Page 26 of Fixing Hearts

Fifteen

T aking a deep breath, Jo stood in the center of her garage, arms crossed over her chest, as she took in the damage.

The front windows had been boarded over with plywood, but a few jagged edges of glass still clung to the frames.

She had swept most of it up already, but there was still work to do.

Stepping forward, her boot crunched softly over a missed shard while her gaze swept the room again.

There were missing items and specialty tools she used that couldn’t be easily replaced.

Some were parts that she had been holding for a customer.

Thankfully, it was nothing her insurance wouldn’t cover, but she still felt angry and violated.

But not as bad as last night, she thought. And that’s because of Evelyn.

The memory of Evelyn’s body pressed against hers that morning came rushing back.

Her soft moans, the way her fingers had clutched at Jo’s back, the way she had said Jo’s name like it meant something.

Jo closed her eyes, letting herself sink into the memory for a moment.

She hadn’t expected it to feel so intimate.

So real. And, God, how she had looked afterward, she thought.

Curled up in my bed, hair tousled, lips swollen from kissing.

.. Jo had never wanted to stay in bed all day so badly in her life.

But work called to both of them, and they couldn’t afford to ignore it.

She crouched beside it. “Still here, huh?” she murmured.

“Guess we’ve both been waiting.” In a way, Jo felt the Mustang was a reflection of her.

Something old school, a little beat up, needing time and care to be whole again.

She hadn’t worked on it because, deep down, she hadn’t known what she was building it for.

Suddenly, she wondered what it would be like to take Evelyn for a ride in it someday, once it was finished.

Somehow, she knew Evelyn would like it. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, dragging her out of the moment.

She stood, pulling it free and glancing at the screen.

Maybe it’s Evelyn, she hoped, but instead it was an unknown number.

She hesitated, then answered. “Jo Fuller.”

“Hello, Ms. Fuller. This is Denise from Westview Commercial Claims. I’m calling about the break-in at your property.”

With a sigh, Jo leaned against the side of the Mustang. “Yeah,” she said. “Thanks for getting back to me.”

“I wanted to update you. There’s a bit of a delay in processing,” the woman said, her voice polite but cautious.

“We’re reviewing your policy, and I want to be transparent that there may be some limitations in your coverage.

” There was a pause, and Jo heard typing on the other end.

“It seems your current plan doesn’t include full theft protection on certain tools, specialty parts or electronics. ”

Jo’s jaw tightened. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish I were,” Denise said. “We’ll be sending an adjuster out this week to assess the damage, and we’ll do everything we can, but I wanted to manage expectations early.”

Closing her eyes, Jo pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Right,” she said, her stomach already rolling with worry.

“Thanks.” The woman offered another polite apology before hanging up, and Jo lowered the phone slowly.

She stared at the floor for a long moment, the weight of the news settling on her shoulders.

She could handle the repairs. She could fix windows and replace basic tools.

But the cost... Jo thought. That is going to sting.

Frankly, she wasn’t sure how much more she could juggle.

Her phone buzzed again with a text. That time, it was Evelyn.

“Just checking in,” started the message. “I hope the garage isn’t giving you too much trouble. Do you want company later?”

Jo stared at the screen. Do I want company later?

she wondered. Back to back nights? That would be unusual for Jo, but the idea of feeling Evelyn’s arms wrapped around sounded good.

It was a tough decision. After another beat, she typed back.

“Let me think about it. I need to process this.” She hit send and tucked the phone back in her pocket, glancing once more at the old car beside her.

She didn’t have all the answers. The insurance might screw her, and the shop would take time to get back on track, yet she didn’t have to face it alone.

Evelyn would be there for her if she let her.

All Jo had to do was figure out what she wanted.

The building was quiet. Most of the building was empty late on Saturday. The halls were eerily silent except for the distant echo of someone wheeling a cart of supplies down the corridor. Evelyn didn’t mind. She liked the solitude. It gave her space to focus, and focus she had.

Sitting back in her chair, Evelyn stretched her arms over her head with a satisfied sigh.

