Page 19 of Call it Reckless

I assumed Paige thought it was funny, too, because she rolled off the couch laughing.

“I can even be in a wreck, and I still come out on top,” I said. “I think I’d like to be on top of Reid Braxton, though. I bet he’s a good ride.”

Paige lifted her glass in a toast. “You’d certainly know how to handle his stick!” And we burst out laughing again.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I told her when our hysteria finally settled.

“Me, too, girl. And we’re gonna rock this town.”

CHAPTERSIX

Bristol

“Ican’t believe how perfect this is!”

Cam was already waiting out front for us when Paige and I pulled into the parking lot of our new enterprise first thing Monday morning. As soon as we saw it, we both let out a whoop and hurried to join her. We’d worked closely with Cam for the design we wanted, but seeing it come off the pages into reality—well, now I knew why Cam wanted to do a grand reveal.

Somehow, my sister had merged old and new, keeping the architectural integrity of the old brick building but with a fresh, modern appearance. It looked as if it had been designed that way from the get-go.

On the left side was the original garage where my grandpa had worked before he met my grandmother and was pulled into the family construction business. Cam’s crew had expanded it to three bays and put in new folding doors with hurricane-strength paneled glass. She’d designed a center connection and built a twin building on the right side for the salon. Custom-made windows matched the design of the garage doors. It was sleek and stylish and perfect.

It was our dream brought to life. Paige and I had created the ultimate in multitasking with the ability to get five-star service for both your vehicle and your beauty needs simultaneously or separately.

“We just got the sign up this morning,” Cam said, shading her eyes from the noon sun as she looked toward the top of the building.

The sign was a wooden background withHead to Towin a stylish font in metal lettering.Salon and Garage, along with our logo, was cut out of a rectangular metal sheet in the same font below the lettering. Bracketing the name was matching metal bands riveted into place. It perfectly combined industrial and chic, exactly like the business we planned to offer.

“Most of the construction is done. We’re still waiting for some plumbing to be finished on the salon side, and then my guys will finish the wall and paint it. That should be finished before the end of the week. The hydraulic lifts will be installed once the concrete floor has dried in the garage.”

Paige clapped her hands as she swung toward me. “I can’t believe this is actually happening!”

“You’ll be up and running in no time,” Cam confirmed. “And the town council is thrilled to have this dilapidated building restored.”

Cam handed each of us a set of keys. “Let’s go inside. You’ll have to use your imagination a little, but you’ll get the gist of it.” She and Paige gestured for me to go first. I took a breath, used my key for the first time, and opened the door.

“Cam, this is amazing!”

Paige nudged me aside, seeing how I stood frozen in place, stunned by how much I loved what Cam had done with the reception room, which acted as the bridge between both sides of the business. She echoed my reaction.

A rectangular black desk stood out against an exposed brick wall along the back. The rest of the walls were a pretty shade of dusty blue. In between black chairs were small tables whose legs were made from giant metal bolts strategically stacked to support a top of old tools welded in a unique design, then covered with a glass top. She’d laid out some shiny hubcaps on the floor and described how she’d arrange them on the large wall as art.

“This is incredible,” I said, barely able to take my eyes from a garage that was unlike any I’d worked in before. Usually, the waiting room was bland with no thought for anything other than just a sitting room with little thought to comfort and zero consideration for design.

I opened the door that separated the room from the garage and stared into my dream auto workshop. There were three bays with tons of extra floor space for tools and hydraulic systems. She’d created a corner office for me. From the doorway I saw pictures of the building from the past with now vintage cars waiting for service. But best of all, smack in the center, was a picture of my grandpa as a young man, wearing dungarees stained with oil but smiling hugely as he looked up from under the hood of a car.

I blinked back tears. I missed the man who’d first introduced me to mechanics, teaching me everything he knew. Whenever I’d been frustrated, he’d take me out to the garage at the back of the house. He might not have been a mechanic anymore, but he was a tinkerer at heart. My grandmother liked to complain that she could never buy anything new because he’d always take what quit working from the house—a fan, a mixer, a radio—and fiddle around until it worked again. But engines remained his favorite.

I looked over my shoulder at Cam, who had a quivery smile of her own. “He’d be so thrilled to see what you’re creating here. He was always so proud of you, you know. Always bragged to the other men about your accomplishments. I think he enjoyed knowing he helped you get your start.”

I blew out a shaky breath. I hadn’t known how much I needed to hear that. Gramps never found it odd that I, not Chase, was the one who trailed along after dinner to watch him work. I’d learned a lot about mechanics from him, but I also learned a lot about patience and perseverance. I always wondered if it had disappointed him that I’d followed in my dad’s footsteps and left town instead of going into the family business. Fortunately, he’d had Cam for that, and I knew those two had been just as close before he died.

“I’m so glad you put his picture in here. I think he’d have loved this.”

Cam laughed. “He’d have probably moved in a cot and played with all the modern tools.”

The thought made me laugh, too, and the sadness evaporated as we moved back into the reception area.

Cam beamed. “I’m glad you like this. It was definitely unlike anything I’ve tried to decorate before, but once I got into the theme, I had a lot of fun. I didn’t want to be too fancy for the auto side of things, but I needed it to be classy enough to support the salon.” She peered at Paige. “Let’s go see your side.”

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