Under The Hood

Ch. 2

Jude steps inside the office.

He's as tall as I remember and built like a CrossFit athlete, lean and sculpted in all the right places. When he turns to shut the door behind him, the word OWNER is stitched across the top of his overalls, spanning the space of his broad shoulder blades.

My heart races as he turns back to me, expression impassive.

"You're from the agency, right?" Jude says finally, pointing at me.

I sputter.

Job agency? Yes, but agency? That's all? No, hey Imogen or isn't this embarrassing?

Nothing.

"Sorry..." He looks at his phone. "Imogen?"

The blank stare says everything.

He doesn't remember me.

What a douchebag.

"That's me," I croak instead of hurling abuse at him and leaving, brushing my sweaty palms down my suit pants.

I could ruin this meeting. Become someone they don't want to employ. But the job description sounds perfect, and I need the money. It's been several months of worrying about when the next pay cheque is arriving, and that's no way to live, even before I found out I'm pregnant.

"I have it from here, Nathan. You can get back to work," he says and Nathan listens, throwing me a smile.

"I left the notes on the desk for you, Boss Man. I reckon Imogen would be a good addition to the team," Nathan says as he leaves. "Nice to meet ya."

I practically fall over myself when hearing his kind words. Surely if the manager is on my side, then I'm halfway there to getting this job. But can I accept it?

The moment the office door shuts is the moment I'm left alone with Jude. The temperature rises and my breathing elevates. It's impossible not to spiral, so I force my eyes on him instead.

"So, this is your place?" I blurt, causing him to frown at me.

"That's right." His velvety smooth voice is filled with authority, and nothing behind his eyes even slightly hints that he recognises me. "We've been open for twelve years next week."

I blink away, very deliberately not looking at the way one shoulder of his oily overalls falls past his muscled bicep. I have made the mistake of letting those arms cloud my judgement once before, the strength of them when he lifted me like I weighed nothing refusing to leave my brain.

"Oh wow, that's a real achievement. Congratulations," I say, not entirely in control of my words.

He nods, throwing me a lazy smile before gesturing to the office. "As you can see, I'm in desperate need of someone to organise me," he says, leaning over to pick up Nathan's sheets of paper on his desk.

I steel myself once he's flicked his eyes over them to look over at me again, feeling way out of my depth. "It is pretty untidy in here."

If I'm anything, it's not the confrontational type, but I'm telling the truth, and he's frustrating me.

His thick hair is neatly combed back, but his fingers disrupt that when they dig in there. "I know it's quick, but can you start today?"

My eyes dart straight to the floor when it feels like he's staring into my soul—reading my deepest secrets. Then I look back up to see his waiting expression. When I don't answer, he clears his throat.

"Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. How about I show you around first? Let you know what you can expect before you decide?" he asks. I nod, unsure how to communicate that the only reason I'm not immediately jumping all over this gig is him.