The presentation she had been agonizing over for the past two weeks was finally done.

All the data was clean and organized, the charts polished, the wording precise without being dry.

It was the kind of work she was proud of.

The kind that made her feel like she was really contributing to something important.

But even with the glow of accomplishment settling over her, Evelyn’s thoughts drifted elsewhere, and she smiled to herself, biting her bottom lip as her mind replayed the morning with Jo.

The heat of Jo’s body tangled with hers, the way her voice had gone rough and low when she asked if Evelyn was okay.

The way Jo had held her afterward, like it wasn’t only about sex.

Like it meant something. Evelyn’s cheeks flushed, though there was no one around to see it.

She still couldn’t believe how natural it had felt to wake up in Jo’s bed after a short doze, and they had kissed each other goodbye like it was the most ordinary thing in the world.

Only it hadn’t felt just ordinary , Evelyn thought. It had felt just right .

Reaching for her phone, she suddenly needed to connect with Jo again.

Their short text exchange earlier wasn’t enough.

Jo’s “let me think about it” to her offer to come over left a lot of things up in the air.

Besides, she deserved a break. The presentation was done, so she had earned that.

Tapping Jo’s contact, Evelyn waited. Jo picked up on the second ring. “Hey.”

Jo did not sound good. “Hi, are you okay?” Evelyn asked, and Jo sighed.

“I’m okay,” she said. “I’m trying to figure out how to stretch my shop budget to replace a full set of stolen tools.”

“I’m so sorry, Jo,” Evelyn said. “Is there anything I can do?”

There was a pause on the line, and Evelyn could practically hear Jo’s mind weighing options. “Do you still want to come over?” she finally said. “I mean, at some point. I know you’re busy.”

Her heart skipping a beat, Evelyn did not hesitate. “I’ll be there right after I run by my house and grab some clothes,” she said. “Will that work?”

“Yeah,” Jo said, a little more hopefulness in her voice. “Maybe we can eat something delivered?”

“Whatever you want,” Evelyn said, but before Evelyn could say more, the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway made her sit up straighter.

A moment later, Dr. Wong appeared at the door to her office, dressed more casually than usual in dark jeans and a tailored blouse, a laptop bag slung over one shoulder.

She raised her eyebrows when she spotted Evelyn on the phone.

Evelyn lowered her voice. “Sorry, Jo. Dr. Wong just walked in. I’ll see you later. ”

“Can’t wait,” Jo said, and Evelyn ended the call.

“Dr. Wong. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I could say the same,” Dr. Wong replied, stepping into the room. “But I’m glad you are. I was hoping to catch you.”

Evelyn gestured to the screen. “I finished the presentation,” she said with pride in her voice. “I was going to send it over in a few minutes.”

Dr. Wong nodded. “Perfect,” she said. “But that’s not why I need to speak to you.”

“Oh?” Evelyn said, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Setting her bag on the table, Dr. Wong leaned against it.

“You’ve been doing excellent work, Evelyn,” she said.

“Your data on the renewable energy impact models is some of the cleanest analysis I’ve seen in years.

I’ve already had two board members ask to talk with you directly after your last draft. ”

Evelyn blinked. “Oh. Wow,” she said. “That’s wonderful to hear.”

“It is,” Dr. Wong said with a nod. “Which is why I wanted to discuss something with you before the full team hears about it next week.” She paused, giving Evelyn a measured look. “There’s a position opening up. One I think you’d be perfect for. Something of a promotion.”

“A promotion?” Evelyn repeated after a beat, not quite processing the woman’s words.

“Yes,” Dr. Wong said. “It’s a collaborative research lead position for our coastal sustainability initiative. You would be heading up a pilot program with the Department of Environmental Management and a few partner universities. It’s high profile. Great funding. You’d be leading your own team.”

Barely containing her excitement, but also a little disbelieving, Evelyn shook her head. “That sounds incredible,” she said, and Dr. Wong gave her a rare smile.

“It is,” she agreed. “Although it does come with a few logistical challenges.”

“Challenges?”