“Hey guys” My head whips around as I hear Rylee’s voice echo through the garage. I’ve seen her once or twice since the awkward meeting at Lucy’s house, but she has been down at the track waiting for Colton. Her being in the garage can’t mean anything good. I turn back to the engine, attempting to keep my hands busy as I hear two sets of footsteps approaching me.
“Tyler.” Lucy’s clipped tone holds no warmth. I thought I had avoided her wrath after going to her place to apologize. I guess the cold shoulder is the only thing I will get until I prove to her I’m not a complete piece of crap.
“Lu.” I nod my head in Rylee’s direction before I continue. “What do I owe this pleasure?” I smirk before turning back to working on the engine. Keeping my hands occupied is for the best. Being enveloped in Lucy’s scent once again is torture. I want to do nothing more than pull her body tightly to mine and kiss her senseless, showing all these fuckers she belongs to me. But in reality, she doesn’t belong to me, not anymore.
“Lucy and I just got finished having lunch. We were hoping you had some time to chat about the fundraiser,” Rylee chimes in breaking the awkward silence hanging between the three of us.
“I need to get this engine working, but Lu has been keeping me in the loop with text messages and emails.” I finish tightening the last bolt securing the flywheel to the crankshaft before placing the socket wrench on the ground. “The only thing I know about is engines. So I’m not sure what input I could give to Lu about how to make this fundraiser work.”
I spare a glance in Lucy’s direction and notice her cheeks twinge pink. I see my nickname for her still gets to her. “You don’t need to have an excuse to come and see me.” I wink at her before pulling a rag out of my back pocket and wiping my hands. “But I can take a break for you two lovely ladies.”
“Don’t worry, Tyler. Your boss let you come back to work here even though you disappeared without a word four years ago. I think taking a break to discuss business won’t cause any issues.” Lucy’s eyes bore daggers in my back as I clean up my workspace.
“You said you’d be nice,” Rylee hissed at her before throwing a bright smile in my direction.
“I said I would try. I made no promises,” Lucy replies as she crosses her arms below her chest, pushing her breasts up slightly for all eyes to see.
I growl as I stride toward her, putting my body between her and the rest of the prying eyes in the garage. Lucy raises her eyebrow at me, with a devious smirk on her face before storming out of the garage.
“Tone down the caveman, please.” Rylee begs quietly before following her friend out of the garage.
I hear the quiet snickering of the other guys before I spin around and bark at them to get back to work and brace myself for the firing squad, following the two women out of the garage.
It doesn’t take long for me to find the two of them, leaning against the side of the building. Rylee has a secretive smile on her face, no doubt trying to devise a plan to get me on Lucy’s good side. Lucy is the exact opposite, her entire demeanor warning anyone off from approaching her. Even some of the people walking by give the pair a wide berth out of precaution.
I shake my head as I approach them. “Why do you look like the cat that got the canary, Ry?” I question leaning on the wall beside her, putting her between Lucy and me.
“Oh, no reason.” She smiles at me before turning toward Lucy. “Lucy and I were just discussing some of her ideas about the fundraiser and auction for this year. She has some great ideas, but I think they may need a little help to get to the level we are looking for.”
“Do you need some help, Lucy?” I question, leaning slightly forward to catch a glimpse of her face. I watch as she wars internally with herself before her shoulders slump in defeat.
“Honestly, I could use more help.”
“Great! It’s settled then.” Rylee claps her hands together in excitement. “I’ll watch Colt tonight and you two can make plans to hammer out some details.”
“It’s a school night,” Lucy mumbles to Rylee as the two stare at each other in silence, holding a silent conversation with their eyes.
“I have a lot of work that I want to get done on this engine tonight. If it would be alright, can we meet at your place around eight tonight?” Both Rylee and Lucy turn toward me slowly, shock covering both of their faces. “What? I can be considerate sometimes too.”
“If you’re sure, I would really appreciate it.” Lucy gives me a shy smile before addressing Rylee. “Now that we have a plan in place, I really need to get back to work.” Rylee nods her head in response before throwing a wave in my direction and heading toward the parking lot.
“So I’ll see you at eight?” I try to hide the excitement in my voice at having another chance to spend alone time with her, well mostly alone.
“Yeah. Colt should be in bed by then so we can get some work done.” Lucy and I stare at each other for a few moments before I throw caution to the wind and step closer toward her.
Lucy’s green eyes blaze as she quickly licks her lips. “Goodbye, Tyler,” she whispers
