been updated, and Jessica could clearly see where Grace tended to spend most of her time. The back enclosed porch was especially begging for her to grab a book and some sweet tea so she could spend some time back there like a good Southern belle.

It reminded her of her grandparents’ home just outside Wonju, South Korea, with all the trees interspersed with older homes and farmland. It made her want to go exploring, but she had figured it would be better to do that with someone who was actually from here. It had been tempting to call Vini and ask her for a more personal tour around town. If not for her exhaustion and the need to call and complain to the car rental company, she might have done just that.

“I’m so glad you came.” Grace pulled back and looked at her, brown eyes glassy. Jessica shook her head.

“You big sap.” It had been a while since they were last together, and if not for being tired, her eyes might have been a little misty as well.

“Let me drop this stuff in the office and get changed,” Grace said gesturing to her bag. “I want to hear all about your drive down here. It still sucks I wasn’t able to come get you from the airport.”

Jessica waved away her words. By the time Grace came back down wrapped in sweats, Jessica had gotten comfortable on the couch. There was a tray of meats and cheeses on the coffee table that she had brought as a present. She drew Grace’s attention to them once they both settled in.

“So I noticed there wasn’t a car in the driveway when I got in,” Grace started. “Is everything okay?”

Jessica made a stack of cheese and meat on her cracker. She shoved it in her mouth, not caring how she looked. She was damn hungry after her ordeal. She wiped her hands and chewed furiously before answering. “The damn thing stopped on me.”

Grace frowned as she reached for a slice of pepperoni. “Stopped on you how?”

“Like, just slowed until it wouldn’t move at all,” Jessica replied waving her hand. “I barely made it to the side of the highway before it did. Luckily a cop came by and pulled over when he saw my hazard lights.”

“Well, damn,” Grace huffed out. She popped the meat in her mouth before continuing. “So wait. How did you get here, then? And why didn’t you call me?”

“Girl, you were working. Besides, it gave me a chance to meet the cutest little mechanic I have ever seen. Seriously. Normally, I’m wary of them, but she was an angel in oil-stained overalls. I almost asked her out, but I remembered that I was supposed to be on a break.”

Grace shook her head but smiled. “Yes, you are. No shacking up with the locals. You’re only going to be here for six weeks, and I don’t want to deal with the fallout of you magicking the pants off someone and then jetting off never to return.” She reached for a piece of cheese before pausing and cutting her eyes at Jessica. “Plus, didn’t youjustdeal with some drama that reached the internet? You’re lucky Black Twitter didn’t get ahold of it, otherwise you would have been trending.”

Jessica winced at the reminder of why she was spending six weeks in a rural town in central Georgia instead of an Italian beach somewhere with her parents. Her mom and dad would have been more than happy to have her come with them even after causing her mom drama, but she had known it would be better for her to take some time away to let things die down. It wasn’t every day you got caught with two of your mom’s colleagues. Sure, it wasn’t like they were all together at the same time, but the end results of her trysts coming to light had been the two costars going at it and Jessica’s face being splashed on the back pages of a few tabloids and Daum.net.

“I am rather alluring.”

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