Page 44 of Tuned To Break
She straightens at that, confidence radiating off her. She was born for this role.
“Which brings me to my second announcement,” Arden says. “We’re expanding the team.”
He gestures to the entrance. Two men walk in—one older, maybe in his fifties, with greying hair and the build of someone who’s worked with his hands his whole life. The younger one looks mid-thirties, tall and lean, dark hair and an easy smile.
“Everyone, meet Robert and Parker McDonald. Robert’s a master fabricator, and Parker’s a qualified mechanic with fifteen years’ experience.”
“G’day,” Robert says in a no-nonsense tone, with a slight accent I can’t place. “Looking forward to working with you all.”
“Yeah, excited to be here,” Parker adds, and his enthusiasm seems genuine, even if he is wearing suspenders under open coveralls.
“Robert is actually my uncle,” Arden proclaims, and surprise ripples through the room. “We only recently discovered each other through some family research. They’ve just moved to New Hope from Acre Woods to get to know their long-lost family.”
“That’s mental,” Asher says. “Good mental, but mental.”
“It is a bit surreal,” Robert chuckles. “But when Arden told me about this place, I knew I wanted to be part of it. Classic car restoration is my passion.”
“Mine too,” Parker says. “Been working on classics since I could hold a wrench.”
“Brilliant,” Chase replies. “We can definitely use the extra hands.”
“Robert will be setting up a dedicated fabrication area in the back corner,” Arden explains. “Stella will be working on the fit-out with him. We’ve got projects coming up that require custom metalwork. Parker will be working alongside Jake and the rest of the mechanical team.”
I nod at Parker, sizing him up. He seems decent enough. We need help with our growing workload. I’ll see how good he is once I’ve seen him work.
“Stella will be coordinating everyone’s schedules and project assignments,” Arden adds. “We’re also looking at expanding our client base significantly, so things are going to get busier.”
“Any questions?” Stella asks, speaking for the first time. Her voice carries a new authority that wasn’t there two weeks ago.
“When do we start?” Robert asks, grinning.
“Today,” she smiles. “I’ve got project assignments ready for everyone, and Robert, I’ll show you the fabrication area after the meeting. You can let me know what you need, and we’ll get it ordered and installed.”
“Efficient. I like that,” Robert nods approvingly.
“If we’re talking about upgrades, can we discuss the paint booth?” Asher asks, sipping his coffee.
“Set up a meeting with Stella—she’ll make the final call. I’m happy to spend the money if it means we can expand,” Arden says with a grin. He’s been bitching about the booth for months.
Once the meeting wraps, everyone scatters. Robert and Parker head off with Chase, Rhys is buried in the electrics of a ‘67 Mustang, and José and Asher are comparing new assignments.
I hang back, watching Stella organise her paperwork. When the workshop settles into its usual rhythm, I make my move.
“Congratulations, Operations Manager,” I say, coming up beside her at the workbench. I squeeze her shoulder when what I really want is to pull her in for a hug.
“Thank you.” She looks up, those green eyes making me want to do very unprofessional things. “It feels surreal.”
“You deserve it. You’ve earned it.”
“I hope so. There’s a lot of pressure now.”
I step closer, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re going to be brilliant.”
“Jake,” she says softly, glancing around to make sure no one’s watching, “you can’t be doing stuff like that.”
“I know. But I’m proud of you, and I wanted to tell you.”
Before she can protest, I cup her face and kiss her, pressing her back against the workbench. She melts into me, fists curling in my coveralls, kissing me back with equal intensity.
