Page 31 of Fixing Hearts

“I understand your frustration,” Albert said smoothly, like he’d said it a hundred times before. “But the policy is what it is. I’ll submit the report today, and you’ll get a formal letter with the final numbers by the end of the week.”

Jo stared at him for a long moment, then nodded stiffly. “Great,” she said through clenched teeth. “Thanks.”

Albert stood, offering his hand. “Best of luck, Ms. Fuller,” he said, but Jo didn’t take it.

After an awkward moment, the man turned and left.

Jo watched him walk out the door, then leaned back in her chair, rubbing both hands over her face.

The silence in the office pressed in on her like a weight.

She sat there for a few minutes, unmoving, until she heard the soft creak of the door and Mica’s voice.

“How bad is it?” she asked.

“Bad,” was all Jo could think to say. Mica stepped inside and hands in the back pockets of her jeans. “Like ‘this sucks’ bad or ‘I need to sell a kidney’ bad?”

Jo let out a bitter laugh. “They’re covering the window,” she said with a sigh. “A few repairs. That’s about it. The tools, the parts, the diagnostic scanner? All gone. Not itemized. Not covered.”

Mica whistled. “Damn.”

“I’m gonna have to replace it all out of pocket,” Jo said, her voice flat. “That’s tens of thousands of dollars.”

“Do you have that kind of cash?” Mica asked, and Jo gave her a look. Mica nodded. “Right. Stupid question.”

“I might have to take out a loan,” Jo muttered, the words tasting like ash in her mouth. “Or dip into the emergency fund. But that was supposed to be for payroll if things ever got tight and probably won’t even cover everything.”

Mica was quiet for a beat. “That sucks, Jo,” she said, taking off her ballcap and rubbing her close-cropped dark hair. “Totally not fair.”

Leaning forward, Jo rested her elbows on the desk.

“I just…” she started, having to swallow hard to keep her stomach under control.

“I thought I was doing everything right. I’ve been careful.

I’ve held onto Mr. Diaz’s legacy. And now I get hit with this, and the insurance guy shrugs like it’s no big deal. ”

“Well,” Mica said, “it is a big deal. But you don’t have to be alone in this.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you going to tell Evelyn?”

With a sigh, Jo hesitated. “Maybe,” she finally said. “But not yet.”

“Why not?” Mica asked, eyebrow raised.

“Because it’s not her problem,” Jo answered. “And I don’t want to make her feel like she has to fix it. We just got to a good place. I don’t want to dump all this on her.”

Mica gave her a long look. “You know that’s not how relationships work, right?” she said. “You don’t get to pick and choose which parts of your life she gets to see.”

Standing, Jo nodded. “I know,” she said. “But for now, I don’t want to tell anybody.” Then she thought of Mr. Diaz. Especially not him, she thought. Not until I have a solution. She looked hard at Mica. “So don’t breathe a word of this to anyone, got that?”

“I got it,” Mica said, holding up a hand as if in Scout’s Honor. “But I really think you need to reconsider the Evelyn piece at least.”

Jo opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came out. Finally, she nodded. “I’ll tell her,” she said quietly. “Tonight.”

Evelyn’s fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel as she sat at a red light, her mind spinning with everything Jasmine had said that morning.

She is right, she thought. I need to tell Jo.

It’s only fair. And hopefully she will totally understand.

The job offer was everything Evelyn had worked for.

It was innovative, strategic, and career-defining.

But it is also complicated . The light turned green, and Evelyn exhaled, turning left and heading toward home.

But halfway down the block, her hand shifted on the wheel, and before she could think twice, she was flipping on her signal and pulling into a side street.

She wasn’t going home. She was going to surprise Jo at the garage.

It’s better to talk about this somewhere neutral , she thought.

Not curled up in bed, not with flour on our hands and cookies in the oven.

Dinner. Somewhere public. Comfortable . The decision made her heart race, but she didn’t turn around.

Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into the small lot beside Fuller’s Auto Repair.

She adjusted her coat, smoothed her hair, and walked into the first garage bay.

The shop was quiet, the heavy scent of oil and rubber lingering in the air.

Jo was at the far end of the garage, standing over a car, working on the engine.

She was in her element. Grease-smudged, muscles flexing, and a wrench in one hand. Evelyn’s heart did a little flip.

After a beat, Jo looked up, clearly surprised, then straightened. “Hi,” she said, setting the wrench aside. “What are you doing here?”

