Chapter Seven
Seth took the wrench from Dylan and reached back under the hood.
“You know I can do that, right?” the mechanic said.
Seth grunted and focused on the engine. Machines made sense to him. They were stable, logical, and predictable. Machines didn’t talk back to him or have unrealistic expectations. Unlike the rest of his life, machines made sense
“You should be enjoying the festival,” Dylan said.
“I’m not much into crowds.” Seth leaned back and motioned to the steering wheel. “Start it up.”
Dylan hesitated then went over to the driver’s side and turned the key. The truck started easily, and the engine hummed like a bird.
“Beautiful.” Dylan smirked as he returned to Seth’s side. “Thanks for your help, man. With all these people in town this week, cars are breaking down left and right. I can’t remember when we’ve been so busy.”
“No problem.” Seth took a rag from Dylan and wiped his fingers. “I like working with my hands.”
“You know, we could always use extra help around here.” Dylan took the rag and tossed it onto a counter. “I just hired my full time staff, but there’s a part-time position open. If you’re interested, I can arrange things with Chloe and you could—”
Seth shook his head. “We’re just passing through. As soon as the tires comes in, I hope to fix the car and be back on my way to Chicago.”
“And your girl? Will she go with you?”
“Anna?” Seth shrugged. “At one time I thought so, but now I’m not so sure. She seems to like being close to her family, and Dr. Gustafson is trying to talk her into helping out at the veterinary clinic.”
Dylan frowned. “So you’d just leave her here?”
Seth crossed his arms. “I’m not a country boy. I don’t belong here.”
Dylan frowned. “No? Could have fooled me.” He considered Seth for a moment before responding. “You know, we’re not as backward as people make us out on television.”
Seth lowered his arms. “I didn’t mean—”
“To be insulting? No one does. I’ll have you know that we have a lot of smart people in this town. Some of them are quite progressive people and use state-of-the-art farming technology.”
“I’m sure. I didn’t mean to offend anyone. It’s just . . .”
“Just what?”
Seth let out a long breath. “When I’m here with Anna, she seems different. Better. People recognize her and she seems . . . happier. These people here, they need her.”
“And you’re afraid that if this town needs her, then she won’t need you.”
Seth blinked. He hadn’t thought about it quite like that, but now that Dylan mentioned it, he knew those words were true. He wasn’t afraid of uprooting his life and moving to a small town. He was afraid of Anna realizing that the people in Sapphire Falls were better than him. He was afraid of her casting him aside at the first sign of some local offering her a little attention.
Dylan crossed his arms. “Look, I don’t typically get in the middle of relationships, but I can tell that Anna likes you, and you’re really good with cars. If you decide you want to stay and see where things go, the job’s open. And if you don’t . . .” He pushed off the counter and retreated into the back. A few seconds later he came back with a large tire.
“The tire!”
He dropped it in front of Seth’s car. “The other one is out back. They came in this afternoon. I suspect you can have your car up and running in a couple of hours now.”
“How much do I owe you?”
Dylan waved his hand in the air in dismissal. “Nothing. You’ve made that pile of junk out back drivable.”
“It’s a good truck.”
“It was destined for the junkyard. Now, thanks to you, the owner won’t need to buy a new one.”
“It was nothing.”
“Still.” Dylan nodded at the tire. “Consider these payment for your services.”
“Thank you.” Seth shook his hand. “I really appreciate this.”
Dylan nodded, “Like I said, no problem. Anything for a friend. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Where are you going?”
Dylan grinned. “Thanks to you, it seems that I’m done a little early. I’m going to take the afternoon off and enjoy the festival with Chloe.” He motioned to the exit. “Come on, your car’s out back.”
Seth snorted as he picked up the tire and followed Dylan to the rear lot. He watched as Dylan closed up the shop and gave him a final wave. A friend. Dylan considered him a friend. More importantly, he offered him a job. It wasn’t much, but it was something that he could build on and claim as his own.
As Seth slid the jack under the car, his spirits lightened. For the first time since Chicago, he had hope. It wouldn’t take much to wrap things up in Chicago. Living in Sapphire Falls would be cheaper, and Anna would be closer to family. He could use the money he made at the auto shop to buy used cars, fix them up, and resell them on the side. People around here were always looking for inexpensive pickups and such for their farms.
