“Yeah. I didn’t really think about…” Her gaze darted around the room. She’d never been up here before that I could remember. The similarities couldn’t have struck her. “If you want to change things up, switch out the furniture, it really wouldn’t be any trouble.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “Most of the memories here were good.” We wouldn’t talk about the memories after.
“Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me. I think my dad will be coming out to officially welcome you and introduce you to the other garage staff in a few minutes. He just got caught up in a call about some big deal he’s helping finalize.” She grimaced.
Right. I hadn’t really expected to get first priority with the old man. I knew me being here, getting this place and this job, was all Rose. Worrying about me, trying to set things right, even when she had so much to worry about for herself already.
“Things have been okay with him so far?” I asked.
“I think so. It’s so hard to tell.” She paused, her gaze turning searching. “Are you completely okay withthis, Gabriel? If being back feels too weird, or whatever…”
She’d already reassured me over and over that she only wanted me to take the job and the apartment if I really wanted it. That she didn’t mean to pressure me at all. As if she should be the one taking responsibility for my history in this place.
She’d opened herself up to me so much from the moment I’d come back, trusted me with so much of herself. I’d known there was something magical about the girl I’d known back then, but I’d never realized quite how literal that was.
The thought tugged at my heart. I forced myself to ignore the sensation. I had to be worthy of that trust.
“Hey,” I said. “I told you it’s fine. It’s perfect, really. I can help keep a closer eye on things for you, keep myself out of trouble,andavoid imposing on Jin’s hospitality any longer. Thank you.”
“Okay. I promise to stop asking.” She gave me a quick grin. “I guess I’d better let you unpack. I shouldn’t be sticking around the garage too long anyway. But if you ever want to talk, shoot me a text, and I’ll conjure a little stealth.”
Then she was gone, slipping out the door. The room felt dimmer in an instant.
I hauled my bar bag over to the bedrooms—almost veering into my childhood room before remembering I should take the master. To my relief, the bed was made up with a new duvet and sheet set, breaking that feeling of stepping back through time.
I sat down on it, but the history of the apartment still weighed on me. I didn’t want to hang around in here. Might as well figure out a more permanent spot to park my bike and take a look at the current state of the cars. I couldn’t ask for a better distraction than that.
The first thing I saw after I found a suitable nook for the Triumph was a kid who didn’t look much older than eighteen hunched beneath the open hood of a deep blue Mercedes CLS. His grumbling gave me the impression he wasn’t all that happy with how the work was going. I came up beside him and cocked my head.
“You want a hand?”
Ten minutes later, I was wrist-deep in engine grease and feeling not too shabby at all about my recent life decisions. Then a guy about my age, dark blond hair swept back from his high forehead, came strolling over around the side of the garage. He propped himself against the side of the garage next to me. He was a decent height and broad-shouldered, but I could tell at a glance, just from the way he held himself, that he’d never been in a fight in his life.
“You must be Gabriel Lorde,” he said. “Welcome back to the household.”
Said the guy who had been part of it for only about a hundredth of the time I had before. I didn’t have to ask to know this was Derek. The dick who somehow thought he deserved Rose. And not just her but control over the most important part of her life too.
“Thanks,” I said.
“I’m Derek,” he said, straightening up again as if he’d thought better of the whole leaning thing. “Derek Conwyn, Rose’s fiancé.”
So you think. “Glad to meet you,” I said smoothly, and held up my black-streaked hands. “I’d offer a shake, but…”
He nodded dismissively. His gaze slid to the car. “Got right to work, did you?”
“Tyler was having a little trouble with the tune-up. I figured now that I’m here, why wait?”
“Right.” He gave me an even look. “Just so you know, this one’s mine.”
I had the feeling he wasn’t just talking about the car, and that he thoughthewas being pretty smooth the way he was handling this conversation. Damn, if Derek turned out to be the only problem Rose had left, he wasn’t going to be a hard one.
As much as I’d have liked to reply with an innocent, “Then I’ll be sure to take very good care of her,” I was here to help Rose, not make things worse. So I patted the side of the car and settled on a bland but warm, “Everything’s looking good.”
Derek’s eyes narrowed slightly as if he were trying to figure out whether I’d missed his double entendre or was making one of my own so subtly insulting he couldn’t quite figure out what I meant. Of course this guy would assume he couldn’t take anything anyone said at face value.
“Glad to hear it,” he said.
“If you’re ever interested in upgrading the transmission, just let me know,” I added, keeping the same mildly friendly tone. “Never hurts to have a little extra kick, right? I’ve never worked on a CLS before, but I’ve done a few like it.”