Page 12 of Fixing Hearts

“Ah, Jo, it was bound to happen eventually,” he said with a chuckle. He patted Jo’s shoulder before making his way over to the workbench, inspecting the disassembled carburetor. “So, what’s the story?”

Jo hesitated, but Mr. Diaz had been a mentor to her for years.

He was one of the few people who actually knew her beyond the surface-level charm.

“Met someone last night,” she admitted with a sigh.

“A woman named Evelyn.” Mr. Diaz nodded, listening.

“She’s different. Smart. Beautiful. A little awkward, but in a cute way.

” Her voice trailed off, not sure she wanted to continue.

“So far, I don’t see the problem,” Mr. Diaz said, picking up a piece of the carburetor to look at it more closely. “What’s the rest of the story?”

“We hit it off,” Jo closed her eyes and thought back on the night. “Went for a ride on my bike and eventually back to my place. I thought everything was going great, and then, I don’t know. She just left before anything could really happen.”

Mr. Diaz hummed. “And how did you feel about that?” he asked, setting down the engine part.

Jo frowned. “I dunno. Confused? I mean, I’ve had women say no before, but this felt different.”

Mica snorted. “Translation. Jo actually cares this time.”

“I care about people, Mica,” Jo said with a glare.

“Not like this.”

Jo shook her head but didn’t argue. Because honestly? she thought, Mica isn’t wrong .

His eyes gentle, Mr. Diaz studied her for a moment before nodding. “Sounds to me like she got scared,” he said. “Maybe she panicked.”

Jo sighed. “Yeah. But why?”

“Could be a lot of things,” Mr. Diaz said with a shrug. “Maybe she’s not used to feeling something real.” He gave Jo a knowing look. “Kind of like you.”

“Great,” Jo said with a huff. “So we’re two emotionally stunted people who managed to find each other.”

Mr. Diaz chuckled. “Sounds like a good match to me.”

Evelyn drummed her fingers against the steering wheel as she waited at a red light, her mind drifting back to her conversation with Brooke.

“You’re such a workaholic. This is why you don’t date.

” Evelyn huffed, adjusting the heater dial even though she wasn’t actually that cold on the sunny April morning.

Not dating wasn’t the problem. The problem was that when she finally met someone who made her heart race, she completely panicked and ran in the opposite direction.

She sighed, shaking her head as she rolled forward when the light turned green.

Maybe I should’ve stayed . The thought came out of nowhere, unbidden and unwelcome.

Her grip on the wheel tightened. No. I did the right thing.

I’m not ready for someone like Jo. Someone so sure of herself, so effortlessly charming .

As if sensing her inner turmoil, her car suddenly let out a deep, metallic clunk-clunk-clunk before jerking forward.

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “What the—” A loud grinding noise followed, like metal scraping against metal, and the car lurched violently before settling into a rough, uneven shudder.

Panic flared in her chest. “Oh no. No, no, no—” She glanced frantically at the dashboard, but there were no warning lights, only the awful noise still rattling from under the hood.

She eased her foot off the gas, heart pounding.

Please don’t break down, she thought. I can’t handle that right now.

The car stuttered, as if in response, and Evelyn cursed under her breath.

She was still at least fifteen minutes from the research facility.

If she tried to keep going, she would either end up stranded on the side of the road or worse cause serious damage to the engine.

Her eyes darted to the passing storefronts, searching desperately for a solution.

And then she saw it. A garage. A sign hung above the entrance, the bold red and white lettering reading: FULLER’S AUTO REPAIR.

Relief flooded her. A mechanic , she thought.

Perfect . She flipped on her blinker and turned into the lot, the car protesting loudly as she pulled into an empty space near one of the open garage bay doors.

The instant she shifted into park, the engine clunked one final time before going silent.

Evelyn exhaled sharply, gripping the steering wheel as she tried to slow her racing heart.

Okay. I can handle this. It is only a minor setback .

She would go inside, explain the issue, they would fix it, and she would be on her way soon. Easy.

Unbuckling her seatbelt, she grabbed her purse before getting out to walk toward the building.

The scent of oil, rubber, and faint traces of coffee hit her as she stepped toward the open garage bay.

A few cars were parked inside, tools scattered across metal workbenches.

A radio played softly in the background, the low hum of conversation drifting from somewhere deeper in the shop.

Evelyn cleared her throat, hesitating at the entrance. “Hello?” she said. “Is anyone here?”

A husky woman’s voice called from behind a car hood. “Be right there.”

Evelyn exhaled, willing herself to relax. It wasn’t a big deal. It was hopefully an easy problem, and she’d be gone before—

From behind the lifted hood, Jo stood. Evelyn’s stomach plummeted.

No , she thought as the tall, broad-shouldered woman remained focused on the car she worked on.

No way. Evelyn watched Jo wipe her hands on a rag, taking in her short brown hair slightly tousled, and her familiar leather jacket discarded on a nearby stool.

She had a smudge of grease on her muscular forearm, and when she turned fully, her brown eyes locked onto Evelyn’s.

For a second, Jo didn’t react. Then, her brows lifted with surprise in her eyes.

Evelyn was pretty sure she felt her entire soul leave her body.

Jo blinked. “Evelyn?”

Opening her mouth, Evelyn tried to say something, but nothing came out. Jo took a step closer, her expression shifting from surprise to something far too amused for Evelyn’s liking.

“Well this is interesting,” Jo said, crossing her arms. “Didn’t think I’d be seeing you again.”

Evelyn’s fight-or-flight instincts screamed at her.

She could run. Again. I can simply turn around and pretend this never happened, she thought .

Get back in my car and leave. But then she remembered the sounds her car was making, and Evelyn groaned internally.

She was trapped. “Hi, Jo,” she said, doing her best to keep her tone neutral.

Jo tilted her head, clearly enjoying the situation a little too much. “Hi. What brings you to my shop?”

Evelyn wanted the earth to swallow her whole, but she lifted her chin and forced a smile. “Actually,” she answered. “It’s my car. It broke down.”

“Did it now?” Jo asked as a slow smile crossed her face, taking a step closer.

Refusing to be intimidated, Evelyn stood her ground. “Yes.”

Glancing at the car, then back at Evelyn, Jo’s expression was entirely too smug. “Well,” Jo said, tossing the rag onto the workbench. “Guess it’s a good thing you know a mechanic.”

Evelyn groaned. She was never going to live this down.