In a way, she’d been right. Kara was gorgeous in her work clothes. What I’d meant by my words that night was that she looked just as beautiful in dressier clothes as she had at the gym, but I’d been trying to be all casual and not make a big deal of it. If her expression was anything to go on, it had backfired big time.
It wasn’t like I was in any position to have a mate right now. Besides, she’d said some hurtful things herself. I deserved as much of an apology as she did. The last thing she’d said was about me not being man enough to hold down a job.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t hold down a job. I just hadn’t needed to yet. Until now.
As soon as I opened the truck door, I knew. Under the smell of the approaching rain, Kara’s cinnamon scent was plastered all over this building. I looked around the parking lot with one hand on the doorknob and sure enough, there was her scent, invading my senses and making Valor growl with the need to possess her.
I had to remind him that in this day and age men didn’t possess women.
I disagree.
I figured I’d just let him think whatever he wanted to. I learned early on it was pointless to argue with him.
Sucking in a deep breath, I stepped out of the truck and strode toward the door of the mysterious business that needed help.
More than once in the handful of steps between my truck and the front door of the shop, I considered turning back. But a job was a job, even if it was working for Kara. And maybe I’d be able to convince her I hadn’t meant to be a total dick back in the bar. Possibly.
Valor might’ve never spoken to me again if I’d turned around and left, too.
After a lot of fast deliberation, and a little encouragement from the cold droplets that started falling on my back, I finally pushed the door open and stepped inside. Kara’s alluring scent was so strong inside it was like swimming through her hair or something, and the metallic smell of the tools was almost completely covered up.
Not entirely unpleasant.
The tug in my chest intensified as I looked around at the shelves of neatly arranged tools and building supplies. I’d never seen any man’s garage this organized. Point one for the ladies.
I idly traced my finger along one of the shelves. “Hello?” I called.
Kara answered immediately. “Hey! In the back.”
I walked across the room and through a doorway. Kara sat at a table with weird magnifying glasses on, using a soldering iron on some sort of computer board. When she looked up at me, her eyes were enormous through the magnification.
It was completely adorable, and also difficult not to chuckle at her.
“What are you doing here?” She tugged the glasses off and glared at me.
“Jury told me there was a job opening in town. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize until I got here that it was for you.” I nodded my head and turned to leave, then stopped. “While I’m here, though, I did want to say I’m sorry about how it all came out of my mouth, about you looking good dressed up. I didn’t mean to imply that you look bad in your work clothes and it escalated in ways I didn’t mean for it to.” Clearing my throat awkwardly while she stared at me in shock, I waited a few seconds, then nodded again. “Clearly, we can’t work together. I’m sorry for interrupting your work.”
I moved quickly out of the room rather than staying in the midst of the awkwardness and made it halfway across the front room before she called out. “Wait!”
I froze and turned around. Did she want me to go back to the other room? I shifted my weight indecisively. Stay there or go back? Luckily, she walked through the doorway a second later, relieving me from having to make that decision.
“Have a seat,” she said, motioning toward a small desk with a chair on either side of it.
Reasons to leave bounced through my brain like crazy balls, but I did as I was told. Sitting on the edge of the wooden folding chair across from her, I tapped my fingers on my knees, waiting.
Kara opened a laptop and typed on it a few times before looking at me again. She definitely looked annoyed. I stopped tapping. “What is your maintenance experience?”
Damn. Right away, I had to sound like a loser. “I don’t have any. But I’m willing to learn, and I’m a really quick study.”
She twitched her lips and typed in her laptop before looking at me again. “Previous job experience?”
I shook my head. “Nothing much to speak of. Can I level with you?”
She’d just opened her mouth as if to ask another question but snapped her teeth together and nodded. “Please do.”
“When I turn twenty-five, I get an inheritance. I never intended to get a job.”
One perfectly dainty eyebrow went up.
Oh, I needed to clarify quickly. I hurried with the rest of what I wanted to say before she made up her mind to say no. “In order to get my inheritance, I have to hold down a job for a year. And I don’t mind doing that. I don’t want to be some totally useless person who can’t fix anything, can’t do anything. I got a little experience over at the body shop with Stefan, but a maintenance job sounds exactly like something I need.”
She raised her eyebrows and started to open her mouth again, but now I needed to sell myself. “And, I know I’ll be leaving the job in a year, so you could pay me minimum wage. Experienced handymen would want three times that or more, and even other apprentices would want more. I don’t really need much
