I knew what the first thing I needed to do was.

It was actually the second thing, the first being picking up where Gavin and I left off. But I watched the way he walked through his own house with caution, eyeing me, definitely wondering what the hell I was doing.

What was I doing?

I didn’t really know.

After I left my father’s office, I went back to my apartment. I found Whitney passed out in the guest bedroom, the green smoothie spilled all over herself. I thought about pouring cold water on her face. She knew what she was doing, bringing me to town. It was all a ploy. Because that’s what Whitney did. It was who she was. The competition was between her father and my father and we were just pawns. I just didn’t get how Whitney could go one night into the other with the partying. In her mind she was probably still back in Gavin’s town, but that was nights ago.

Getting rid of the thoughts of Whitney, I walked through Gavin’s house, taking in that country smell. I didn’t want to hurt the town. I didn’t want to hurt Gavin. But at the same time, thinking about what my father said…

I stood at the large bay window. It was the first thing that caught my attention when I woke up from my drunken night with Gavin.

“I’ll be honest,” Gavin said, making me jump. “I’ve encountered plenty of weird stuff in my life. But this is slowly climbing my list.”

“What is?” I asked.

I looked over my shoulder and Gavin stood with his arms crossed. Leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. I looked around the house again and noticed some of its flaws. Little cracks in the ceiling and in the corners of the walls where they met. The flaws were perfect. So much better than the pristine life I lived.

“What are you doing here?” he asked me.

“Am I in the way?”

“I don’t think that matters,” Gavin said. “But you’re here again. Some fancy business consultant in my house. Standing at the window. Looking out to my yard. So, what is it? You want to build a factory or something in my back yard?”

I felt my heart skip a beat. “No. Why would you say that?”

Gavin shrugged his shoulders. “Just curious. Little town like this never gets any attention.

“Oh, I’m not giving attention to the town, Gavin. Just you.”

Gavin laughed. “Well, let’s see… I can make eggs. Bacon. You can go climb on the couch again. Throw up outside my truck. Meet my sister-in-law…”

“Funny. Keep bringing that up. Actually, that’s why I’m here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I owe you an apology. In person. I should have never gotten like that. I should have never put you in that position to have to take care of me. I mean, I forced a level of trust on you…”

Gavin pushed forward and shook his head. “Hey. This isn’t a goddamn office, Olivia. This is my house. Cut the bullshit with the proper talk. If you have something to say, then just say it.”

I swallowed hard. “Thank you for not drunk fucking me.”

Gavin’s eyes went wide. “Whoa. Okay then.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “There. And I mean that. You could have. I would have let you. I mean, not that it would have been bad… or… not that you aren’t…” I bit my bottom lip and felt like an idiot. “You’re not ugly, Gavin.”

He laughed. “Good to know. You’re not ugly either, Olivia.”

“Just… thank you. For doing what you did. I never do that kind of thing. My friend Whitney, she does.”

“Where did she end up?”

“She’s still drunk,” I said. “Passed out in my guest bedroom.”

“Interesting.”

“Yeah. So that’s why I’m here.”

“You show up in a private car to apologize to me. After texting me. See, Olivia, I might just be some small town greasy looking mechanic, but I’m not an idiot. You’re hiding from something. And you’re using my one night of kindness to hide behind.”

“Wow, that was deep. Maybe I just came back to finish what we started.”

“Oh, so now you want me to drunk fuck you?”

“No,” I said. I stepped forward and put a hand to his chest, feeling muscle. “Maybe you can sober fuck me first.”

 

* * *

 

I had no idea what the hell I was thinking as the words flew from my mouth.

In the back of my mind and my heart I knew why I was really there. And it went beyond an apology. It went beyond flirting with Gavin. And, yeah, maybe he was right. That I was there to hide from whatever waited for me in the city.

But face it, Gavin was the first man in as long as I could remember who didn’t look at me and see the princess. He didn’t see the money, my father, the wealth, the business empire. He just saw me. And when he smiled, it was real. The way he smelled - not some suit and tie doused in expensive cologne. He smelled, well, like a man. A real man. A musky scent that was his skin, the scruff on his face, the dried sweat from working with his hands to actually earn a real living.

