Page 7 of The Relationship Mechanic

Jessica had always been a free spirit when it came to relationships and occasionally it blew up in her face, but this was a totally new level and not one she wanted to repeat. Her sexuality had never been an issue with her parents, and for that she was grateful. They had always presented a united front which was something she envied even if she didn’t like the thought of always having to compromise. Her mom had done it for the sake of her dad’s army career, but Jessica wasn’t sure if she could have done the same.

“Six weeks of self-imposed isolation and I can get back out there and pretend like none of it ever happened,” she muttered before dropping her bag on the table. She sat down and winced at just how uncomfortable the chair was. Still, she had said she planned on waiting, so wait she would. Even if it meant getting next to nothing done as she watched Vini work her magic.

The next few hours seemed to fall away as Jessica pretended to be doing anything other than stealing glances at the woman just beyond the glass door. Vini’s face was almost serene as she moved this way and that carrying tools that Jessica couldn’t even pretend to know the names of. Even the sounds faded into the background as she watched Vini in what was clearly her element. The woman moved like poetry Jessica wished she understood. Every now and then, their eyes would meet, and once or twice, Vini’s lips would twitch like she wanted to smile. It gave Jessica hope that maybe she wasn’t totally off base. It also gave her time to think of how to use their time together to get to know more about her. Vini didn’t seem to be the type that gave up personal details easily, but Jessica wasn’t trying to court her like some duke in a historical romance novel. Things didn’t have to get too deep to be worthwhile.

By the time Vini had the car back down on the ground, Jessica knew what her next moves would be. Keeping it simple seemed like it would be the key here. Being coy didn’t appear to be the way to go. She could appreciate it in a way. Too often, the women she dealt with moved in a series of chess-like starts and stops. It was exhausting sometimes to navigate that push-and-pull dynamic. That didn’t seem to be something Vini utilized, but there were other things Jessica knew she had to take into consideration. Small towns were notorious for running on word of mouth, and Jessica knew firsthand how quickly things could spread when a whisper network got ahold of them.

“Your car is ready to go,” Vini said, drawing Jessica’s attention again. Her once-clean shirt was smudged with grease as she wiped her hands on a towel. Her expression was even, and Jessica followed her to the counter. Neither of them said anything as Vini printed out the paperwork and handed it over. “Here’s everything that was done. I know you said the rental company was reimbursing you, but let me know if they push back on anything.”

“Thanks so much,” Jessica replied as she looked over things. She raised her eyebrows when she saw the quoted final price. “Wow, that’s much lower than I thought it would be.” She kept reviewing when she heard another door open and close.

“I see you’re giving her the friends and family discount.”

Jessica snapped her eyes up at Aiden’s words in time to see Vini swatting at him and making shushing motions. When she saw Jessica’s attention, she froze.

“The friends and family discount?” Jessica asked forcing her expression to stay neutral when really she wanted to grin. “Are we friends, then, Vini?” She dropped her tone, slightly crowing internally when Vini’s eyes widened. Not wanting to make her feel awkward, Jessica pretended to turn her attention back to the papers. She set them on the counter and signed without prompting. She wasn’t worried about the price after her conversation with the car company.

“So are you going to the bowling match tomorrow?” she asked without looking up. “Grace said it was going to be a big one. I figured I would go to lend some moral support and cheer them on.” Before she could overthink things, Jessica wrote her number and a little note telling Vini to call her on the paperwork.

“Yeah. If I don’t, Ava would probably lose her shit,” Vini replied softly. “She’s my sister, so I have to support the family.”

Jessica looked up in surprise but slid the paperwork across the counter with a smile. Grace hadn’t thought to mention that little tidbit when they were talking last night. This would complicate things slightly, but with another glance at Vini, she was thinking it might be worth it. “Great. It’ll be good to see another friendly face there.” When Vini reached for the paperwork, their hands brushed against one another. “And it will be good to see you again. I’m looking forward to what you plan on teaching me.”

At her words, Vini paused, their fingers still overlapping as she looked into Jessica’s eyes. There was heat there, Jessica was sure of it. Vini was into it, and Jessica had to figure out a way to let her know that she was more than a little interested. Besides, when everyone was on the same page, there was nothing wrong with a fun little fling.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Five

Vini’s mind was a mess of half-formed sentences and halted conversations as she made her way into the bowling alley. She had spent too damn long staring at Jessica’s paperwork particularly the hastily scrawled note inviting her to connect.

Personally. Maybe biblically.

There was no way to misinterpret that. Jessica had been flirting, and she was clearly interested in Vini for reasons unknown. She wasn’t trying to be self-deprecating, but Jessica was so obviously in a league of her own it wasn’t even funny. Vini knew she was cute, a fact that she had made sure to check before leaving the house this evening. She had even closed the shop an hour early to give herself a chance to head home and get cleaned up before making her way to Terry’s. Aiden had been a little too excited about that, but at least he had stopped the comments about Jessica for the last hour before they left. But rather than help, that had left her spinning in a maze of her own thoughts until she was so caught-up she had no way out.

“Vini, good to see you.”

“Hey, Terry,” she called out after pausing at the front counter. It was easy to see where the match was being held. There was already a good-sized crowd circling two of the lanes on the right side of the alley. “Wow. Didn’t realize bowling would get this kind of turnout.”

Terry chuckled. “You’d be surprised. Business has been jumping since the bowling team was reinstated. I think the Peach Blossom Strikers are here to stay.”

Vini hoped so. She knew how badly Ava had wanted to get things going, and after the drama of her and Grace’s start, she deserved things to go her way for a bit. “Good deal. I better show my face, so Ava knows I was here for sisterly support.”

With a final wave to Terry, she made her way over to the group. It took Vini a moment, but she finally spotted Ava’s familiar cloud of curls. She was barely taller than the students she was coaching. At Ava’s nod of acknowledgment, Vini held back and observed. She smirked when she saw Grace walk over to the team and the way Ava seemed to perk up once she realized she was there. The two of them were hilarious to watch when you knew what to look for. Grace’s smiles always seemed wider, and Ava’s more genuine when they were together.

A pang of jealousy knifed through Vini. She was happy for her sister, but she couldn’t deny her wish for a small taste of that.

“Fancy meeting you here.”

Her lips twitched at Jessica’s words. “I told you I would be here.” She turned slightly to glance over her shoulder. Jessica was standing a short distance away. Long legs were wrapped in dark denim and a loose turquoise blouse draped over her shoulders. Her hair was down this time, and Vini couldn’t deny her desire to feel the curls fall between her fingers.

Jessica shrugged one shoulder drawing Vini’s eyes. “Still, I can’t imagine this is your idea of fun on a Friday night.”

Vini turned more fully to face her and tried not to feel self-conscious in her threadbare jeans and simple long-sleeved top. She had done more than the usual throw-on-her-uniform-and-go. Her braids were loose and adorned with gold charms that occasionally caught the light. Dani had given her a once-over with raised eyebrows when Vini left the house, but thankfully, she was able to escape without comment.

“Why not?”

Jessica arched an eyebrow as people started moving closer to the lanes and stepping around when neither of them moved. “I would assume a cutie like you would have more exciting plans. Maybe a monster truck rally or something if you really wanted to get wild.”

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