Pretty Sweet - Christina Lee Page 0,14

all. “Thanks. I will.”

“Send me a text so I have your number too.” He nodded. “I should get back to the shop. We’ll talk soon.”

He smiled and walked away. I stood there, watching him go.

6

Jake

You sure tomorrow’s a good day to drop off my car? Seth had texted last night.

We’d communicated a bit back and forth the last couple of days after he’d reached out to me about his tires, and I was going to bet Seth felt a bit awkward about reaching out. But I wasn’t kidding the other day. The tires were pretty bald, and I had a feeling other stuff would need a service soon too since he didn’t seem to pay much attention to maintenance.

Yep. I told Mia to put you on my schedule.

Cool. See you soon.

I was underneath a car, draining the fluid for an oil change, when I heard the familiar, rambling voice entering the garage.

“Oh, uh, hey, hi…I was looking for Jake?”

“Yo, Jake,” Tucker called to me.

“Be right there.” I replaced the cap, then wiped my hands on the rag draped over my shoulder.

“Hey there,” I said, walking toward him. He was wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers, much like the other night, except this time his ball cap was missing, which surprisingly made him look older. All that brown hair I hadn’t seen the times I’d met him before was now on full display. His bangs were falling over one of his eyes, and he nervously pushed them away from his forehead.

“Cool place.” Seth motioned to the space, which was clean but absolutely nothing special. He looked me up and down as I approached. “Nice outfit,” he teased.

My coveralls were stained with grease. “Eh, helps save my clothes.”

“Jake is always worried about grease getting on his precious collection of jeans,” Tad said while fiddling with the air compressor, and Brett snickered from the rear tire of the truck in the first well. Nosy pains in the ass.

Seth raised an eyebrow. “Collection of jeans?”

I snorted. Fuckers. “They like to mess with me because I try to keep my stuff clean, which, as you can tell, is pretty much a losing battle.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you want to tell yourself,” Brett rumbled as he reached for a floor jack, then headed back to the SUV he was servicing.

My cheeks burned even though this was how we always were with each other, but the smirk on Seth’s face told me he was amused rather than appalled.

“So hey, I can drop you home, or we have cars for daily rental.” I pointed over my shoulder to the parking lot where we kept sedans for customer use.

“No worries, I already have an Uber coming.” He looked down at his phone. “In two minutes, actually.”

“If you’re sure,” I said, and was a little disappointed when Seth nodded. Was I hoping to drive him home? Talk to him more? Or was it that protective instinct in me? Christ, after I’d told him the other day that Mom and I would smother him with attention, he probably thought I was a little much, so I needed to tone it down. Except, there was a loneliness mixed with wariness in him that I seemed to latch on to—I’d recognized it in my mom too many times to count.

Somehow, though, I already knew Seth would get me and wouldn’t make fun. Not like these guys were about to do as soon as he left. I waved goodbye and watched as he got in the back of the Uber, noting the make and model, just in case. Christ, I was pathetic. But fuck, you couldn’t be too careful. I told Mom never to use a car service alone, unless I was on the phone with her or she took a photo of the license plate before she got in the back seat and texted it to me.

Yeah, I was definitely a little much.

“Who the hell was that?” Tad asked right on cue, and I rolled my eyes.

“He works with my mom at Rose City,” I muttered, walking back over to the oil change I needed to finish.

“That guy works with the elderly?” Tad asked, incredulously. Yeah, I really couldn’t picture it either. Yet I absolutely could at the same time. “And what’s with the guyliner?”

“Otherwise known as eyeliner? That anyone is free to wear?” Mia scoffed as she stepped into the garage to hand me Seth’s keys. Leave it to her to set these guys straight. “He’s adorable, by the way.”

“He’s a nice kid,”