Page 51 of Faking It With the Small-Town Bad Boy

don’t think I ever will. It was their choice, not mine.”

The coffee maker goes off, and the long, stringent silence is finally

broken.

Maybe oversharing wasn’t the best idea.

SWEET MUSIC

Leah

It takes a while to get used to having Percy around.

When he’s not practicing with the band at the bar, he’s helping me at

the shop. My shoulder hasn’t healed in the few days it’s been since

the accident happened, but I’m still able to get some work done.

He seems oddly protective of me now, watching my every move to

make sure I don’t repeat my mistake.

The engine is ruined in some parts, but not completely. I can fix it,

and I hoist it up with a chain to make sure not to get killed by this

thing later on. He’s very adamant about me being safe now, and he’s

been sweeping the same spot on the floor for ten minutes while I

poke and prod the transmission.

“Everything okay?” he asks, something he’s been asking a lot lately.

“I’m fine, Percy. Thank you.”

“Don’t sound so annoyed. I’m just making sure.”

“I have been doing this for a long time. I know what I’m doing and

how to do it safely. I promise.”

“How long have you been working on cars?”

I pause with my wrench, staring at the rusted underbody of this

stunning classic car. “My dad taught me everything since I could

walk. He didn’t let me help until I was about twelve. Then, when I got

to high school, Ryan would come to help my dad out. He liked having

a man around to be in the shop with, I guess. But Ryan didn’t know

much. He would ask me questions all the time so he could look smart

in front of my dad.”

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