hand. “All right, then.”
“Are you gonna be at Harvey’s tonight?”
“Yeah, we will be.” I know he means him and Rory.
“I’ll see you there, then. You’re buying my drinks.” I point a finger at him, daring him to say no. We both know he can afford it.
He laughs. “Sure thing, man.”
Tapping his shoulder, I walk away and head to the showers so I can get to the auto shop for a few hours this afternoon. Zoey’s supposed to be working too so it’ll be the perfect time to tell her I’m dragging her out with us. I know if it was left up to her, she’d stay in the apartment and study the majority of the time.
Thirty minutes later I walk into the back of the auto shop and pull on my coveralls.
“Cole,” Joe calls from beneath the hood of an old Buick.
I jog over to him. “What’s up, Boss?”
He wipes his blackened hands on an old rag. “Your girl is something else. Best thing I ever did was hire her. Do you know she asked me if I’d be willing to buy an iPad, so I did, and she got it all set up to keep appointments straight with alerts sent straight to my phone as reminders, even if someone cancels. Technology is amazing. I guess I shouldn’t have shit on it all these years.”
I laugh. “Glad she’s helping you out.” She’s been working at the shop for nearly three full weeks now, and all the guys love her—some a little too much, but Zoey is quick to put them in their place.
I don’t comment on Joe referring to her as my girl, because frankly I want to ignore the way I felt at the mention.
Finished with the conversation, I clock in and check out what’s on the whiteboard beside my name. That’s always been Joe’s idea of organization. I’m sure if Zoey has any say she’ll be reorganizing the shop area soon enough.
Putting my head down, I get to work. Oil changes and tire rotations are pretty much the only thing I do unless one of the guys needs an extra hand. I’m okay with cars, but when it comes to more complicated stuff, I know I’d invariably fuck it up.
It’s after six when I finish up and take off my coveralls.
Zoey is coming through the garage from the front, her purse slung over her shoulder. She straightened her hair today and the dark locks hang well past her breasts. She has a bit of makeup on, nothing outrageous, just eyeliner and mascara, and some kind of gloss on her lips. She’s wearing jeans and a shirt with the shop’s logo over her left breast.
I try not to let my thoughts go there, but I can’t help it. She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.
I reach out and gently grab her by the elbow as she walks past me.
“See you at home?” she asks me.
I jerk my head in a nod. “We’re going to Harvey’s after we change.”
“Harvey’s? Who’s Harvey?”
“It’s a bar.”
Her lips thin. “I’m tired. I really don’t want to go to a bar.”
“It’ll be fun. Just a few drinks, food, karaoke.”
“I’m not singing.” She points at me in warning.
“Don’t worry, Teddy will do all the singing for us.”
“Do you sing?” Her brow arches in inquiry as we walk out the back door. I toss my hand up at Joe just before we exit. He’s always the first here and last to leave.
“Not really.”
It’s a lie. I can sing pretty damn well, play guitar too.
Her eyes sparkle with a challenge as we stop beside her car. “How about this? I’ll only go tonight if you promise to sing one song.”
I frown, acting like this is the worst proposal ever. Shoving my hands in the pockets of my jeans, I ask, “Do I get to pick the song?”
She bites her lip, head swaying slightly side to side as she thinks. “Deal.”
12
Zoey
While Cole’s showering, I touch up my makeup and change my clothes to go out. Ditching my jeans and work shirt, I opt for a yellow denim skirt and white tank top with a matching denim jacket. I haven’t had much of an excuse to get dressed up lately, and even though the last thing I wanted to do was go to a bar, I’m going to make the most of it.
The bathroom door opens and it’s my automatic reaction to turn toward the sound, just in time to see Cole crossing the hall to his bedroom in