Bull lingered, and she forced a smile to her lips. She couldn’t believe she had unloaded all of that onto her boss. There was a high chance he was going to fire her.
The rest of the day was uneventful. Not many breakdowns. A few people came to pick up their cars.
Pat left early.
She and Bull stayed until five when he decided to close up shop.
They both stood outside of the gate as he locked it.
“I wanted to say thank you for earlier. I … I didn’t even realize I’d been holding it in, but then it just … came out.”
“Shit like that happens.” He flicked the keys between his fingers.
“I don’t cry over everything, I promise,” she said, laughing.
“You can cry any time, Maddie. I’m not going to hold it against you.” He glanced past her shoulder. “Do you want to go and grab a cup of coffee?”
“Er, yeah, sure, I’d like that.” This wasn’t weird, was it? It wasn’t a date or anything other than having coffee with the boss.
Bull shoved the keys into his jacket pocket, and they walked side by side, in silence.
Maddie couldn’t believe she was walking with Bull. Of all the men to be heading to the diner with, Bull was the last person she imagined.
“I wanted to say sorry about your loss,” he said.
“About the dog?”
“No, er, about your parents.”
“Oh,” she said. “Right, yes, they passed some time ago.”
“I never went to the funeral.”
She had to attempt to contain her laughter. “It’s fine. Not a lot of people turned up.”
It was her, the priest, and the two men who were going to bury her parents. At her dad’s it was her mother, and at her mother’s funeral, it was just her.
“Did you know my parents?” she asked.
“No, I can’t say that I did.”
She wasn’t going to tell him her mother would have found it an insult for him to go to her funeral. She could imagine her mother being ungrateful even in death.
Maddie chuckled. She just couldn’t help it. The very thought of this man going would have sent her mother turning in her grave.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Let me just say that my mother wasn’t always a nice person.” That was being nice about her.
“That, I get.”
“What about you?” she asked. “And your parents? Unless that is crossing a line.” The last thing she wanted to do was talk about herself. It felt safer to let him talk about his life.
“Not much to tell. Never knew my mother, and my dad passed some time ago.”
“He was alive though when Grant was still in school, right?”
“Yeah, he was. Why?”
“I don’t know. I think I would have remembered if he wasn’t.”
“I am sorry about Grant,” Bull said.
She glanced over at him and shrugged. “You don’t need to apologize for him.”
“My brother is an asshole.”
This made her smile. “I know.”
He chuckled.
They entered the diner together, and Maddie glanced over the crowd. Some of them instantly leaned forward and began whispering to each other.
Bull grabbed her hand, and at first, she tensed up at the contact. It was so strange to be touched by him, by anyone. Her parents hadn’t been the kind to share feelings like that. He held out a seat, and she sat down.
He let go of her hand, and she immediately placed it on her thigh, but Bull wasn’t done. He pushed her chair forward with ease and she slid closer to the table. His face was so close to her hair, and she couldn’t help but be aware of him at her back.
Get it together, Maddie.
Bull sat opposite her, and he removed his leather cut. He wore a plain white t-shirt that left most of his arms exposed, showing off the ink that decorated his skin. She rarely saw his ink while they were working. The overalls he wore covered him from ankle to cuff.
“Do you like them?” he asked, holding out his arms.
“Er, they’re … a lot.”
“You don’t like that?”
“I didn’t say that. I think you’re very brave having them. I couldn’t imagine having a tattoo. Does it hurt?” She wanted to cringe at her topic of conversation. Was this another reason men never wanted to go out with her?
“Sometimes, but I’ve grown used to certain levels of pain.” He grabbed a menu and she took the other.
Glancing over the food, she had no idea what to pick. She was so hungry, but if she ordered too much, would he judge her? This was so embarrassing.
Beatrice came out with a smile.
“Well, well, well, I’m so glad to finally see you two back in my office,” Beatrice said and winked at her.
Heat began to build up in her face.
“What can I get you?” Beatrice asked.
“I’ll have the special, please. You know how I like it,” Bull said.
She immediately put the menu down. “I’ll have the same as him.”