To Be Her First

Chapter 21 - Motor Oil

Steven reset the check engine light on a minivan before closing the hood and wiping his hands on his coveralls. He gave the thumbs-up to the woman behind the wheel. "You can go ahead and start it up, Mrs. Jones!"

The engine rumbled to life. "You're a miracle worker," she said as he approached her window.

"It was a pretty simple fix this time," he said. "But I recommend you bring it in when you have some time for a full tune-up."

She nodded. "I will. How much do I owe you?"

"Just pull through the garage, and Becky will bring out your invoice," he said.

She smiled and put the van in drive.

There was a familiar car waiting behind hers, but he couldn't place it. He motioned the driver forward, and the car rolled over the pit in the floor. He held up his hand for the driver to stop and heard the transmission slide into park. He walked to the driver's side window as it rolled all the way down. Inside, a pair of startled hazel eyes met his.

A smile spread across his face, and every nerve ending he had began to tingle. "Journey Durant."

She laughed. "What are you doing here?"

He leaned an arm across the roof of her car. "I work here. What are you doing here?"

She squeezed the steering wheel. "I need an oil change."

"Well, you've come to the right place. Get your butt out here." He smiled and reached for her door handle. The door squeaked as it opened, and she stepped out of the car. "Come here." Without thinking, he pulled her in for a hug. Her hair was blonde and blue, and it smelled like coconut.

"I thought you moved?" She looked up at him and hooked her thumbs in her belt loops.

He nodded. "I did, but I moved back just about a month ago. My brother and I have an apartment off of Washington Avenue."

She sighed. "That's awesome. I wish I had my own place."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little bit young for that? You're what, thirteen?"

She elbowed him in the ribs. "Almost seventeen, thank you very much."

"Well, excuse me." He had thought about her a lot since he left, and looking down at her in the garage, he wondered what had taken him so long to come back. He noticed a dress hanging in the back window of her car. He tapped his finger on the glass. "What's this?"

She rolled her eyes. "Prom is on Friday."

He laughed. "You're going?"

She groaned. "Unfortunately."

He looked her up and down. "Too bad I'm going to miss it. I bet you'll look amazing."

She blushed a deep crimson. He loved that he still had that effect on her.

She twisted her hands nervously. "Well, what are you doing on Friday? Me and a couple of my friends are going to skip school and hang out at my lake house. You should come." She smiled and cut her eyes up at him. "Maybe you'll get to see me in that dress before I leave."

He bit his lower lip. He had to work on Friday. "I'll do what I can." He drummed his fingers on her hood. "You have a lake house?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Up on Lake Ilahee." She laughed. "My dad had quite the midlife crisis a few years ago. We've got jet skis and a boat, too."

He leaned toward her, to try and catch a whiff of coconut again. "I'll see if I can get off, for sure."

"Awesome." Her voice was a pitch higher than usual.

He knocked his knuckles against her window. "So, just an oil change today?"

She grinned and rocked back and forth on her heels. "I don't know. What else are you offering?"

God, he liked her.

He lowered his voice. "What about a phone number too? I'm going to need directions for Friday."

She pulled the pen out of the chest pocket of his coveralls and held out her forearm. "You'd better write it on my skin so I don't lose it."

He smiled so wide it hurt his face as he took the pen from her fingers. "We wouldn't want that."

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*swoon*