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“It was accounting,” Jo muttered.

“Right. Accounting,” Rosa said, nodding dismissively. “Anyway, Mr. Diaz hands her the keys to a 1982 Buick and tells her to move it out of Bay Two. Simple, right? Except Jo, being Jo, decides she’s going to impress everyone by backing it out fast.”

Jo groaned again. “Rosa—”

Rosa waved her off. “Jo puts it in reverse,” Rosa continued, grinning. “Hits the gas, squeals the tires, and BAM—backs it straight into the side of a garbage truck driving by.”

Evelyn choked on a laugh. “No.”

“Oh yes,” Rosa said proudly. “Bent the bumper, not a scratch on the garbage truck, and my husband wouldn’t let Jo go near Bay Two for a week.” She laughed heartily. “She’s lucky it wasn’t a patrol car or something.”

“I was new,” Jo protested, throwing her hands in the air. “And that Buick had a touchy accelerator. I barely pressed it.” Evelyn was laughing at this point, the tension easing from her shoulders. Jo looked a dark shade of pink, but a smile tugged at her lips anyway.

Rosa patted Jo’s knee. “She’s come a long way since then,” she said. “One of the best mechanics around. My husband says she’s a natural when it comes to engines.” Her eyes shined with happiness. “And now she’s got someone smart and pretty by herside? I’d say she’s doing fine.” Evelyn’s cheeks flushed, but she smiled. Rosa stood, adjusting her apron. “Now relax. We will eat soon. Be sure to save room for cake.”

As Rosa walked away, Jo leaned in, her voice low. “I swear, if she tells the one about the carburetor fire, I’m leaving.”

Evelyn smiled wide, her heart full. “I’m staying for that one,” she said, and as Jo laughed, Evelyn felt like she belonged.

Later, after the sun had dipped low and the backyard twinkle lights were turned on, Jo sat beside Evelyn on the back deck of the Diaz house. Their paper plates were abandoned beside them, and the sounds of laughter and clinking bottles drifted from the yard. Evelyn leaned her shoulder gently against Jo’s. “Your people are great,” she said softly.

Pleased, Jo hummed in agreement. “They are,” she said. “I am lucky I found them.”

Her eyes on the horizon, Evelyn nodded. Jo followed her gaze and saw the last streaks of pink disappear behind the trees. “Yes,” she said. “You seem born for this.”

Jo glanced at her. “What do you mean?”

Turning her head, Evelyn met her gaze. “I mean the garage, Mr. Diaz, Rosa, all of this. It’s not only a job. It’s home.”

Letting the words settle, Jo was surprised at how much they hit her. She swallowed. “Yeah,” she said. “I guess it is.”

Reaching, Evelyn took Jo’s hand. “Thank you,” she said. “For bringing me into it.”

Looking down at their joined hands, Jo’s heart thudded a little harder than she was used to. “I guess I wanted you to see it,” she said. “All of it. Not just the bar, or the shop, or my kitchen full of cookies.”

“The cookies are a strong selling point,” Evelyn said with a laugh.

Smiling, Jo laughed softly, then sobered a little. “I don’t want to freak you out,” she said. “But I never bring women to things like this.”

Her eyes widening a little, Evelyn tilted her head. “Like personal things?” she asked, and Jo nodded.

“Yeah. Like... real things,” Jo said.

Evelyn was quiet for a second, then leaned in and kissed her. It was soft, lingering, less about heat and more about meaning. When she pulled back, her voice was barely above a whisper. “I’m glad you did,” she said. “I feel very honored.”

Wanting to say something more, to tell Evelyn how special she was, Jo opened her mouth, but the words caught in her throat. She settled for holding Evelyn’s hand tighter.

Inside, Rosa called that the cake was being served, and Jo was relieved for the distraction. “Come on,” she said, standing. “It’s Rosa’s famous recipe. We can’t miss that.”

Smiling, Evelyn stood. “Indeed we don’t,” she said. “Lead the way.” As they waded back into the party, fingers still linked, Jo felt something shift inside her. A quiet certainty she hadn’t let herself believe in before. She didn’t know where the road was taking them, but for the first time in her life, she wanted to know someone. Not on the surface, but a person to really open up to and share things. As they entered the busy kitchen, Jo realized she wasn’t scared. As if reading her thoughts, Jo caught Rosa looking at her while people started to take pieces of cake. After a beat, the woman winked. No one else noticed, and Jo knew Rosa, one of the few people she trusted most in the world, was telling her it was okay.

Eighteen

The café was quiet for a Monday morning, the hum of the espresso machine blending with the soft clink of ceramic mugs and the low murmur of conversation. Evelyn sat at a small corner table by the window, her hands curled around a steaming cup of chamomile tea. She wasn’t sure why she’d chosen tea instead of her usual latte.Maybe it’s because my stomach is in knots, she thought, happy to see her sister finally enter through the front glass door.

Jasmine slid into the seat across from her, sunglasses pushed to the top of her head, a to-go cup in hand, and a curious look on her face. “Okay,” she said, setting her bag down. “You texted me at six-forty-five this morning and said you needed to talk. That’s getting to be a habit of yours, but I’m here. What’s going on?”

Evelyn exhaled slowly, staring down into her tea. “I got offered a big promotion at work.”