Mick
“I thought you were closed?”I ask, taking a step backward and silently cursing whoever’s there. I finally get the nerve to make a move on Charlie, and someone decides to ruin it? Great.
“We are,” she says and clears her throat. The look in her eyes tells me that she was game for whatever was about to happen. “I’ll be right back.” She sighs and heads toward the front door.
I let out a long exhale and run my hand through my hair. I don’t deserve a woman like Charlie, anyway. She’s good…almost too good for a guy like me with a past like mine. I start gathering my tools, knowing that the moment between Charlie and me has passed.
I’ve done a lot of shitty things in my life, things I should’ve been punished for. It’s so ironic that the one time I do something good, standing up to my asshole big brother for nearly beating his girlfriend to death, I’m the one who gets sent to prison. What kind of brother presses charges for that kind of thing anyway? And my family, forget it. They’re mad at me for stepping in when I should’ve been minding my own business. The Toliver name is shit in this town, and for once, I was trying to do something right by making sure my brother didn’t end up killing his girlfriend with his fists.
I slam my fist against the long, silver table. It reverberates under my skin. Damn, that felt good. My family won’t even look at me, and maybe it’s a good thing; a clean start requires removing all of the trash from your life, and my family is nothing but garbage.
“Sorry.” Charlie’s voice pulls me back to the present. “That was my sister.” Charlie grabs her purse and jacket from the hook on the wall. “Her car broke down a few blocks from here. I have to go and give her a jump.”
“I’ll come with you.” I grab my flannel before she can say otherwise. “I’m pretty good with cars.”
“Hot wiring?” She says and gives a little wink, but the joke’s not funny. This is exactly why things will never work out between us. I’m sure, like the rest of Thunder Mountain, Charlie sees me as a thug.
“Where is she?” I ask, and Charlie’s expression falls.
“Um, in front of the pharmacy.” I follow her out, and she locks the cafe behind us.
Charlie’s sister stands with her back to us and turns when she hears us approaching. “I’m such an idiot. I know I need to get a new car, but I’ve been putting it…off.” When she turns to face us, her eyes land on me. “What’s he doing here?” Her eyes dart to Charlie.
“Mick works here, Lacey.” Charlie takes a step toward me, and my chest swells with pride. “I hired him last week.”
Lacy points to me. “You hired Mick Toliver?” She grabs Charlie by the arm. “He was in prison.”
“I know,” Charlie says. “He told me.” Her confident tone comforts me, making me feel seen and accepted—something I haven’t felt in a long time. Charlie leads me to her car, parked right out front. “We’ll drive down and meet you, then get you on your way.” A look passes between them, one of those sister ESP things, I assume. Lacey throws her hands up and agrees.
The car smells just like Charlie, a deep vanilla amber with hints of pure sugar. “You’ll probably get that a lot,” I say, wondering if I’ll ever be able to outrun my past.
“Get what?” Charlie says, and I wonder if she’s oblivious to her sister’s judgment of me or if she’s just playing coy.
“Charlie, I’m a bad seed.”
Her head flicks in my direction. “Not anymore, you’re not. Right now, you’re a man doing honest work for honest pay, and that’s all that matters.” She starts the car. “If all of us were judged by our past, we’d never move forward.” She puts the car in drive without another word, and God knows she’s left me speechless.
She drives the few blocks with her head high, and I realize what a strong woman she is. From the minute we locked eyes, I’ve wanted her more than any woman I’ve ever seen. I didn’t think I could want her more, but I do. I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait. I stiffen in my pants and try to relax my thoughts of her so that her sister doesn’t think I’m even creepier than she already does.
It doesn’t take long to get her sister’s car back in working order. As I attached the jumper cables between the vehicles, the two sisters stood near the trunk, talking in hushed whispers. I can only make out a little of their conversation, most of it an inquisition on Lacey’s part about why she’d trust someone like me in her shop. I guess it’s something I have to get used to. The truth is, I don’t give a shit what other people think of me; as long as Charlie’s on my side, I’m doing great.
We send Lacey on her way, and the two of us stand on the dark street as a stillness washes over us. With downtown Thunder Mountain shut down for the night, it’s like we’re the only two people left on Earth. My pulse quickens when I turn to Charlie and find her staring back at me.
“Do you want a ride back to the shop?” She asks, her evergreen eyes sparkling in the streetlight.
“I actually live right there.” I point to my apartment.
“Above the hardware store?”
“It’s the only place who would rent to me.”
“Oh boy.”
“Yeah,” I say, feeling self-conscious. “It’s not because of money, either. It’s because of who I am.”
“I’m sure you get that a lot,” she says, her body shifting slightly toward mine.
“More than I’d care to admit.”