Grace
I LOCKED THE door and faced my brother. “You look like you’ve broken every bone in your body.”
He grinned. “Almost.”
“You should go to emergency.”
“Katie and Lily fussed over me tonight. It’s all good. Nothing’s broken. Just gotta ice and take it easy.”
Katie. Flea’s sister.
She was a registered nurse (as was Lily), so I knew my brother had been in good hands, but I still worried.
“If anything seems… off… will you let me know?”
He grabbed a beer and smiled. “Yeah, Grace, I’m gonna run to my little sister the second I have a headache.”
Before I could argue, my phone buzzed in my pocket and I slipped it out and glanced at the screen. It was Hatch. “Hi, Hatch. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, Gracie girl, it’s all good. Hear you might be lookin’ for a job.”
“Wow, Flea doesn’t waste time, does he?”
Hatch chuckled. “He knows we need someone, so I’m callin’ to officially offer you the job.”
“I appreciate that, but I’m waiting to hear back from the Portland Ballet Conservatory, so I don’t know how long I can commit.”
“We’ll work around your schedule.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Can you start Monday?”
“Um, yeah, I can. That’d be great. Thanks, Hatch.”
“Great. Talk to you then.”
“Okay. Bye.” He hung up and I smiled at my brother. “I got a job.”
“I heard. Hatch needs someone, huh?”
I nodded. “I don’t know anything about working in a mechanic’s shop, but he knows that, so…”
Merrick grabbed the Advil from the cabinet and popped two. “I think it’ll be good for you. But, you know you can stay here as long as you want to.”
“I know that. And I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me. You’re my favorite brother on the planet.”
He grinned. “And you’re my favorite sister.”
“Well, now that the love-fest has been established, I’m going to go to bed. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m good, sissy. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I gently hugged my brother, then headed to my room, my heart light for the first time in a while.
* * *
Monday morning, I was a bundle of nerves as I drove to Hatch’s shop. I don’t know why I was so nervous, Hatch was like the dad I never had, so I knew he’d be patient with me, but, still, I knew nothing about grease monkeys and the engines they fixed.
Flea.
Ohmigod. Flea.
He was someone I wasn’t quite prepared for. I liked him.
I didn’t like men.
I mean, I did. But my life was chaotic, and I never felt like dragging anyone else into the drama. But Flea… well, he didn’t seem fazed by anything. Come to think of it, he never had.
I shook my head. Of course he wasn’t fazed by anything. He was a badass biker. They were used to chaos. But he probably wasn’t a man who would mess around with someone like me, so I didn’t know why the thought kept entering my head. I had neither the time nor the emotional fortitude to chase after a man. It didn’t matter that said man was gorgeous and sweet and the first one in… ever to make me stop and dream a little.
I sighed. This was just more proof I was certifiable.
All of my man-mooning had shortened my drive time considerably and I found myself pulling into the shop parking lot. I saw a Harley parked in front, so I pulled in next to it. I assumed it was Hatch’s since he’d said to meet him there at eight.
I turned off my car and took a deep breath before grabbing my bag and heading into the building. I’d worn jeans and knee-high boots, along with a dark top which would hide the dirt and keep me cool. Hopefully, I wasn’t overdressed.
Pushing open the front door, I called out, “Hatch!”
“Back here, Grace,” he said, and I followed the sound.
I stepped through a side door and smiled. Hatch was washing his hands at the sink at the back of the shop and smiled at me over his shoulder. “You’re early.”
“I know. Sorry, there was no traffic.”
“Don’t apologize,” he said, drying his hands. “You can be early anytime you like.”
“Well, I hope you’ll feel the same way whenever I’m late.”
Hatch chuckled. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
For the next hour, Hatch showed me the shop. By the time the tour ended, I felt confident I could do this job. And this was because Hatch was patient and he made me feel empowered.
I heard the roar of pipes as Hatch led me back to the front desk. “That’ll be Flea. He’s gonna train you on the computer and shit.”
