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“And what do you say the problem is?”
“I think there’s something seriously wrong with my blinkers.”
“They don’t work anymore?” Keith, one of the car repair shop employees, asks.
I shrug. “Oh, they work, but they blink way too fast. The interval between each blink is only zero point three seconds.”
His brows knit together. “That’s weird. You calculated that yourself, or are you taking a wild guess?”
“Does that really matter, Keith?”
He throws me a confused look. “I guess not. I’ve never had someone come in with faulty blinkers, though.”
“But it is possible that it’s a real problem?”
“Yes. If they blink too fast, something could be wrong.”
“Ha! I thought so too. Good thing I came in then,” I say with a smug smile. “Wouldn’t want to be turned away by you only to get into an accident later because of faulty blinkers.”
He shakes his head and scribbles something on a piece of paper attached to a clipboard. “Not sure your blinkers pose such a risk, but I’ll get Colin to take a look at them. You can wait over there.”
I mentally fist-pump the air. Even though Colin’s my friend, I can’t show up at his place of work every second of every day simply because I’m lonely without him. Still, a white lie to see him during work hours doesn’t hurt anybody. What if my blinkers are out of sync? Better safe than sorry, Colin would say.
I sit in the waiting area and pour myself a cup of coffee. I can wait all day if I have to. It’s Saturday, after all, and I don’t have to work today.
I leaf through a magazine, but nothing can hold my attention for more than a few minutes. I throw it down on the pile when a deep voice speaks.
“Nothing good in there, huh?”
I look up at the muscled guy in front of me and immediately recognize him. His wife runs a bakery in the town center, and I’m one of her regular customers. I know every bite of her delicious cupcakes inevitably sticks to my curvy hips, but they’re impossible to resist. “Oh, hi there, Knox. No hiking guide duties today?”
He shakes his head. “Not until this afternoon.”
“Car trouble?”
His eyes sparkle. “Nope. Harper and I are having another baby. Twins, to be exact. We need a bigger car to drive those rugrats around, you know? Keith said he had some secondhand car options for me.”
“Wow, congratulations! That’s awesome news.”
“Thanks. I’m stoked about it. Can’t wait to take all my kids up the mountain for a good old camping trip and teach them how to fish.”
“That sounds fun.”
I’m happy for Knox and Harper. They’re so in love with each other that their sweetness almost hurts my teeth. That doesn’t mean I’m not a tiny bit jealous, though. I’d love to be in their shoes. My best friend, Emma, would say I’m desperately looking for a relationship and that my desperation is the reason for my single status, but I can’t help myself. Why can’t I dream of finding true love, even if I’m a bit obsessed with it?
“What about you?” he asks.
“Still single and no kids in sight,” I reply with a sigh.
A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “Thanks for the update, but what I meant was: what brings you here today?”
My cheeks turn red. “Oh, right. Faulty blinkers,” I say as if it’s a real thing.
“Really?”
“Yeah, they blink too fast.”
“That so?” he asks with a frown. “Huh. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of such a problem.”
I shrug. “My car isn’t one to follow a standard path. It seems to prefer going off the beaten track. Likes to come up with rare problems. You know what I mean?”
He throws me a confused look. He has no idea what I mean, and I can’t blame him. I’m making no sense and am acting as if my car is a sentient being. Why do I always make such a fool of myself? No wonder I’m still single. Thankfully, Keith saves me from further embarrassment by asking Knox to follow him into his office.
“Well, good luck with your blinkers,” he says and walks out of the waiting area.
“And you with the kids and the new car.”
I slump deeper into the chair and pray no one else needs the waiting area while I’m here. Not that I don’t like people, but at least I can’t talk gibberish when no one is around.
“Felicity?” Colin’s voice booms into the room. “Something wrong with your blinkers?” he asks while looking at the clipboard in his hands.
I swallow. “I know it sounds silly, but you always tell me better safe than sorry.”
He smiles at me. “I do say that, don’t I? Follow me, and I’ll take a look.”
I walk behind him to the workshop, admiring how his ass looks in his snug jeans. His black shirt clings to his broad back, and a dirty rag dangles from his toolbelt. Damn, he’s hot. He’s also my friend, which means any fantasies I have about him need to stay in my head. If I act on my feelings and it doesn’t work out, our friendship will be dead. I don’t think I’ll be able to come back from that.
