1. Jesse

1

JESSE

Tzzzz. Tzzzz .

Resting my hip against the counter, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked my notifications. I had a text from my brother.

Adam : can you pick up some ice on the way to the party?

"Heads up," a familiar voice called.

I looked up just in time to get a wet washrag to the face.

"Gross, dude." I chucked it back at Isaac, my coworker, and wiped my cheek. "What did you clean with that? Do I need to bleach my face?"

"Relax." He leaned against the counter next to me with a smirk. "It's just water. That was payback for the last time you caught me texting up here."

Snickering, I tucked my phone away.

The garage we worked at was probably the most chill workplace imaginable. Our bosses treated us like actual adults and mostly left us to our own devices as long as we got our work done and weren't idiots.

One of the few rules they did have was no phones at the front desk. Isaac and I had made a sport out of trying to catch each other breaking it and pranking the other as punishment.

Last week I'd dropped an ice cube down the back of his coveralls. The washrag was warranted.

"Did you hear anything more about the new guy?" he asked.

"Nope. Just that he's starting on Monday."

"Thank fuck." He cut his gaze around the small storefront. "Anyone come in while I was in the back?"

I shook my head.

"Thank fuck," he repeated. "As much as I love the overtime, I'll be glad to go back to working my normal hours."

"Hard same."

The last few months had been good for my bank account, but not so great for my work/life balance. Our bosses had been in the process of hiring someone to replace one of our old coworkers who'd quit a few weeks ago, and we'd been short-staffed ever since. I'd picked up so many extra hours it was beginning to feel like I lived in the shop.

My phone vibrated again. Instinctively, I put my hand over it to quiet the soft sound.

"Someone's popular." Isaac ticked his chin at my pocket. "Did I interrupt something spicy?"

I pulled a face. "Gross. I was texting with my brother."

"Sorry, bro. Was it something important?"

"Not really. He wants me to bring ice to his grad party."

"His grad party is today?"

I nodded and drummed my fingers on the smooth lip of the counter.

My phone vibrated three more times in quick succession.

"Sounds like he needs more than ice." Isaac made a "go ahead" motion. "I'll stay out here if you want to check that."

"Thanks." I ducked through the door that separated the front of the store from the car bays in the back and leaned against the wall so I was out of sight.

Adam : and a tie

Adam : and your spare dress shoes

Adam : and bail money because I'm about to lose my shit and get arrested

Adam : crisis averted. For now

Jesse : what's going on?

Adam : H's parents are driving me insane

Adam : we didn't even want this stupid party

Jesse : you need a tie and my dress shoes?

Adam : yeah. H said any color other than red is fine for the tie

Adam : I'll get dad and pops to bring the ice. Can you just worry about the tie and shoes?

Jesse : sure

Jesse : remember you're too pretty for jail if they keep pissing you off

Adam : I'm willing to risk it at this point

Adam : just get your ass here as soon as you can and we won't have to worry about a jailbreak

Jesse : roger that

Exiting out of my texts, I locked my phone and slipped it away.

"Everything okay?" Isaac asked as I came back out to the front of the store.

"For now." I resumed leaning against the counter. "His girlfriend's parents are driving him crazy, and he's about to commit a felony."

Isaac made a face. "Another reason to not do the dating thing. Dealing with my own parents is exhausting enough. I'm not about to put up with shit from anyone else's. What are they all in a tizzy about?"

Absently, I picked up a pen and twirled it over my fingers. "Not sure, but I'm guessing it's because Hannah's brother is going to be there. He has a talent for stressing people out."

"Her brother?" Isaac asked.

I nodded. "Sebastian."

"That face says you don't get along."

I put the pen down and crossed my arms. "We don't."

Isaac raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"We went to school together, and we were in the same class, but we ran in different circles. I've only seen him a few times since graduation. He's…aggravating."

"Aggravating?" Isaac asked, the corner of his mouth tilting up in a smirk.

"Annoying, self-centered, cocky, arrogant, infuriating. All of the above works."

"He sounds like a real monster." Isaac's tone was teasing.

"Are ya done sassing me?" I bumped his shoulder with mine.

