Page 11 of To Belong Together
Likely story. John watched Tara. He saw through Gannon and Addie, but did the professor?
“My first class is at ten, so it’s no trouble.” She glanced his way. “How are you? Other than the car drama, of course.”
She didn’t know the half of the car drama.
He shouldn’t be looking forward to the test drive after Erin installed the latest fix, but he couldn’t help himself. “Good. You?”
“I’m good. We’re far enough into the semester to have a routine, but not so far that my students are thinking about summer.”
He pulled off his gloves, and the coffee cup heated his fingers. He couldn’t say much about college. He’d taken some online classes, but when Awestruck was signed, his drive to earn a degree had fallen by the wayside. Were college students as eager for summer as high schoolers? He’d been dying to leave by the end of his senior year. These days, he and everyone connected to Awestruck counted the days until the end of long tours.
He could mention that, but a silent minute had already passed. He’d probably missed the normal window of opportunity to reply.
Tara slid her fingers through her blond hair. When she lowered her hand, he caught frustration fading from her mouth.
She’d come all this way. He owed her conversation, at least. What did they have in common? They’d both been through breakups relatively recently.
He could tell her about Nicole, but trading breakup stories was probably a little personal.
Why was conversation so tricky?
“Do you guys go see stuff while you’re on tour?” She lifted an eyebrow and glanced his way, the morning sun lighting up her hair. “The Louvre? The Sistine Chapel?”
“Not much time for sightseeing.”
“Too bad, but someday you can go back for real. See it all.”
Yeah, maybe. Racing Erin on the Autobahn? That sounded fun. But following Tara through hours and hours of art museums would be about as enjoyable as the time his parents had dragged him to his sisters’ all-day dance recital, shaking him awake every time he’d drifted off.
Whatever experiences the world might offer, what he wanted most was much closer to home—a phone call saying it was time for that drive with Erin.
Erin satin her car in the parking lot and eyed the service bays. All closed. She had work to do, but none of her customers waited on site right now. Besides, Roy took smoke breaks. She could make a phone call.
Her breath hung white between her and the steering wheel, then disappeared as a perky receptionist answered.
“I’m calling to see if you have any openings for a technician in your service department.” She curled her fingers around the steering wheel. The leather had frozen in the two hours since she’d driven to work.
“No, I’m sorry. You can keep an eye on our site. When we do have openings, we post them there.”
“Okay.” She resisted explaining that she had checked online, and all because of something John Kennedy had said. “Thank you.” Erin disconnected and dropped her hands to her lap.
She’d told John to go home and enjoy his life.
And you’ll enjoy yours?
Like shrapnel from a blown turbo tearing up an engine, the phrase ripped holes in her belief that life could continue this way indefinitely. What would it take for her to enjoy her life?
If she found a new job, she’d escape Roy and Sam. That would help. Unfortunately, the best alternative to the family business was the dealership in Lakeshore. She didn’t like the brand of cars they specialized in, but a good work environment took precedence. If only they were hiring.
Rodney’s, the other repair shop in Lakeshore, would see more variety, but she’d heard awful things from their customers. At least Roy and Sam did decent work, and Aunt Connie wasn’t rude. Much.
She’d have to hit up her old classmates from the technical college and see how they liked where they’d landed. For the right job, she could commute.
Three raps on her window made her jump. The phone slipped to the floor mat as she focused through the glass. Sam.
She sighed, retrieved the phone, and got out. “What?”
“You’ve got a comeback.”