It made all my toes curl in my shoes.

I lifted to my toes, desperate to kiss him.

Gavin grabbed my hand and took a step back.

Was he blocking me?

He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed.

“Well, darling, we’ve got plenty of time to fuck… but I have a business to run still. Care to join me at my garage?”

I heard my father’s voice laughing in my head. I was doing exactly what my father wanted me to do, but with different intentions.

“The garage. Right.”

I turned my hand so I was holding his rough hand. The calluses. The size of his hands. The strength without him even flexing or trying to show strength. Beyond that, looking in his eyes was something so raw and exposed. What it must have been like to fight every day to survive.

The man in front of me was a warrior.

I just didn’t know how much.

I broke my hand from his and reached for his face. I touched the corner of his mouth.

“What happened? For real.”

Gavin leaned in on me and got way too close. Then he whispered, “You tell me who you were talking about when you were drunk and I’ll tell you what happened to my face.”

Gavin then gently kissed my cheek. The scruff on his face tickled my cheek and sent a warm shiver all the way through my body. The way I felt right then… whew.

He was challenging me. Standing up to me. Trying to see through me.

I was getting all his attention in a way I wasn’t used to.

And I really liked it.

 

* * *

 

“Rich, Donny, Hank,” Gavin said as he pointed to each guy. “I could use more help, but this will do.”

“Thanks, boss,” Donny said.

“I remember him,” I said, pointing to Rich. “You spilled beer on me.”

“Alcohol abuse is a serious crime,” Hank said. He was a really large man, sitting in a chair, rubbing some big piece of metal with a dirty rag.

“The biggest crime is what Rich considers to be his game,” Donny said.

“This is Olivia,” Gavin said, ignoring everyone. “She’s here to monitor the way you guys work. See if we can maybe upgrade the shop. Bring in some robots to do a better job. Help me pocket a little more cash.”

“You serious?” Hank asked.

“Yes I am,” Gavin said.

He turned and walked away.

He left me stranded with the three guys staring at me. I was willing to play though. Have some fun. Something about Gavin was just addicting. So I took out my cell phone and looked around. Then I started to pretend to type on my phone.

All three guys hurried to get back to work.

I had to turn as I started to laugh.

Gavin walked through a door and I went to follow.

I was used to offices being clean. Bright. Rich, deep colored wood desks and conference tables. The tables clean of any fingerprints. A phone in the middle of the table. Fancy chairs all pushed in, waiting for the next meeting. The sound of phones ringing, papers shuffling, suits everywhere.

But when I opened the door to the office of Gavin’s garage, it was like a bomb went off. A cork board on the wall full of papers. White paper. Yellow paper. Pink paper. A flyer for a local carnival that was six months old. Pictures of kids, families, Christmas cards from two years ago. The desk looked like my fourth grade teacher’s desk. That ugly, off white metal color with silver legs and a fake brown top. A lamp with a crooked lamp shade on the corner, the cord running right down the back of the desk, no attempt to hide it. The chair was an off red color with streaks of silver tape on it. The desk itself was cluttered with papers and mail.

My eyes noticed a trend.

Everything was past due. Second notice. Third notice. Final notice.

I hated myself for noticing all of that. I hated myself for realizing what my father wanted to accomplish would be so easy. He could easily put Gavin in a corner and force him to sell everything.

Even the magazines on the wobbly table in the middle of the room… they were all old. From months and years ago.

How the hell did this place survive?

Gavin then appeared from another door, one that led directly into the garage area. He shut the door and stood there. He was so big. Tall, wide, thick with muscle that was well deserved from hard work. Not muscles built in a gym but muscles built through hard survival.

“This is my castle,” he said.

Castle? Was that a potential princess remark?

I felt my mouth go dry a little.

“It’s a shithole,” Gavin said. “But it’s my shithole.”

“It’s nice.”

“No it’s not,” he said with a laugh.

“Could use an air freshener.”

“Oh, yeah, a little cinnamon mixed with grease and an old building.”

“It was just a suggestion.”

“Oh, do I owe you for that now? I mean, is this a consultant meeting?”

I stepped forward and put my hand to the desk. “You couldn’t afford me.”