A shiver stole up my spine and I forced myself not to jump up and down with excitement. “Okay, cool.”
And then I saw him, and I found myself swallowing convulsively. He dropped his helmet in a saddlebag and ran his hands through his hair and I felt warmth pool in places it probably shouldn’t. He was a beautiful human being and when he shoved his keys in his pocket and a toothpick in his mouth, then started toward the front door, I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from squeaking.
I swear it was like the opening to the Bachelor or something… Flea walked toward us, the breeze catching his hair, almost like it was slo-mo, and when he caught my eye through the glass, he smiled.
And, ohmigod, what a smile.
I had to look away.
“’Mornin’,” Flea said as he walked inside.
“Hey,” Hatch replied, but I just smiled and nodded. “I’m gonna leave you two to it.”
“Okay. Thanks, Hatch,” I said, and Hatch went to the back of the shop.
“You ready for this?” Flea asked.
“I think so.” I smiled. “Thanks for making this happen.”
“No problem,” he said. “I’m gonna go grab a cup of coffee, then we can start.”
“I just made a fresh pot.”
“Good first step,” he said, and chuckled as he headed into the back office.
He returned quickly and turned into ‘all-business’ Flea.
He stayed with me at the front desk the entire morning, which I appreciated, because it was busy. As in, slammed.
By the time the sixth customer in less than an hour walked out the door, I’d decided I was wrong. There was no way in hell I was going to be able to do this job.
“Lunch,” Flea announced just before noon, and I couldn’t stop a sigh of relief. “Overwhelmed?”
“Little bit.” I bit my lip. “Is it always this busy?”
“Nope. It’s usually worse.”
“What?” I squeaked.
He grinned. “Don’t freak, babe. I’m with you all week.”
“You are?”
“Yep. Got your back.”
Buddy, you can have my front, too, I thought to myself, but said, “Thanks, Flea.”
“You hungry?”
“Starved,” I admitted.
“Chinese?”
“I love Chinese.”
“Good, there’s a place next door. You ready?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
Flea pulled the door to the shop open and yelled, “Grace and I are headin’ to lunch.”
“Grab me some Kung Pao,” Hatch yelled back.
“Beef broccoli,” Hatch’s brother, Cullen called. “And noodles.”
“Shoulda kept my mouth shut,” Flea grumbled.
“Hey, can you grab me cashew shrimp?” Preacher asked as he walked to the front desk. He handed Flea a twenty. “I’m up here ’til you get back.”
“I won’t remember all this shit,” Flea complained.
“Don’t worry.” I waved a notebook at him. “I’m writing it down.”
Flea stuck his face back through the door and yelled, “Anything else? Keep in mind, I’m not your fuckin’ secretary.”
I didn’t hear words from anyone, but chuckles resounded as Flea closed the door again. “Let’s get out of here before they add to the list.”
I grinned and nodded. “I’ll just grab my purse.”
“Don’t need your purse, babe. Come on,” he said, holding the front door open.
I rushed to follow him, and we walked a few doors down to the tiny, literal hole-in-the-wall Chinese food restaurant. There were only about six tables inside and I kept thinking that if they moved all the buddha statues, they’d probably have room for more.
The hostess led us to a table in the corner and I slid into the booth, setting the piece of paper between the soy sauce holder and the salt. I opened my menu, glanced at it, which was silly because I always ordered the same thing, then set it down again and smiled at Flea.
“Why are you called Flea?” I asked.
He grinned. “Hatch said that I asked so many questions, it made him itch.”
I chuckled. “What kinds of questions?”
“All kinds. Never had a dad, Mom was kind of a nut, so I used to grill him about everything.”
“It’s nice you had that.”
“Yeah. He’s the big brother I never had.”
“He’s like that.” I smiled. “He’s the dad I never had.”
Flea raised an eyebrow. “You not close to yours?”
“Not really, no.”
“You wanna talk about it?”
“Not really, no,” I said again.
He leaned forward slightly. “That changes, you let me know.”
I nodded. “Thanks. Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring the mood down.”
