Page 1 of Here's to Tomorrow

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Rae

“Shouldn’t you at least buy me dinner before you screw me?”

“Um…what?”

Yep. I, Rae Kamden, just said that. Out loud. Not on purpose, of course—it was just my luck and lack of filter. Foot, I’m sure you’re well acquainted with mouth by now, but just in case, say hello.

“Nothing,” I spit out as I avert my gaze down to my light pink Converse shoes to avoid the most amazing pair of amused green eyes staring down at me.

Mr. Hot Bod Mechanic standing in front of me is not an unpleasant sight—at least from what I can tell through the curtain of hair I’m currently hiding behind.

I peek up and see that his lips are smashed together tightly like he’s trying to keep something—probably his laughter—in. I can’t say I blame him. I’ve spent the last five minutes pacing and rambling.

Unfortunately, he’s currently letting me know how much this latest round of repairs is going to cost since my car decided to break down just a mile up the road—again. This is killing his hotness factor.

I used the last of my cell phone battery to look up the nearest mechanic and then hiked here to beg someone to tow my car for as cheap as possible. I ended up in a little locally owned shop that has an awesome setup, which I only know because I scoped the place out while I was waiting in the office earlier—just to make sure I wasn’t in some sort of car-stripping shop, because you never know these days.

Now I’m kind of just standing here, pretending to stare at my feet while I steal glances to check him out. I can justify this, though, because he’s staring right back, taking me in from my feet to my slightly tilted head.

He gives a crooked grin when he takes in my Transit shirt. The band is local, so he must be a fan—I’m hoping so because that means he has good taste in music, which kind of drives my life. Add another item to theReasons This Guy is a Total Studlist.

He cocks his head to the side, that crooked grin still in place, and waits.

Get your shit together, Rae, and stop making fake lists.

“So, it’s the transmission?” I manage to ask once the red in my face subsides. I look back up, trying to keep my eyes darting around the shop because I’m still embarrassed about my little outburst, and he’s still hot.

He clears his throat. “Yeah. It looks like whoever fixed your car last just threw that shit together. You’re looking at a new tranny and a tune-up all the way around. Like I said, my best guess is eighteen hundred after all the repairs. That’s if you want to keep it on the road.”

Despite his gravelly voice being the most beautiful thing I have ever heard, I’m pissed. This is the third time in three months that I’ve brought my car in for repairs. On top of that, eighteen hundred dollars is lot of damn money for a fresh college graduate. Hell, in this economy, it’s a lot of money period, and I’m not about to ask my dad for more. Sure, he can afford it, but I’ve just spent the last two weeks convincing him I can make it on my own and to let me do my own thing for once. If I were to ask for more money now, that entire conversation would be rendered pointless, and I would fail in my quest for independence.Sonot happening.

“Dammit! I knew I shouldn’t have trusted that guy. I just spent two grand three months ago on a new one. Ugh! I don’t have the time or money to deal with this. I could just use the rest of my savings, but then I won’t have any padding. I’d have to pick up extra shifts at work to replenish it and then I’m just going to be overworked and stressed out even more than I already am and that just leads to—” I stop, realizing I’m pacing and rambling like a lunatic in front of this poor guy…again.He probably thinks I’m a complete freak now. Just wonderful.

To my surprise, he starts laughing.

“Whoa. Take a deep breath, relax. It’s all good. We’ll get something worked out with payments if you need to pay that way. No big deal. We’re a small business wanting to help people and all that.”

“Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?”

“I call bullshit. No one isthatawesome and lets clients do payments on car repairs.”

The grin returns and he bends at the waist until his mouth is close to my ear. “I’ll make an exception for you.”

He pulls back, his eyes lit with humor.

Wait, I know that look—he’sflirtingwith me!Me!Is that even ethical?

You know what? I don’t even care. He’s offering me a sweet deal, not asking me to suck his dick for a discount. I’m in.

“I don’t think I’ll need to do that, but just knowing the option is there would help me sleep a lot better tonight. Thank you.”

“Don’t sweat it. We’ll get you fixed up.”

He spins on his heel, but not before dropping another sexy-as-sin grin. He heads toward the front of the shop and I follow like a lost puppy. Stopping at the door, he turns my way. “So, Miss…” He trails off, wanting me to provide my name, which is odd because it should be on the clipboard he’s holding.

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