Page 13 of Fixing Hearts

Seven

J o stood at the edge of the garage bay, arms crossed over her chest, watching Evelyn shift uncomfortably under her gaze.

“So,” Jo drawled, letting the word roll off her tongue simply to see the way Evelyn’s jaw tightened.

“I never really was the type to believe in fate, but this?” She gestured to the car, sitting in the parking lot.

“This feels a little too perfect, don’t you think? ”

Evelyn straightened. “It’s not fate,” she said, her voice clipped. “It’s an unfortunate coincidence.”

“Unfortunate for you, maybe,” Jo said with a wink. “I’m having a great time.”

“Are you going to help me or just stand there gloating?” Evelyn snapped.

Jo strolled to the workbench and grabbed a clipboard off a hook on the wall.

“Oh, I’ll help,” she said, holding out the clipboard with a pen.

“But you’ll have to stick around while I take a look.

Fill out this intake form so everything is legit.

” She grinned. “There’s a phone number field, but you can leave it blank if it makes you uncomfortable. ”

Squaring her shoulders, Evelyn took the form. “I’m not uncomfortable,” she said. “I’m sure you will be entirely professional.”

Before Jo could respond, Mica’s voice came from behind her. “Well, this is awkward in the best way,” she said, clearly having been listening from inside the bay. “I’ll be in the office if you two need me. Or if you want an audience, I’ll gladly stay.”

Jo rolled her eyes. “Go on, Mica.” Mica tipped her baseball hat at Evelyn before disappearing into the office, leaving them alone.

Jo turned to Evelyn, who was suddenly very interested in the floor.

“Keys?” Jo prompted, holding out her hand.

Evelyn hesitated for half a second before reaching into her purse and passing them over.

The brief brush of her fingers against Jo’s sent an unexpected jolt of awareness through her, but Jo ignored it, focusing instead on the task at hand.

Oh no, she thought. I am not getting sucked into this again.

After walking to the car, she slid her tall frame into the cramped driver’s seat, turning the key in the ignition.

The car sputtered, let out a pathetic grinding noise, then stalled completely. Jo winced. “Oof. That’s not good.”

Evelyn groaned. “Tell me something I don’t know,” she said. “I was hoping for more of a diagnosis.”

“I’m about to give one,” Jo said, unwinding out of the car.

“Give me a minute.” She popped the hood then bent over the engine.

As she examined the situation, she felt Evelyn’s eyes on her, and it took everything in her not to react.

Let her look, she thought. See what she’s missing.

Forcing herself to concentrate, she checked belts, fluids, and connections.

A few minutes later, she straightened, wiping grease from her hands onto a rag from her back pocket.

“Looks like you’ve got a busted serpentine belt.

That’s what’s causing the noise and the rough idle.

” She met Evelyn’s gaze. “You’re lucky you pulled in when you did.

If it had snapped completely while you were driving, you’d be in a much worse situation. ”

Exhaling, Evelyn pressed her fingers to her temples. “Great,” she said. “Just great.”

Jo watched her for a moment, then sighed. “Follow me,” she said, and was relieved when Evelyn followed her without protest. Without really thinking about it, Jo walked to the mini-fridge in the corner and pulled out a bottle of water. She twisted off the cap and handed it to Evelyn.

Evelyn blinked at her. “What’s this for?” she asked, and Jo shrugged.

“You look like you’re about to stress yourself into a headache,” Jo said. “Hydrate.”

After hesitating for a beat, Evelyn took the bottle. “Thanks,” she murmured, taking a small sip.

Crossing her eyes, Jo watched her carefully. “You know, you’re lucky I regularly stock that part,” she said. “Otherwise, you’d be stuck here for a while.”

“You have it?” Evelyn asked, hope in her voice.

“Yeah,” Jo said. “I can fix it this morning.”

Relief washed over Evelyn’s face, but just as quickly, she seemed to catch herself, straightening. “How long will it take?” she asked, and Jo smiled.

“Not long,” she said. “But long enough that you might as well get comfortable.” Evelyn blinked, looking torn between gratitude and still suffering from absolute mortification.

Jo turned to grab her tools, and she let her voice drop slightly.

“And don’t worry,” she added with her back to Evelyn.

