I collected the last invoice on my desk and put it into a folder. I then put my head back and yawned. Olivia had been getting up so damn early and I couldn’t help but get up with her. She had set up a new company for herself. A consulting company that was taking off. On the side, she did charity work with Abigail’s parents, helping them set up everything from fundraisers to scholarships. There I was trying to manage the books for a rundown garage and she was handling millions of dollars with ease.

She was something.

Sterling backed off for good. I had no clue what would eventually come of that. Part of me wanted Olivia to have a relationship with her father, but at the same time, if the guy was just going to be manipulative, why bother?

I opened my desk drawer and took out the picture of me, Luke, and Nikki. I stood and turned. I grabbed a tack and stuck the picture behind my desk, where it belonged. I wasn’t going to hide my feelings about my brother. The sacrifice he gave. How fucking proud I was of him for doing what he did. Not to mention he gave me my beautiful niece.

Speaking of which…

The door opened and Ava came rushing in holding a little container.

“Uncle Gavin! Look! I got a salsmander,” she said.

I walked around the desk and crouched down. “Wow. Check that out.”

“We went on an adventure and I found it. I caught it myself. I’m naming him… I don’t know yet.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” I said.

Nikki came into the office next. She looked nice all dressed up. Olivia helped her get a part-time job with some lawyer and she was able to work from home. Apparently Nikki had a knack when it came to accounting and finance. She was even going to start taking classes in the fall to get a degree.

“Look at you,” I said to her. “All fancy and I’m still covered in grease.”

“Speaking of which,” Nikki said and bit her lip.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a noise.”

“Of course there is.”

“I’ll make an appointment. And I’ll pay you.”

I looked down at Ava. She held the little container up to her face, watching the salamander.

“Pull the car into the garage,” I said.

“No.”

“Nikki. Stop.”

“You have to run this place straight, Gavin. I’m okay now.”

“I know you are,” I said. “But you’re still family. You come first. Pull the car in. I’ll take a look for you.”

“Only if you…” Nikki’s eyes looked away. “Is that a picture of…”

I nodded. “Yeah. I’ve had that in my desk for years. I want it up now.”

“I remember that day. I remember everything.”

“Me too, Nikki. We have to keep those memories alive. For…” I motioned toward Ava.

Nikki nodded. “I know.”

I then met Nikki in the garage.

I had Rich and Donny check the car out and give it an oil change.

Hank stood under a truck wearing safety glasses.

I stood in the doorway between the office and the garage bays and took it all in.

Things were going to be fucking great. They already were fucking great.

Nikki had to take a phone call so I hung out with Ava. I crouched down again and looked at the salamander.

“How about Sal?” I asked. “Since it’s a Salamander?”

“No,” Ava said. “That’s dumb. I’ll ask Olivia. She knows everything.”

“She does?”

“Yeah. She’s really cool. I like her.”

“I like her too.”

“You’re going to marry her?”

“Yeah.”

“Is my Mom going to get married?”

I swallowed hard. “Maybe someday. That’s the thing about life, Ava, you just have to let it do its thing.”

“I don’t know what that means,” Ava said.

“Neither do I,” I said and laughed. “Let’s get back to naming this cool lizard thing.”

“I like Brooke,” Ava said.

“Brooke? That could work.”

“Um… Uncle Gavin?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I keep it at your house?”

“What?”

“Mom said I can’t keep it home,” Ava said. “She thinks it’s gross.”

“Hmm… how about this… how about we take it to the creek next to my house so she has a really nice place to live. She’ll make new friends. Have a new family.”

“Maybe get married?”

“Oh, definitely get married,” I said.

“Okay. I like that. I’ll come over tonight, Uncle Gavin.”

I smiled. “It’s a date then.”

The guys finished working on Nikki’s car. I made her leave without paying a dime. Some things weren’t going to change. I was going to run my garage the way I wanted.

Rich walked up to me, wiping his hands. “So, uh, I have a favor to ask.”

“Go for it.”

“I need to cut out early.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“For what?”

“I don’t want to say.”

“Can’t leave unless you tell me.”

“Gavin…”

“Tell me,” I said.

“You’re a prick.”

“I’m still waiting,” I said.

“I have a date.”

“You have a date?” I asked. “Who?”

“Stacey,” Rich said.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Rich said. “I kind of always liked her. We were always scattered, you know? But, I don’t know, I just said fuck it and asked her out. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“You could be yourself and she’ll run away screaming.”

“Thanks for that,” Rich said.

I punched his shoulder. “I’m kidding. Get out of here. Go clean up.”

“Thanks, Gavin.” He took a few steps and stopped. “You’re a really good person. I hated seeing you in the hospital. Even if it was for a day. You not being around here, man, is like…”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said. “And save the mushy shit for your date.”

“Right,” Rich said.

When it came time to close up the shop for the day I sent Donny and Hank home. I took my time and looked around at the entire place. I shut the bays. I shut the door to my office and locked it. I looked around. The first time I stepped into that office, Gus was at the desk with his feet up, head back, napping. A little TV on the desk with a baseball game playing. I had a piece of paper in my hand that was a handwritten fake resume.

I woke Gus up and asked for a job. He told me to get a fucking broom and sweep the garage. I worked for two weeks without getting a paycheck. At the end of the third week Gus sat down outside the garage one night and asked why the hell I was still there. I told him I needed a job. That I was taking care of my little brother, Luke. He handed me a can of beer, a sandwich, and told me to wait. He came back with twenty bucks.

I wished I had that twenty dollar bill. But I needed it so badly then. I got some damn food for Luke.

Gus paid me when he felt like it but I never went starving, neither did Luke. I worked my ass off and Gus taught me about life. How to deal with people. How to see the town for what it really was. I watched him struggle right to his last breath when he died. And then it all became mine.

I stood outside the garage and looked at the building in the dark.

In some ways the garage and the town were a fucking curse.

But I climbed into my truck with a smile on my face.

Why?

Because I was one lucky mechanic… I was going to home to the woman I loved.

And that made me the richest man in the world.