The oddly comforting smell of motor oil and gasoline hits my nostrils as we enter the workshop. My faithful car is waiting for Colin’s expert hands to fix her.
“This won’t take long,” he says.
“Great. Thanks again for doing this for me, Colin. I appreciate it.”
“Don’t worry about it. How’s your week going?” he asks while working on my car.
“Good, but we still haven’t found enough volunteers for Monday's school trip to the dinosaur experience park. The kids and parents don’t know yet, but I’m afraid we’ll have to cancel.”
He sucks in a breath. “Shit, that sucks.”
I nod. “Yeah. My pupils have been looking forward to it for months now. I hate letting these kids down.”
“That’s tough.”
“You know... it’s on a Monday when the shop’s closed. You could spend the day with us if you want?”
He laughs. “You want me to chaperone a bunch of eight-year-olds?”
“Well, not on your own. I’ll be there with a couple of other teachers and some parents.”
He cleans his hands on the rag dangling from his toolbelt. “Okay, two things. First, I can’t seem to find anything wrong with your blinkers, but I reset them just in case.”
“That’s a relief,” I say, even though I knew he wouldn’t find anything wrong. “And second?”
He grins at me while leaning against my car. “I’ll volunteer if I can ask you for a return favor.”
“Seriously? You’re volunteering for the school trip?”
“Yup.”
I’m so happy that I rush toward him and go in for a hug. Fuck, he smells so good. A mixture of motor oil, sweat, and mint shampoo swirls around him like an addictive pheromone. We stand there holding each other for half a minute until he lets go.
I clear my throat. “So, what favor do you need?”
“Emma and Stuart are going to the movies tonight, and they asked me to babysit Rosie. Now you know I love my niece, but I’d feel better if you were there to help me. Last time, I had to change her diaper while heating her bottle, and I felt lost. The crying only got worse while I tried to juggle too many things at the same time. Honestly, I don’t know how Emma and Stuart do it. As far as I can tell, they aren’t octopuses, right?”
I bite my lip. An entire night with Colin? Hell, yeah, I’ll help him. Plus, I love spending time with Rosie.
“Sounds like a deal,” I tell him. “I’ll have to cancel my date, but that’s no big deal.”
He frowns. “You’ve got a date? Who’s the lucky guy?”
“Someone I met at the coffee shop last week. We both asked for the last cinnamon roll, and well... he let me have it if I gave him my number.”
Colin’s nostrils flare. “Het let you have it?”
“It’s no big deal.”
“Come on, Felicity. No guy should tell you what you can or can’t have. If you were my girlfriend, I’d—” He stops mid-sentence, his eyes clouding over.
Why is he talking about us as a couple? We’ve never discussed something like that. Heck, it’s why I go on so many dates—to forget about Colin for a few hours. It never leads to anything, not even a kiss, but it keeps the hope alive that one day I’ll find the next best thing—Colin is the best thing, but I can’t have him.
I take a deep breath. “You might be right. You know what? Helping you babysit Rosie is the perfect excuse to cancel this date.”
He frowns. “If you’re set on going out with that dude, I’m not going to stop you.”
I wave his remark away. “Forget I said anything. I’ll be your extra pair of hands tonight. End of story.”
“Great,” he says, even though he doesn’t sound too excited. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got three other cars to work on before lunch rolls around, so I’ve got to get a move on. I’ll see you at my sister’s place tonight at seven, then?”
“Okay. See you, Colin.”
He turns and bends over the engine of another car. I can’t get my feet to start moving, though. His muscles ripple under his shirt as he works. The sight of him tinkering with that engine is nothing short of mesmerizing.
I admire him until he suddenly turns around. Fuck. I’m so busted.
“Or, you know, you can stay and watch me work if you want,” he says with a smirk.
“I’d love to, but I’ve got to run,” I lie, hauling my ass out of the car repair shop as if the building is on fire.
If only we weren’t such good friends, I’d have nothing to lose by grabbing him by the shirt and kissing his lips until they’re sensitive and raw.