Evelyn smiled, stepping closer. “I was kind of in the neighborhood,” she said lightly. “And I figured I’d see if you were up for dinner.”

“Dinner?” Jo asked, clearly caught off guard.

“Yeah,” Evelyn said, suddenly nervous. “Somewhere close by that we can walk to? My treat.” Jo studied her for a moment, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. She looks tired, Evelyn thought. Not physically, exactly, but like something is weighing on her.

Still, Jo nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “That sounds good.”

Feeling a wash of relief, Evelyn smiled. “Great,” she said. “Is now a good time? I can wait while you wash up?”

Looking around as if to weigh what still needed to be done, Jo finally nodded.

“This is as good a time as any,” she said.

“I’ll be right back.” Jo disappeared into the back, and Evelyn took a seat on the stool near the entrance, her hands folded in her lap.

She tried not to overthink it. This is only dinner , she thought.

Just a conversation. She felt her shoulders slump as reality settled in.

Just telling the woman I’m falling for that I might be gone for weeks or even months at a time.

When Jo returned, she’d changed into a clean black T-shirt and jeans, her hair slightly damp from where she had run water through it. She looked freshly scrubbed but still a little distracted. “Ready?” she asked, and Evelyn stood.

“Ready.”

“There’s a diner a few blocks down,” she said. “One of my favorites. Good food. Good service. Great pie.”

Evelyn smiled and stepped closer. “That sounds perfect,” she said, and was relieved when Jo took her hand.

“Lead the way.” The diner was mostly empty when they arrived, the bell over the door jingling as they stepped inside.

Jo led the way to a booth near the window.

As they settled in, the waitress came to their table.

She had a pen tucked behind one ear and a name tag that read SHIRLEY. “Hey, Jo,” she said. “You haven’t been in in a while. What can I get you?”

Smiling a little, Jo looked at the waitress. “Hi, Shirley,” she said. “Just been busy.” She glanced at Evelyn. “They do great grilled cheese sandwiches and fries here.”

Evelyn smiled. “Then grilled cheese sounds great,” she said, although the anxiety in her stomach left her with little appetite. “And I’ll have an iced tea.”

“Make that order a double,” Jo said to Shirley, and the waitress winked.

“You got it,” she said, before disappearing back toward the counter.

Jo leaned back in the booth with her arms crossed loosely over her chest. “It’s great seeing you,” she said. “And I appreciate you taking me out, but why the surprise?”

Evelyn’s pulse quickened. It was her moment.

She felt the words lining up in her throat, ready to spill out.

She opened her mouth, but then heard herself saying, “I was missing you. How was your day?” For a moment, Jo simply stared at her, and Evelyn shifted uncomfortably on the seat, thinking the woman knew she was lying.

Then, Jo sighed and looked away. “Well,” she said. “I got the final word from the insurance adjuster today.”

Sensing a problem, Evelyn blinked. “Oh.”

Jo’s mouth tightened. “They’re not covering most of the stuff. The big-ticket tools, the diagnostic scanner, the rare parts I had in storage,” she said, her jaw tight. “I didn’t have them itemized under the right clause. It’s on me.”

Hearing the words, Evelyn’s heart sank. “Jo…”

“I’ll have to replace everything out of pocket,” Jo continued, her voice flat. “It’s going to wipe out my reserves. And more. I might have to take out a loan.”

Reaching across the table, Evelyn gently touched her hand. “That is such bad news,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

Looking down at their hands, Jo shrugged. “It’s fine,” she said quietly. “It’s just stuff. I can replace it.” But Evelyn heard the weight in her voice.

This isn’t only about tools , she thought. This is about the fear of losing control of something she’s built with her own hands . “I hate that you’re going through this,” Evelyn said, and Jo’s fingers curled slightly around hers.

“I’ll figure it out.”

The food arrived and sandwiches with a mountain of fries were set in front of them.

Evelyn was grateful for the distraction, but the words she had come to say sat heavy in her chest. She couldn’t tell Jo now.

Not tonight. Not when Jo was already carrying so much.

But how can I make Jo feel better about what happened?

she wondered as she ate a bite of the sandwich.

What can I do to lift her spirits tonight at least?

As she chewed, the idea came to her. “Come stay with me at my apartment tonight,” she said.

“Maybe a change of scenery for a night will help you relax.”