of all the body parts—interior, electrical, engine, exhaust, suspension, and frame. Once I had a list of what needed to be done, then I’d get to work.
“Dive right in, brother. We’ve got three in the main garage, and there are two more out back. And we’ll have another one coming in later today,” Blaze explained. “I’ll be working in the back on the Chevy if you need anything.”
He started towards the rear of the garage, and for the first time, I realized there was only one other mechanic working. I called out to him and asked, “Hey, where is everybody?”
“You’re looking at it, brother … at least for today. I have a couple of guys that will be coming in tomorrow.”
“What the hell? Two guys running the entire garage?”
“Yeah … it sucks. Right now, the garage makes the least amount of money, so we get the least amount of help. A good bit of the body detailing, sandblasting and chrome, is sent out. All interior work is done around the corner at Lenny’s Upholstery.”
“Fuck.”
“Yep.”
Hell. No wonder they were so fucking behind. There wasn’t much I could do about it, so I shook it off and said, “Guess I’ll get started.”
Without even stopping for a lunch break, I spent the next seven hours working my ass off in the garage. I’d dismantled the first engine and would have gotten more done, but I couldn’t get Hazel out of my head. The longer I worked, the more distracted I became with images of her in that wet t-shirt. I decided to call it a day, convincing myself that I had to leave early so I could make a stop at the hardware store before it closed. I wanted to get that shower fixed before Hazel got off work, hoping that I wouldn’t spend another day tormented with thoughts of the mysterious brunette.
Before leaving, I grabbed a few tools and headed over to Blaze. He’d already finished up with the Chevy and was working in the office when I walked up. I tapped on the glass window and said, “Calling it a day. I borrowed a few tools for the night. Have a little project to work on back at the apartment.
“No problem.”
“I’ll be back in the morning.”
He looked up at me and, with sincerity in his voice, he said, “Appreciated your help today.”
“Anytime,” I told him as I went to the side door and walked over to my bike. I made a stop at the hardware store around the block and gathered up everything I needed to fix the shower. I quickly realized that I couldn’t carry everything I needed on my bike. Thankfully, the kid behind the counter offered to deliver it since he was on his way home. I helped him load everything into the bed of his truck and led him back to the apartment.
Once he was parked, he rolled down his window and asked, “You want a hand getting it all inside?”
“Nah, I got it.” Once I’d gotten everything out of the back of the truck, I closed the tailgate and walked over to the driver’s side window and handed him a twenty. “Thanks, man.”
He tipped his hat as he put the truck in reverse and pulled out of the lot. It was cumbersome with the sheet of drywall and all my tools, but I managed to get everything up the stairs in one trip. My hands were full, so I used the tip of my boot to knock on the door.
Moments later, David poked his head out of the door. When he saw all the stuff in my hands, he asked, “You really gonna fix that piece of crap shower?”
“That’s the plan,” I answered as I stepped into the apartment. “Your sister still at work?”
“Yeah. She won’t be home for another hour or so.”
I started down the hallway, feeling relieved that I could get a good start on fixing everything before she got back. “Good. I should have most of it done before then.”
“You need a hand?” he offered as he reached for the sheet of drywall.
“Thanks, bud.”
Once we had everything laid out in the bathroom, he looked over to me and said, “You know, I don’t even know your name.”
Thinking back, I realized he was right. I smiled and said, “You can call me Clutch.”
His eyes skirted to the ground for a brief second, like he was mulling over what he was about to say next. Then he looked back over to me and said, “I