back of the shop, past four maintenance bays, a paint booth, racks of parts, wheels, and tires. “It’s out here.”
He opened the back door and Jeremiah stepped into a small fenced-in area. Sure enough, the Royal leaned up against the fence. It needed a new seat, a paint job, and some chrome replaced. “How much to fix it up and get it ready?”
Tank tucked his cloth into his pocket and crossed his arms as his eyes traveled over the bike. “Most of it is cosmetic damage. Like I said, it runs. All prettied up, a grand.”
“I’ll take it.” Jeremiah stuck out his hand. “When can you have it ready?”
Tank stroked his beard and then glanced back at the shop. “A month? We have a backlog right now. We’ll have to sandblast the tank, prep it and paint it, order in additional parts. What color would you want the tank and fenders?”
“Sky blue,” he said without hesitation. She’d look beautiful on it.
“Okay, maybe a pearl sheen?” Tank opened the door and let Jeremiah in first.
“As long as the base is sky blue, I’m good with whatever you do to it. She’s a nurse, so no skulls and crossbones.”
Tank slapped him on the back and laughed, “You got it, Doc.”
Remi pulled his wallet out. “I’ll pay for it now.”
Tank shook his head. “Nope. Not how this shop works. The client has to love the job, or it doesn’t go out the door and we don’t get paid.”
“Kind of hard to stay in business that way, isn’t it?” Jeremiah shoved his wallet back down into his pocket.
“Doc, I’m giving you a bargain-basement price for a bike I don’t like or want. Tell no one what you paid for that thing or my reputation as a high-priced motherfucker will go to shit.”
“My lips are sealed. Doctor-biker confidentiality and all that.” Jeremiah laughed when Tank let loose with a belly laugh so loud it rumbled the walls around them.
“Doc, you need to stick around. I kinda like you.”
They exited the front of the store and he headed back to Gen’s truck. He stopped and spun around. “Hey, any chance you know of a good sushi place?”
Tank narrowed his eyes and muttered, “I take it back.”
Chapter 13
”Hey.” Eden’s greeting from the doorway caused him to look up from his notes. Jeremiah leaned back in his chair and smiled. He extended his arm and Eden walked into the small office she’d let him use to see Victoria Marshall. She ran her fingers through his hair, and he closed his eyes, enjoying the attention.
“Hard session?” she asked as she massaged his scalp.
He hummed an affirmation. His sessions with Victoria, or Tori as she preferred to be called, were a minefield of triggers, and the things she’d endured were at times beyond his comprehension. Tori Marshall was a fighter, and she was fighting against the depression and anxiety that the incident she was involved in stacked on her. It impressed him. She worked on the things he asked her to work on and was religious about their meetings. They’d met twice a week for the last three weeks.
“Are you ready for dinner? Gen isn’t coming over tonight. Allison and she are playing cards with Allison’s parents. Gen says they owe her over five dollars in lost poker revenue.”
He laughed. “I feel sorry for them. She’s tenacious when she’s after something.” They’d been alternating eating at Eden’s or Gen’s since he and Eden had started spending so much time together. He loved the easy comradery between his sister and Eden. All three of them gelled and he appreciated Eden letting Gen interrupt their alone time.
Eden dropped a kiss on his forehead, and he opened his eyes. “My sister works too hard.”
“She does. It seems to be a family trait. Now, come up, dinner is almost ready.”
“May I have dessert first?” Maybe he should have tried to suppress the leer that spread across his face, but the temptation of Eden was delectable.
She glanced up at the clock and smiled. “You have thirty-five minutes before we eat supper.”
“Well, then, by all means, let us adjourn to someplace you can get naked.”
She leaned down and kissed him. “Only if you get naked, too.”
“Deal.” He stood and locked up Tori’s records in a locking desk drawer that Eden didn’t use. They turned off the lights and made their way up to the small apartment. He swept her up and she wrapped her legs around him as he carried her to the bedroom. He’d had