I shake her hand that she’s holding out and give a small wave to him across the table. “I’m Lakelyn Hall. It’s nice to meet you both.”
Before I can even get it all out, Millie asks, “So you said you were in the shoot today. Does that mean you’re a model?”
I nod, and Millie snorts. “Violet is a brave woman.”
I’m about to ask her why when Austin interrupts. “Tate owns Jennings Auto Repair. It’s down four blocks, past the bakery and the library. Right on the corner of Joy Street.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, I’m making progress.
I stand up. “Thank you both so much for your help. I’m going to go try and catch him before he leaves. Have a good dinner.”
They both tell me bye, and Millie asks me to stop in and see her at the co-op before I leave town. I nod and walk out the door with a hopeful stride that I’m going to see Tate soon.
I practice what I’m going to say the whole walk across town. I try to block it out of my mind how he reacted when he saw me the second time. When I had my hair in the horrible knot earlier with no makeup on my face, he looked at me with interest. When I had my makeup on and hair fixed, he looked as if he’d seen a ghost and as if he couldn’t get away fast enough.
I know I didn’t imagine the connection we had. My toes curl even now just thinking about it. But there’s definitely something up, and I’m going to find out what it is.
* * *
Tate
“Fuck!” I say for what seems like the twentieth time this afternoon. The day has gone to shit. I haven’t been able to get my mind off Lakelyn all afternoon, and it’s caused me to have one mess after another.
I can hear Jeremy laughing. If I wasn’t lying underneath a 1957 Chevy right now, I swear I’d kick his ass.
“Did you drop another tool?”
“Fuck you,” I tell him.
“Sounds to me like someone had an eventful lunch today and didn’t tell me anything about it,” Jeremy sing-songs back to me.
I swear that Old Man Jacobs. Of course he told Jeremy everything he saw.
“Shut up, Jeremy. Hand me a four-inch torque wrench.”
I have my hand hanging out the underside of the car. “Jeremy! Torque wrench,” I say again.
“Here you go,” a sweet voice says.
I know that voice. I lift my head to look at where the sound is coming from. She’s bent down, her knees on the dirty concrete, and she’s staring at me, holding out the torque wrench. She’s smiling, and right then, I know I’m screwed.
I don’t take the wrench. I push my way out from underneath the car. I grab a towel off the table and try to wipe my hands. I have my coveralls on, and I’m covered in grease, probably from head to toe.
“Lakelyn,” I mutter, staring at her, barely able to breathe from the pressure on my chest. What is she doing here?
The makeup from earlier is gone. She has her hair up in a ponytail, and the jean shorts and v-neck T-shirt are back.
She smiles up at me. “Hey Tate. I hope it’s okay that I tracked you down.”
She tracked me down... that has to mean something, I tell myself.
I cross my arms over my chest. “Sure, what can I do for you? You have car problems?”
Her forehead creases as she stares back at me. I’m being an ass.
Chapter4
Lakelyn