An hour or two later, I was out in the lounge when a voice took me by surprise. “Having fun?”
I’d been so intent on my task that I hadn’t noticed Gideon’s entrance. “It is kind of fun, yes.” I tapped a few more keys on the typewriter to demonstrate. “I like making the thing go back at the end of the row.”
“I believe it’s called a carriage.”
Turning my chair, I looked up at him. It had felt like regressing a century or so to go from Penny’s laptop to this old thing, but it was fascinating, nonetheless. “Is that your field? Are you a typewriter repairman?”
He leaned against the back of a sofa and folded his arms across his chest. “Damn, you figured it out.” Though there was a smudge of what was likely motor oil on his cheek, he still looked good. But like a Wikipedia entry for arrogance. “So why is the high priestess of high tech playing with a typewriter?”
“Nothing else to do. You took away all my toys.” I winced as I said that. The last thing I wanted to do was to bring up the subject of sex toys or their human substitutes right now. Brady had made me feel incredible last night, but I didn’t want anyone else to know about it. Least of all Gideon.
Just then, the sound of a roaring engine reached my ears. “You fixed it?”
Gideon shrugged. “It was mostly Cole.”
I paused, listening. “It still sounds like… how did you put it?”
“Like a train engine with emphysema.”
“Right.” That seemed apt.
He noticed my frown. “Look, we got it started, we didn’t give it a complete overhaul. That thing is on its last leg—or wheel, I should say. You have to know that.”
“Yeah. I do. But Penny’s not one to give up on lost causes.” Yes, I was talking about her boyfriend as well, but Gideon didn’t need to know that. “Thank you for your help.”
He nodded. “Thank Cole.” He straightened up but paused before leaving. “I wouldn’t try to drive it too far.”
“Understood.” We were in agreement about that.
He left, and a few minutes later, Penny and Cole came in. He headed to his office, and she came in and plopped down on an armchair.
“You figured out how to use that thing?” she asked.
“It’s not that hard,” I said. Yeah, I’d had to search on my phone for instructions on how to insert the paper, but I’d figured it out in the end. “How’s the car?”
“Still old, but it runs now.”
“That was nice of Cole to fix it.”
Penny frowned. “It was Gideon. All Cole did was to hit the gas pedal when Gideon told him to.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
That didn’t make any sense. Gideon said that he hadn’t had much to do with it, and he didn’t seem like a modest man to me.
“Do you still want to go into town to get some lunch?” she asked.
Hmm, in a train engine with emphysema? “It’s kind of late. How about we just snack on something here? Plus Cole’s making pizza tonight. Might as well save room for that.”
She nodded, getting to her feat. Her long ponytail swung free. Had I mentioned I’d kill for her dark glossy hair? “We can grab something and then record your newfound typewriter skill.”
I shrugged as I stood. “There'll be time for that later. How about we get some food and then try out one of those board games?”
Penny cocked her head as she looked at me. “Lila James wants to take a break and play a board game? Has all this fresh air made you into a totally different person?”
I grinned. “Maybe it has.”