"Never." He hip checked me hard enough I stumbled before catching myself on the counter.

"Children," Zander, our other coworker and de facto supervisor since it was just the three of us in the shop, said from the doorway to the back area. "Do I need to separate you two?"

"Sorry, daddy." Isaac batted his eyelashes at him.

"We'll be good." I held up three fingers like I was a Boy Scout.

Zander shot us a flat look that quickly melted into a smile. "You boys are going to be the death of me."

"Blame Dev. He thought putting us on the same shift as you was a good idea." Isaac blew him a kiss. "This is his fault."

"I thought you loved working with us and you're going to be heartbroken when the new guy starts and you don't get to see us on the weekends anymore?" I asked, feigning shock.

Zander's lips twisted like he was trying to hide his grin. "No," he deadpanned.

"You wound us." Isaac put his hands over his heart theatrically. "You mean you don't want to be our work daddy?"

"Fuck off with that shit. I'm only a few years older than you." Zander leaned against the door frame.

"Daddy is a state of mind," Isaac said innocently.

Zander pinned him with a look that could only be described as a smolder. "Does someone want to be my good boy?" he asked, his voice low and a bit rumbly.

"Jesus." Isaac looked away from Zander's stare and crossed, then uncrossed his arms a few times, like he was trying to figure out where to put his hands.

I laughed and bumped his shoulder again. "Is someone about to have a bi-awakening?"

"Not likely." Isaac grinned, his usual carefree attitude back. "I spent fifteen years playing hockey and hanging out in changerooms. Pretty sure it woulda happened already if I swung that way."

"Never say never," I teased.

"Is there anything else on the schedule?" Zander asked.

Isaac pulled the keyboard of the computer closer to him and tapped on it to wake the monitor. He clicked a few of the keys. "Nope. And it looks like the owner of the Volvo you just finished is picking it up tomorrow. Here's hoping no one comes in or calls in the next ten minutes and we can get the fuck out of here on time for once."

Ding .

The three of us whirled toward the entrance and the person who'd just come in.

"Hi." They hurried over to us, their heels clicking on the tiled floors. "Are you still open?"

"We are," Isaac said with a bright smile.

"What can we help you with?" I asked as Zander slipped into the back area. He wasn't big on the customer service part of being a mechanic and avoided talking to customers whenever possible.

They rushed up to the counter and slapped their oversized purse on the surface with a hollow thunk .

"Oh, thank god." They looked between us. "I was driving, and my check engine light came on, but it was flashing. And my stepdad said that I need to pull over immediately if that happens and get someone to look at it."

"We can definitely take care of that for you." Isaac woke the computer up. "Do you have a file here?"

They shook their head. "I found this place on Google. Is that okay? Do I need one?"

"Nope." Isaac opened a blank file. "I'll just grab your information, and we'll get one set up for you."

I half listened as Isaac asked for their name and contact number. Of course someone would come in at the eleventh hour on the one day I needed to get out of here on time.

"Did you notice anything different or strange before the light came on?" Isaac asked when everything was set up.

"Not really. I mean, there was a weird clang sound, and I hit a pothole going waaaay faster than I meant to. But I do that all the time, and nothing's ever happened." They tucked a lock of long hair behind their ear and smiled flirtatiously at Isaac. "Do you think that's why it went haywire?"

"It could be." Isaac made some notes in the system. "We can run a diagnostic and find out."

"Is your car in the lot?" I asked. This would go way faster if it was.

They shook their head, giving me an equally flirty smile. "I had to leave it where I pulled over. It's a few blocks away. Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. We can tow it here." Isaac shot me a quick look, silently asking me to grab the keys.

I slipped into the back to get them from the offices.

"You can head out after we get the car here," Zander said, the keys already in his hand.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "The two of us can finish up. Sounds like your brother needs backup more than we do."

"Thanks. I owe you one."

He slapped the keys into my hand. "It's all good."

Gripping them, I made my way back to the front counter. The shop closed in thirty minutes, and Adam's party started in an hour.

Depending on how long it took to get the car here and close my station down, I should be able to get home, shower, grab the tie and shoes, and get to the party before it was too late.

Hopefully Adam could keep his shit together until then.