Page 35 of Truck You

“Mrs. Engle.” Clara puts her hand on Mrs. Engle’s arm to get her attention. Then she nods across the street. “It looks like your next appointment has arrived. You best be getting back to your salon. I know how you hate to make people wait.”

Mrs. Engle glances over her shoulder and sighs. “Right. Thank you, Clara.” She looks back at me with a frown but doesn’t push me further about my choice in a job. “I guess I best be going.”

Just as she turns to leave, Frank brings us our lunch. “Here you girls go. I’ll give you about ten minutes, then I’ll get the rest of your order underway.”

“Thanks, Frank,” Clara says. “I appreciate it.”

We eat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before someone else walks up to us and interrupts our lunch. This time it’s a man by the name of Billy Schwartz. He pretends he needs to ask Clara about his daughter’s reading assignment, when really, it’s to find out who I am.

After he leaves, Mr. Schroeder, the committee chair for the upcoming Oktoberfest, interrupts us. He, too, asks Clara about her lack of an entry for the cake baking competition. But we both know it’s just an excuse to meet the new stranger in town.

“Is everyone around here so nosy?” I ask once we’re alone again.

Clara chuckles. “Girl, you have no idea. Just wait until people figure out Mac has a thing for you.”

“Macdoes nothave a thing for me.” I give her a pointed stare. “I think it’s safe to say he hates me.”

She snorts. “That man does not hate you. He may not know what to do with you or how to process his feelings. Heisa man, after all. But hedefinitelyhas a thing for you.”

“Well, I have too many other things to worry about besides his struggles over his feelings.”

“Like what?”

“Like finding a place to live. I can’t stay in the hotel forever, and everything I’ve looked at has been … Well, let’s just say unlivable.”

“I have a spare room.”

“You do?”

She nods. “Yeah. I moved into my grandma’s house when she moved in with my parents. She needs constant care. It’s just me. There’s plenty of room.”

“Really? How much?”

She shrugs. “I dunno. Never thought about having a roommate before. The house is paid for, so I don’t have a mortgage or rent. If you split the utilities and groceries with me, I’d be more than happy for the company.”

“Okay.” I smile, finally feeling a little better about my move to this small town. “You’ve got yourself a roommate.”

Chapter9

Beauty and the Dare Devil.

Mac

It’s been two weeks since Sophia started working at the garage and invading my life.

More like invading my every thought.

When I’m not at the racetrack with Chase and Ash, I’m in the garage watching her every move. She acts like it annoys her, but secretly, I think she likes all the attention I give her.

Okay, maybe I do annoy her. But she deserves it.

I don’t like secrets and lies, even those by omission.

Though if I’m being honest with myself—which I’m not—I shouldn’t hold her lie of omission against her. I get why she did it. It’s hard to break out and get noticed in racing even if you’re a man. For women it’s next to impossible.

I should cut her some slack, but I’m enjoying our banter a little too much. I enjoy fighting with her, which is weird because I don’t typically like fighting with anyone. Except for the Koch brothers, but they don’t count. I like to play and have fun.

Rather than being my usual annoying self today, I skip the garage. Instead, I hide in my bedroom watching old races to study my competition for my next race.

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