“You didn’t, babe.”
A server came to our table and brought us tea, and we gave him our order, which meant I had a minute to pull myself together.
I don’t know why I blurted out everything I was feeling to Flea. It was like he gazed into my soul and saw everything anyway, so I guess I felt like it was futile to keep it hidden from him.
“What’s with the toothpick?” I asked once the server walked away.
He pulled it out of his mouth and slipped it into his pocket. “Quit smokin’ about a year ago. This helps.”
“Gives your mouth something else to do, huh?”
“Yeah.” He grinned. “’Course, there are better things I could do with my mouth, but the toothpick works in a pinch.”
“I bet.” I rolled my eyes in an effort to hide my shiver. I bet he could do amazing things with his mouth.
“How did you feel about this morning?” he asked.
“Overwhelmed, but good,” I admitted. “I’m not sure I’ll remember everything.”
“Once you get in the groove, it’s not hard. You’re already ahead of the curve.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, Grace. You’re doin’ great.”
I blushed. “Thanks.”
“So, what’s this ballet thing?”
“You mean, my life?”
He chuckled. “No, I mean the reason you might leave the shop.”
“Oh.” I smiled. “I was offered a position with the San Francisco Ballet, but since I’m not ready to leave, I’ve auditioned for PBC as well.”
“Would it be a better deal?”
“In San Francisco?”
He nodded.
“Probably,” I said. “More money, more prestige.”
“Why don’t you go?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Uncomplicate it for me.”
“That would give you a level of access to my life that scares me, buddy.”
“Why does it scare you?”
I didn’t have to answer because our server arrived with our food, so I busied myself with my chopsticks and focused on my plate.
“Grace?”
“Hmm?” I muttered to my plate.
“Baby, look at me.”
“I don’t want to.”
He reached over and gently pushed my chopsticks down. “Why do I scare you?”
“You don’t scare me.” I met his eyes with a sigh. “Me telling you my deep, dark secrets scares me.”
“What’s the difference?”
“No one knows, Flea,” I whispered. “Not even Poppy.”
His eyes got soft and he smiled gently. “Okay, Grace. I hear ya.”
We focused back on our food and Flea changed the subject, giving me my privacy, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t last for long. This man was worming his way into my soul and I was doing my best to stop it, but I had a feeling any walls I might erect, or emotions I would stuff down deep, would prove futile.
* * *
One week later, I was on my own for the first time and I actually felt pretty confident about it. For about an hour. Then I was sure I was screwing absolutely everything up.
“Grace?” Flea called as he walked into the back office. “Got folks up front.”
“I know. Sorry.” I handed him the receipt of the last customer. “I think I’ve fucked something up.”
“You go help them and I’ll look at this,” he said, taking the paperwork.
Hatch was off delivering parts, so I was glad Flea hung around in case I needed help. He’d worked a ten-hour day, so he should have been gone by now.
But he’d stayed. Because he was sweet.
And I liked him.
Which was a problem.
I helped the final customer of the afternoon and locked up after they’d left, heading back to the office. Flea was on the phone, so I waited for him to hang up before stepping to the desk.
“How bad did I screw it up?”
He smiled, standing and slipping the receipt in the tray. “You charged her about a hundred bucks more than she should have paid.”
“Oh, crap,” I said, covering my mouth with my hands. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s all good. I called her and let her know we’d be refunding the difference and I sent her an updated receipt.”
“What did I do?”
He walked me through how I’d added a zero to the labor and I made notes, so I wouldn’t do it again. “Was she pissed?”
Flea chuckled. “Actually, I think she was surprised we called to rectify the situation, and that gave us brownie points.”
I bit my lip. “I feel like an idiot.”
“Don’t, babe. This was your first mistake. Hatch thinks you’re perfect.”
“He does?”
Flea nodded. “Yep. I think he’s gonna lose his mind when you get the call from the ballet place.”
Before I could respond, my phone rang, and I excused myself to answer it. “This is Grace.”
“Miss Lundy?”
“Yes?”
