“No,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Fine,” she said lightly. “Two more bikes came in this morning for repairs.”
“I’ll tell the guys,” I said.
“Great. Good.”
She looked blankly at me. I felt small. It was as if my whole existence had just been assessed, and I’d been found wanting. She might have said something, maybe letting me know what she thought of the kiss. Or she could have told me how she felt about me.
I turned around and walked to my office, sitting down heavily and letting the door slam.
“It’s for the best.”
I tried to focus, but the more I tried, the more I found my mind wandering back to her. I wanted her to say something. To look at me, at least!
I finished the parts orders and then stood, wincing as my back cracked. The guys were working on the Honda. I decided I’d start on the other bike that had been brought in for a repair. If the repair was something quick, or something complicated, I usually worked on it. The custom and artsy stuff I left for the guys to do. I was a very logical person. Creativity didn’t suit me.
I wished, as I fiddled with the wheezing and sputtering engine, that I could immerse myself in the repairs and not bother with the day-to-day running of the business. I enjoyed the challenge of fixing bikes and handing them back, fully repaired, to their happy owners. It also distracted me from the world. Speaking of which, I was so lost in this repair that I hadn’t noticed how much time had passed.
“Hey! Carter!” Matt called. “It’s lunchtime.”
“Huh?” I frowned, then looked around. Afternoon light spilled through the windows. I realized he was right—it was one o’clock. I felt pleased that I had gone a full four hours without thinking about Amelia more than a few times.
“We’re going to the store,” Matthew said gently. “Can we get you something?”
“Nothing for me, thanks,” I said, wiping my oily hands clean on a rag. “I’ll finish up here and then go down. I’m thinking about calling it early today.”
Mark looked at me, and I could see compassion there. He nodded.
“Sure. I’ll finish the bike,” he added.
“No worries,” I said, wiping some oil off the gas tank. “I think it’s done. I’ll tidy up. Have a nice lunch.”
Matthew frowned at me, but they all went out. I could hear them laughing and joking as they went across the yard, teasing each other and indulging in general hijinks. After the gate clanked shut, the yard quietened.
I finished up the work, tidied up, and washed my hands. I was planning my drive back home when I looked out of my office window. There was a pickup truck parked in the parking lot of the warehouse across the street.
That, in itself, was fine. But the thing that bothered me was the fact that the truck had been there all morning. As far as I knew, there was hardly ever anyone checking on things at the warehouse. I knew the owner, and they stored big household wares there—mattresses, stoves, and other large appliances. They hardly ever had cause to go there, except with their delivery truck. And this was a red Ford, not theirs.
“Strange,” I murmured.
I didn’t know why, but something about the vehicle felt off. It was in bad condition, but I’d seen plenty of cars and bikes in bad condition, and I didn’t automatically feel this sense of unease. I couldn’t help wondering what it was doing there. The windows were tinted, but the parking lot was too far away for me to see if anybody was inside.
It’s probably nothing. I’m just stressed is all.
I still had a bad feeling about the truck, no matter how hard I tried to dismiss it. I couldn’t shake the thought that the truck had something to do with Amelia. Her encounter with that guy last week was on my mind.
“Tex?” I said, taking out my phone.
I waited for a while. When I thought he wasn’t going to answer, I heard a crackle, and somebody cleared their throat.
“Carter? Hi?”
“Hi, Tex!” I felt relieved to hear his solid, honest voice. “I just have a bad feeling about this truck, parked opposite us. I’m worried about Amelia. You got news about that creep?” He was silent for a moment, and I waited, then coughed. “Tex?”
“That’s crazy,” he said. He sounded shaken. I went tense. “I was about to call you. I went past Amelia’s place this morning on my way to work. I saw a truck there. A red one.”
I felt my heart sink into my shoes. “Really?”
“Yeah. I thought maybe it was nothing, but if you see an old red Ford truck there… it could be the same guy.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. I shivered. Glancing out at the truck again, I caught sight of someone inside this time. Whoever it was, they were there. I felt my heart thump. I decided to warn Amelia.
“I found out a bit about him, too,” Tex said. “Bad guy. He’s involved in bad shit—or, at least, from what I can gather, he might be involved in drug dealing.”
“What?” I yelled. I looked around, worried someone might have overheard. I didn’t know if Amelia was still working, or if she’d gone out with the rest of them. I glanced around, planning to go next door. “Sorry.”
“No worries,” Tex said. “I can come over in an hour if you want?”
“No… I got it,” I said, glancing at the truck. I would go over there myself and check it out. “Thanks, Tex.”
He hung up. I sat for a moment, thinking. I couldn’t very well go over and confront the guy. He wasn’t trespassing, and there was nothing else that I could accuse him of. I didn’t want to make things dangerous for Amelia, either. If he knew that she had told me, he might feel the urge to take it out on her. I wasn’t sure what to do. One thing I could do, I decided, was warn her.
I went into the shop. My brothers were working again, or at least I could see Matthew sitting on the floor, taking off the wheel guards. Adam was working on another bike in the corner. I heard Mark’s voice behind me.
“We’ll talk about it. For now, please, just take it? We’d all feel better. Don’t worry.”
I frowned. He was in Amelia’s office, and the voice that replied to him was Amelia’s voice.
“Thanks, really. But… only if you think he won’t…”
“There won’t be any trouble. We’ve been writing ads for months, and nobody’s even called. So please. Take it.”
“Thanks, Mark. I’ll feel much safer.”
I walked in.
Amelia was standing behind her desk, happy and smiling. Mark was in front of her. She was holding a shiny something, which transformed into keys as I looked closely. I frowned at Mark.
“I was just telling Amelia,” Mark said stiffly, “that the apartment upstairs is free. We’ve been advertising it for months, and it’s ideal for her. She’s going to be our tenant now.”
I glared at him, feeling annoyed. “How dare you…” I began.
Then I looked at Amelia’s face.
Her eyes were wide and shocked. She blinked and I saw her concern. She handed the keys wordlessly to Mark, shaking her head.
“Take them, Mark,” she said. “I shouldn’t move in. But thank you for the offer.”