“Says who?”

I glanced down at the desk. “Is there a single bill here paid on time?”

“Yes, there actually is,” Gavin said.

He went to the desk and pushed through a bunch of paper. Then he pulled out a water bill and dangled it in front of me.

“Here,” he said. “On time.”

I grabbed the bill. “You owed three dollars.”

“Yup.”

“Because of an overage charge.”

“Exactly.”

I looked at him. My heart battled what to do next. Christ, if he would just listen to what could happen, he could get so much money for the building and the land. He could reopen his garage somewhere else. Start over. Keep his house.

My head spun.

I was standing there seriously judging a man I knew nothing about.

“You look like you really want to say something to me,” Gavin said. “And I have a lot I could say to you.”

I opened my mouth. “Gavin…”

The door behind me opened. I looked back and saw a woman. A familiar woman.

Stacey. Yeah, Stacey. The one who was crying.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Stacey said.

“Stace. Can’t get enough of me, huh?”

“Never,” Stacey said. She puckered her lips and blew a kiss.

I felt jealous and looked away as I swallowed it down.

“What do you need?” Gavin asked. “Something else wrong with the car?”

“Well…”

I realized Stacey was looking at me.

“Oh,” I said. “I’ll go outside.”

“No,” Gavin said. He put fists to the desk. The way my father did. Except Gavin was cut with muscle and had tattoos all over his left arm. “Stacey. What’s wrong?”

“Lyle is gone,” she said. “Hopefully for good.”

“Good,” Gavin said. “And you’re here for…” Gavin reached for his desk and opened it. He took out a white envelope and threw it across the desk. “I didn’t cash the check, Stace. I’m not going to.”

“Gavin…”

He grabbed the envelope and ripped it in half. “Get yourself settled, okay?”

I tried to take in what I was watching.

Stacey blinked fast. “Thank you.” Then she looked at me. “It’s good to see you again, too.” She touched under her eyes. “We have to stop meeting while I’m crying.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I mean, I don’t know what’s going on… but I’m sure it’s okay.”

“It is,” Stacey said. “I meant what I said when I was drunk and crying. Gavin is a good guy. A really good guy. Give you the shirt off his back…”

That I wouldn’t mind seeing.

“… or fight your crazy ex-husband for you.”

I looked at Gavin and raised an eyebrow.

“Okay,” Gavin said. “Stace, why don’t you give Nikki a call?”

“I told you, I tried.”

“Call again. Tell her about Lyle. She loves good drama. Something will make you two connect again.”

“I really should step outside,” I said. I grabbed for my phone. “Check my, uh, email.”

I walked to the door and snuck out.

I checked my email. Plenty of nonsense business stuff. Some details about Abigail’s memorial. A copy of an attempted speech Andy wanted me to read, written by David, approved by my father. Then there were five appearances my father wanted me to make on his behalf.

I bit my thumb nail, shaking my head.

This town, the garage, Gavin, it was so opposite of everything in the city and in my life.

Stacey came out of the office and stopped. “You know, you look familiar.”

“I do?”

“Yeah. Really familiar.”

“I have only been in this town once before,” I said.

Gavin came out of the office.

He saved my ass again as Stacey said one more goodbye. She kissed his cheek, said bye to me, and then left.

I turned and looked at Gavin. “You fought her ex-husband?”

“I told you… you should have asked me what the other guy looked like,” Gavin said.

He turned and I grabbed his arm. “Hey. You worked on her car for free?”

“No big deal.”

“You do that a lot?”

“Olivia. This is a small town. We all survive together. It’s not about one person being better than the other. Or richer than the other. Okay? I do what I have to do. Stacey’s had a rough go. So has Nikki. And little Ava has no idea what her life really is. No offense, darling, but you live the city life. Fast. Everyone does their own thing. Always an agenda. Don’t think I don’t know any of that.”

I felt exposed and caught.

“Gavin. I have no agenda right now. I just… I just wanted to be here again. Sober. To see what you’re really like.”

“What do you think so far?” he asked.

I just smiled. “Hey, I sort of lied just now.”

“Oh?”

“I do have an agenda.”

“Okay…”

“Is there a liquor store anywhere in this town?”