“This is Luna from PBC.”
“Hi, Luna.”
Ohmigod, my heart started racing and I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.
“I will be sending you a letter later this week, but I’m calling to offer you a spot as an apprentice dancer for the spring season.”
I couldn’t stop my disappointment from sitting low in my belly. “Oh, wow. Thank you.”
Although, I didn’t feel very thankful. I felt cheated.
“Your letter will include expectations and pay, along with a schedule. If you can sign the contract and send it back as soon as possible, we can put you on the roster and have you join our team.”
“Okay, thank you so much.”
She confirmed my mailing address and we hung up, and I forced myself not to kick something.
“You okay?” Flea asked, and I nodded.
“Golden.”
“Yeah?”
“Yep.”
“Why do you look like someone just kicked your puppy, then?”
“It’s not important,” I grumbled, dropping my phone into my purse.
“Don’t do that, Grace.” He crossed his arms. “Who was on the phone?”
“PBC.”
“Yeah? Did they offer you a spot?”
“Not really.”
He cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
I sighed. “I am being offered an apprentice position. Which means I only dance when someone is sick or there’s need of a large cast.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“Yes, Flea. It’s a bad thing,” I snapped. “It means they think I sucked.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“Forget it. They’re mailing me everything and I can make a decision when I see the terms.”
“Grace?”
“What, Flea?” I snapped again. “I have no backup plan. I have a BA in Arts & Humanities and a minor in psychology. People with a BA in Arts & Humanities are usually unemployed.”
“You’re not unemployed.”
“No, but I’m supposed to be a principal dancer for a prestigious ballet company. It’s why I didn’t give myself room to fail.” I threw my hands in the air. “But, fail I did.”
“Grace. You haven’t failed.”
“I was offered a full-time position at the San Francisco Ballet, I guess I just figured PBC would offer me the same.”
“Why didn’t you take the one in California, then?”
“Because I can’t live by myself, but if I have a roommate, they’ll be subjected to my night terrors, and that’s not something I’m willing to saddle someone with.” I gasped and threw my hand over my mouth. “Why the hell did I just tell you that?”
He frowned. “You still have night terrors?”
“Forget I said anything.”
He closed the distance between us and laid his hands on my shoulders. “Grace, do you have night terrors every night?”
“It’s not your problem.”
“Hey, don’t do that,” he said. “I’m your friend. I’m allowed to worry about my friend.”
I shook my head. “No, Mr. Nosy Pants, I don’t have them every night.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Nosy Pants?”
I sighed. “At the risk of pissing you off, yes.”
He laughed. “God damn, you’re fuckin’ adorable.”
Oh, god, he thinks I’m adorable. This isn’t good. I need to shut him down.
“Stop, Flea. Please. This is silly.” I shrugged out from his touch and headed back to the office.
“Night terrors are silly to you?” he asked, following.
“What’s it to you?” I ground out.
“You won’t win this, Grace.”
“Win what?”
He smiled. It was Cheshire in nature and made my stomach flutter with nerves.
“Stop looking at me like that,” I rasped.
Keeping his irritating smile intact, he nodded. “Okay, babe. Let’s get out of here, huh?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Well… not that it’s any of your business, Miss Nosy Pants, but I’m gonna head to the compound for a couple of hours before I go home.”
I forced myself not to smile. Him turning my words back on me was both funny and endearing.
“I guess we’re a pair, huh?” I mused. He cocked his head and I studied him. “A couple of nosy pants.”
“I guess so.” He smirked. “I’m gonna lock up, then I’ll walk you out.”
I knew he was purposely letting me escape, but I also knew he wouldn’t always. He had a way of delving into my soul that both scared and comforted me at the same time. It was weird.
I shut down the computers, secured the cash in the safe, and grabbed my purse just as Flea peeked into the office. “You ready?”
I nodded and followed him out, fishing my keys out of my bag as we walked. Flea said nothing else as he waited for me to climb into the car, then he stood sentry until I’d backed out of the parking space and headed toward the exit.