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That’s an understatement,Jo thought, and nodded. “It would,” she said. “I’d be a little heartbroken.” They stood in silence for a beat, the weight of that truth hanging between them. Selling the Mustang would be like selling a piece of herself.But the shop needs saving. And if it comes down toit… Before Jo could spiral any further, there were footsteps near the garage door. She turned, and there she was. Evelyn. Dressed in a soft green blouse and dark slacks, her blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, she looked a little out of place amidst the grease-stained chaos of the garage. But Jo’s heart lifted at the sight of her anyway. Evelyn’s eyes scanned the space until they landed on her, and Jo saw something flicker across her face that she couldn’t quite read.Relief?she thought.Or apprehension?“Jo stepped away from the Subaru. “Hi. You’re a sight for sore eyes.”

Evelyn smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Hi,” she said, walking into the garage bay. “I sent you a text. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Only our wildly unproductive brainstorming session,” Mica said, tossing her soda bottle into the recycling bin. “We’ve come up with approximately zero good ideas and three felonies.”

“It’s true,” Jo said with a little laugh. “You’re just in time to save us from ourselves.”

Glancing at Mica, Evelyn raised an eyebrow. “Should I ask?”

“No,” Jo and Mica said in unison.

Grinning, Mica gave Jo a two-fingered salute. “I’ll leave you two to it,” she said. “If you need me, I’ll be in the office ordering those parts we need.”

Once Mica disappeared, Jo turned back to Evelyn, taking her in more closely. Something about her seemed off.She looks tired, Jo thought.Tense. Her smile was tight at the edges, and she kept smoothing her hands down the front of her blouse like she was trying to iron out her nerves. Jo frowned. “You okay?”she asked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see the text while I was elbows deep wrestling with a Subaru.” Jo tilted her head. “Hey, wouldn’t you normally be at work?”

Evelyn blinked. “What?”

“It’s the middle of the day,” Jo said, stepping closer. “Don’t you usually have, like, twelve meetings and a sustainability crisis by now?”

Looking away, Evelyn hesitated. “I took the afternoon off,” she murmured, and Jo’s brow furrowed.

“Are you sick?”

“No,” Evelyn said almost too quickly. “Well. Headache. Sort of.”

Jo studied her for a beat. “You sure?”

“I’m fine,” Evelyn said, waving a hand. “Really. I needed a break. And I wanted to see how things were going here.”

“Okay,” Jo said, not believing her entirely, but she didn’t push. She nodded toward the Mustang. “We were talking about selling her.”

“Oh no,” she said, her eyes widening. “Is it that bad?”

Jo sighed. “Yeah,” she said. “That bad.”

Stepping even closer, Evelyn’s hand brushed Jo’s as she looked at the car. “Would it be enough?” she asked, and Jo shrugged.

“Maybe,” Jo said. “But I don’t want it to come to that.”

“Then we won’t let it,” Evelyn said with more confidence in her voice than Jo felt. “We’ll figure out something better.” Evelyn’s heart pounded. She wanted to tell Jo about her own dilemma, needed to actually, but every time she opened her mouth, the words got caught somewhere between her chest and her throat.

“Okay,” Jo said, taking Evelyn’s hand and leading her to the workbench. “What kind of ideas do you have? Please tell me you’re not going to suggest a pin-up calendar.

Shaking her head, Evelyn laughed despite herself. “What would that look like?” she asked, and Jo laughed with her.

“Twelve Months of Mica.”

“Oh no,” Evelyn said, covering her mouth. “Please tell me she didn’t already take photos.”

“She did. And they’re, uh… haunting.”

Evelyn snorted, then leaned against the bench beside Jo, her shoulder brushing hers. “Okay, so we’re not doing that.”

“Definitely not.”

They stood in silence for a moment. Evelyn glanced at Jo from the corner of her eye. She looked tired but not defeated. There was a spark there.Hope,she thought.Small, but real. She felt that reality tight in her stomach.I should tell her. Right now. Before it gets worse. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth. “Jo, I—”

A car pulling up at the end of the garage bay made her pause. Then a car door slammed, and Jo sighed. “Hold that thought,” she said, brushing her hand lightly over Evelyn’s back before disappearing toward the entrance. Evelyn exhaled, her heart pounding. She stared down at her hands, twisting them together.Why is this so hard?she thought but knew the answer.Because once I say it, everything changes. Jo returned a few minutes later. “Only a tire-low light on. Easy one. Just needed a little air.”