The more he thought about staying, the more comfortable he became with the idea. He never thought he’d see the day when someone like him would settle down and grow roots in a small town, but the more he thought of the idea, the more he liked it. Being with Anna felt right. Being in Sapphire Falls felt right. Just as soon as he fixed the Saab, he was going to tell her about his plan. He just hoped that she’d talk to him after he messed things up so badly in the kitchen that morning.
Anna heard Seth before she saw him. The creaking of the screen door and the steps in the house sounded both comforting and scary. Comforting, because the sounds were so familiar. Scary, because their future was hanging in the balance. So much had changed since coming to Sapphire Falls. Now that she’d had time to process everything, she knew she loved Seth enough to fight for him. Hopefully he would want to fight for her, too.
“There you are,” he said as he came out on the back porch. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
She motioned him to sit next to her on the large, swinging chair. “We need to talk.”
“Yes, I have something to tell you.”
“Me first.” She took his hand as he sat next to her. “I need to say this before I lose my nerve.”
He cradled her hand in his. “You can tell me anything, Anna. You know that.”
“You’re so good to me.” She squeezed his fingers. “Even when we first met, you were putting me first.”
He chuckled. “That was part of my job.”
“No, I mean after the spa. You were the one who moved in with me so that I could be closer to work. You were the one who stayed with me on the subway during my commute so I’d feel safe, even though it made you late for your own job.”
“It was nothing.”
She looked down at their joined hands. “It was something to me.”
“What’s going on?”
She forced herself to look up and meet his gaze. “When your boss at the spa told you that it was either me or the job, you chose me.”
“Of course. Jobs come and go. What we share is special.”
He was so sweet. As much as it hurt to say the words, she knew that she had to get them out there before she lost her nerve. “You chose me, and I’ve done nothing but criticize you since then.” She averted her gaze as pain stabbed at her chest.
“You haven’t—”
“Let me finish. Please.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Ever since you quit your job, I’ve criticized your decision not to go for your high school diploma, your decision to stay home instead of help me at the clinic . . . I even criticized the time you spend on your car.” She took in a deep breath then let it out. “I kept trying to change you into something you’re not.”
“You did nothing wrong, Anna.”
“I did, but that’s not the point. Look, I’m saying all this because I realize now that I’ve been holding you back. I don’t want to do that anymore, Seth.” She leaned back in the chair. “I talked to my grandmother while you were away and I made a decision. I’m going to stay in Sapphire Falls and look after her. I can’t leave her, not after everything she has done for me.”
“I know.”
“And I completely understand that you don’t want to stay here. I’d love for you to try, but can understand if you don’t want to. If you want to go back to Chicago, I won’t hold you back.”
He frowned. “So that’s it, then? You’re just going to let me go?”
She shrugged. “I’m willing to try a long-distance relationship if you are. We could—”
He placed his finger in front of her lips. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“Do what?”
He lowered his hand. “This.”
Oh God, here it comes. Anna shifted in her seat and tried to prepare herself for the inevitable breakup. Her heartbeat sped up, her palms became sweaty, and—
“Anna . . .” Seth brushed a stray hair from her cheek. “All along, I thought that my happiness was tied to a place.”
“And now?” she asked when he didn’t continue.
“Now I realize that it isn’t tied to a place, but a person.” He cupped her cheek with his palm. “I love you, Anna. Wherever you go, I want to be, too. You make me happy, not Chicago, or Sapphire Falls, or any other place on this planet. You.”
Tears stung her eyes. “Seth—”
“There’s more. I was at the garage just now, and I was helping Dylan fix things.” He twisted his lips into a half smile. “I made this hunk of junk out back drivable again. It isn’t perfect, but with more work it could be. Dylan was quite impressed.”
“I imagine he would be.”
Seth tightened his grip on her fingers. “He offered me a job, Anna.”
“A job?”
He nodded. “It’s just part time, but it’s something.”
“Are you going to take it?”
“Do you want me to take it?”
“Yes.” She slid her arms around his shoulders. “God, yes.”
“Good, because I want to stay here with you, Anna. I want to help support you and your grandmother, and whatever challenges you both face.”
She blinked back the tears filling her eyes. “I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “I love you, Anna.”
“I love you, too.”