“I won’t even make you explain why you ran out on me last night.

Not unless you want to.” When Evelyn didn’t answer, Jo closed her eyes for a beat.

Don’t push, she thought. Just do the job.

Without a word, she went back to the car, giving Evelyn plenty of space to think.

Sitting stiffly on a stool between the workbench and the front office, Evelyn’s hands were clasped tightly in her lap.

The scent of motor oil and grease filled the air.

She wasn’t sure what to do with herself, so she pulled out her phone, pretending to scroll through emails.

Not that she could focus on a single word.

Because Jo was right there. Bent over the hood of her car, sleeves rolled up, strong forearms flexing as she worked.

After she and Mica pushed the car into the garage bay, Jo got right to work.

She moved with an ease that was impossible to ignore.

Confident, capable, completely in her element, and humming softly under her breath, as if she wasn’t even aware of it.

Evelyn swallowed hard and forced her eyes on her phone.

This is ridiculous , she thought. I am a grown woman, not some lovesick teenager .

She knew she shouldn’t be sitting there, aware of every little thing Jo did.

She shouldn’t be noticing how effortlessly her strong hands handled the tools, or how— Evelyn’s phone vibrated, making her jump. It was Jasmine. Oh no .

She hesitated, glancing at Jo, who was still focused on the car.

Maybe she should ignore it, but knowing her sister, that would only make things worse.

With a sigh, she stood and took a few steps away, pressing the connect button before Jasmine could leave a message. “Hey,” she said, keeping her voice low.

“Hey?” Jasmine repeated, clearly unimpressed. “That’s all I get? I let you escape your own birthday party without a lecture, and now you’re trying to avoid me?”

Evelyn rubbed her temple. “I’m not avoiding you,” she said, knowing it was partially true.

“Uh-huh,” Jasmine said. “Now, are you going to tell me what happened last night, or do I have to assume?”

Stiffening at the question, Evelyn glanced toward Jo, who was still working but well within earshot. “Nothing happened,” she said quickly.

“What do you mean ‘nothing’?”

Lowering her voice, Evelyn sighed. “I left, okay?” she whispered. “Before anything really happened.”

“You what?” Jasmine asked, disbelief in her voice. “Evie, come on. You were flirting. I saw you flirting. Not that I’m a big fan of one-night stands, but everybody could see she was into you.”

Evelyn turned her back slightly, as if that would somehow stop Jo from hearing. “I panicked, okay?” she said. “And called an Uber.”

There was a long pause. “Why? Were you scared?” Jasmine finally asked, her voice softer now. “Did she…”

“God, no,” Evelyn said quickly, replaying the events of the night before in her mind yet again. “Jo was wonderful. Everything was wonderful.”

“I see,” Jasmine said. “You scared yourself.”

Trying to swallow, Evelyn’s throat tightened. She hated how perceptive her sister was. “I just...” She struggled to find the right words. “It was too much, too fast.” Behind her, Evelyn heard Jo moving under the car hood. The clink of metal against metal was sharp in the quiet.

Jasmine sighed. “Evie,” she said. “You like her, don’t you?”

Evelyn closed her eyes. “That’s the problem,” she murmured. “I do. I really do.”

Another pause and then a knowing hum from Jasmine. “Well,” she said. “I don’t know where you are right now, but if I were you? I’d figure out what you want before it’s too late.”

Opening her mouth to respond, Evelyn suddenly sensed Jo moving behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the woman setting her tools on the workbench. “I have to go,” Evelyn muttered. “I’ll call you later.”

“Evie—”

She ended the call before her sister could say anything else.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to find Jo watching her.

Evelyn’s stomach dropped. Jo didn’t say anything at first, only studying her with sharp, knowing eyes.

For a moment, no one spoke. “So,” Jo finally said, voice casual. “Too much, too fast, huh?”

Evelyn’s face went hot. Jo had heard. Of course she did , she thought and opened her mouth, then closed it again, floundering for something, anything, to say. Jo lifted an eyebrow, waiting. Evelyn wanted to disappear.

Standing in front of the car, Jo watched Evelyn squirm under her gaze.

She heard every word Evelyn said on that phone call.

Too much, too fast , she thought. Shocker.

Jo wasn’t sure why those words stung the way they did, but they lodged themselves somewhere deep, somewhere she didn’t particularly like to examine.

Evelyn looked ready to bolt again, her grip tight around the phone in her hand.

Jo saw the tension in her shoulders, the way she was bracing for something, probably a teasing remark.

But for once, Jo didn’t feel like teasing.

Instead, she reached for the small silver metal tin on the counter and popped the lid.

Without a word, she held it out to Evelyn.

The woman blinked. “What’s this?” she asked, and Jo shrugged.

“Chocolate chip cookie,” she replied. “Figured you could use some comfort food.”

Evelyn hesitated, then took a cookie carefully from the small pile, as if she wasn’t sure what to do with it. “Is this homemade?” she asked, returning her gaze. “Wait. Did you make this?”

“Yep,” Jo said. “Fresh out of the oven last night.” She gave Evelyn a half smile. “I had some unexpected time on my hands and couldn’t sleep.”

Blushing a little, but not taking the bait, the woman took a small bite. Her eyes widened slightly, and Jo felt a ridiculous surge of pride at the obvious approval on her face. “This is delicious,” she said. “I can’t believe you bake.

“Oh, sweetheart. There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

Evelyn’s blush deepened, but she took a bigger bite. “Wow,” Evelyn murmured, chewing. “It’s really good.”

Putting the lid back on the tin, Jo nodded.

“I know,” she said as Evelyn ate the cookie.

While she did, Jo took the moment to study her.

The woman looked tired. Not only in a physical way, but in the way people looked when they were carrying too much in their head.

Jo recognized it because she had seen it in the mirror a few times herself.

She let out a breath and decided to throw something out there.

“I’m heading to a classic car show over at the coast tomorrow.

” She kept her voice light. “You should come.”

“What?” Evelyn asked after a beat, clearly caught off guard.

“Car show,” Jo said with a shrug. “It’s at Lincoln City. Good food, good people. Lots of beautiful automobiles.”

Evelyn shook her head slowly. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t really know anything about cars.”

“I’ll teach you,” Jo replied. The moment stretched between them. For a second, Jo thought Evelyn might actually say yes.

But then she shifted, looking unsure again. “I’ll think about it,” Evelyn said, her voice quiet.

Hiding her disappointment, Jo nodded. “Fair enough.” She turned back to the car, focusing on tightening the last bolt, giving Evelyn an out if she wanted to take it.

When another minute passed, Jo sighed. I guess I’ll take that as a no, she thought, putting down the hood, ready to kick herself for even asking.

At least I’m about done, and we can get back out of each other’s lives again.

Without a word, she started the car and was satisfied when the engine purred.

The car was ready to go. Climbing out, Jo handed Evelyn her keys.

“Thanks,” Evelyn said, her voice softer now.

Jo nodded. “Drive safe.”

She watched as Evelyn slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and pulled out of the garage bay.

Jo stood there for a long moment, hands in her pockets, feeling something she wasn’t used to.

Disappointment. She wasn’t sure what she had expected.

Evelyn had made it clear she wasn’t ready for a relationship, and Jo wasn’t the type to chase.

She never had been. But damn, she thought.

This one feels different . With a sigh, she turned toward the workbench, grabbing a wrench to polish only to have something to do.

And then she heard it. The sound of tires crunching on gravel.

Jo turned in time to see Evelyn’s car returning to the end of the garage bay.

Evelyn rolled down the window, looking slightly flushed.

“I’ll go,” she said, her voice rushed, like she was afraid she would lose her nerve.

Jo blinked as she walked to the car window, closer to make sure she understood. “To the car show?” she asked, leaning down to look Evelyn in the eyes. Evelyn nodded. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Evelyn said. Then, before Jo could say anything else, the woman stretched out the window and pressed a quick, soft kiss on Jo’s lips.

It was barely a brush, but it sent a shockwave straight through Jo’s system.

By the time she processed what had happened, Evelyn was already pulling away.

“Call me.” Just like that, Evelyn drove off again, leaving Jo standing there, completely and utterly stunned.

Touching her lips, Jo let out a slow, disbelieving chuckle. “Well, damn,” she murmured to herself, already looking forward to tomorrow.