Page 6

6

CHASE

I don't mind leaving Maddie alone in the house while I head into Mercy. I'm sure she can use the rest and hope she doesn't try to do anything stupid, like move the debris blocking that back door.

There's an overwhelming sense of proving herself to be strong, but again … I don't want her proving anything to me. She's done more than enough to show me the grit that takes over. She doesn't back down from anything, even if that means putting herself in danger.

When I see the path of chaos left by the storm, it makes me marvel at how strong she truly is because I know the kind of weather it takes to leave this kind of damage. There's a power line down, and the pole it separated from is bent like a giant kicked it sideways. A utility crew is already working on securing the area as I drive by as slowly as possible to make sure I'm not in their way.

The closer I get to town, the more pieces of people's homes and businesses are scattered about. I can see how much hard work, time, and money it will take to restore some sense of normalcy.

Anxiety ripples through me as every fiber of my body urges me to check on the body shop. I may not be a frequent traveler into the town of Mercy, but many folks in Mercy come to me. I'd hate to have to shutter my shop due to damage from this storm.

I'm only a few miles away from work when I spy a set of tire tracks. The muddy tread is thick from where the rubber refused to grip the asphalt. The spin looks like some drag racing teen in a sports car was doing donuts in the middle of the street. But there's no mistaking the set of tracks veering off to the side of the road.

There's a steep ravine to protect the tree line from cars spinning out, and it worked perfectly. The same car I worked on sits at a funky angle, with its nose pointing toward the pavement. The trunk and driver’s side doors are open.

I pull my truck a few feet in front of it and get out to get a good look at the damage. The interior of the car is soaked, and I know it will take a miracle to restore it. Thankfully, I keep a camera in my glove box for damaged cars that come into my shop. I hated keeping track of damage on my phone, and when I smashed my last one, its fragility let me know I couldn't depend on that kind of technology.

Now, more than ever, I'm happy to have taken a step back into the olden days of having separate devices. The camera doesn't need to sit on a charger day and night as I see the full battery and plenty of memory to hold as many pictures as I need. I want to show Maddie what's going on with her car, especially before I decide to fix it.

A side of me wants to surprise her, to fix it up good as new. However, I know there's something sentimental about this Honda. It's not just any car, or else she would have gotten rid of it. Instead of making my own judgments about what to do with it, I take the pictures and mark down the closest mile marker along the road leading out of town.

Now that I know where her car is, I can move on to checking my body shop. Thankfully, when I pull up, there are only a few branches, twigs, and trash cans scattered around the lot. The wind and rain had their way with anything not glued down, making me admire Maddie even more for her fight to find her way to me.

It pulls the protector out of me, the fixer, the mechanic. I want everything to work out for her.

As I glance around at my shop's equipment, I realize I don't need a backhoe to remove that tree. All I need are some heavy chains and some hooks I can rig to my flatbed. Once I get everything I need from my shop, I leave my pickup and switch into my large flatbed. It takes some doing, but after I get Maddie's car back to my shop, I head back to the house.

I round the side of the house and head into the backyard, where I hear aggressive grunts, groans, and exertion.

"What are you doing?" I ask once I see Maddie in a pair of my work boots and coveralls.

"I couldn't sit still. My body hurts?—"

I chuckle. "So your solution is to move sticks into a pile?"

Maddie shrugs, a bundle of wet twigs and leaves cradled in her arms. "I've been sore before, especially on days where I had to demolish an entire kitchen. The best way to get over a sore body is to get your body moving."

"That's all well and good, Maddie, but I don't want you to get hurt back here."

She glares at me as if I said she's too weak to do anything. The damp sticks and leaves fall to the ground at her feet, and she rests her hands on her hips. "How do you plan to move this tree without any help?"

"I plan on rigging up my flatbed to pull it away from the house."

"And what about the ground underneath? What happens if you pull the tree away and it messes with the foundation of the house? What if it's impacted the door frame, so now water seeps in?"

"Hold on a second," I tell her, pumping my hands with the hope of slowing down her questions. "Can't you include all of that in your estimate?"

"Do you mean my appraisal?"

I rub my chin. "Evaluation, inspection, and anything else included in your services that will tell me what needs to happen to get this place on the market."

"Are you sure you want to sell this house?"

"I won't know until you tell me what I can get for it. I have a place in Mercy that's close to the shop. This place is just here, going to waste."

"But land like this is hard to come by. I know the deal with your mom fell through, but maybe hold onto this place. Since we are close to Cincinnati, maybe we can use it like a retreat or bed and breakfast. I'd go more for a space of peace for creatives."

"What do you mean?"

"Look out there." Her gaze shifts to the vast grasslands beyond the back fence. "The fence looks like it was made with Lincoln logs."

"That's because it has to be heavy enough and high enough to keep out any bucks that wander too close to the house. I don't have any pets or livestock, so that limits the amount of coyotes and bobcats that may come around. There's a raccoon or opossum every once in a while, but it's mostly quiet."

"I hope you didn't think I have a problem with it. I love the aesthetic. It's a very rustic piece of land where people who want some space outside of the noise of the city can come and gaze into the stars. You have plenty of room to put a tiny house on the property, too. That's if you don't want anyone staying in the main house."

"It sounds like a lot of work. I already run the shop, but I'll think about it. In the meantime, go inside and rest, Maddie. Did you speak to your family to let them know where you are and that you're safe?"

"Yes, I did. I just have to figure out a way to get my car to my dad's place. He said he can have a guy come pick it up and junk it."

"Is that what you want, Maddie? To junk the car?"

She raises her shoulders up and down, her gaze still fixed on the land beyond the fence. "It's important to me because my mom taught me how to drive in that car. As a matter of fact, she taught me and my older sister, Mackenna, and Dad taught our youngest sister, Mariah, in that car. Then they gifted it to me once I turned eighteen and graduated."

"How would you feel if I said your car's out of that ditch and sitting in my shop right now?"

"What do you mean? How did you even find it? Are you serious, Chase?"

I sidle up beside her. "As serious as this tree leaning on my back door. I was going to head into town about the backhoe when I remembered I have a flatbed tow truck. I don't use it often, but it's there. I spotted the tire tracks where someone spun out, and voila. There she was, tits up in the ravine on the side of the road."

Maddie giggles. "I did leave her exposed, didn't I?"

"Yup, like a stripper at a birthday party. But yeah, I hauled her back into my shop. I'm certain there's a warranty of sorts where if anything goes wrong with the work you get done at Chase's Auto Body, you get to bring it back to be repaired."

She smirks, her eyes lighting up. "I didn't think warranties like that existed for damage done by stubborn owners who didn't think to replace her bald tires and decided to test their range during one of the most powerful storms we've seen this year."

I smile, belatedly realizing I’ve been doing that a lot lately since meeting her. For someone who’s known for scowling even when happy, I find myself often grinning like a fool in front of Maddie. "It's a good thing that I have a guy who's really cool with the boss."

"Seriously, Chase. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me."

"I think I have a way you can thank me," I tell her as my mind battles my body against the lust resurging through my veins.

She's sore, fucktard.

She dragged herself through debris then let you fuck her every which way last night. She doesn't need a round two. She needs to rest.

"If that way ends up with me tits up instead of my car, then you have my attention," she replies.

"We're never going to get anything finished if you say things like that."

"You're the one seducing me as a Good Samaritan because why are you this helpful and grumpy? And how have we never crossed paths before?"

That draws a hearty laugh out of me. "I have no idea, but I'm glad your car shook, rattled, and rolled into my shop."

"I know that song. It's in one of my favorite movies of all time."

That piques my interest. "It's impossible we're thinking about the same thing. I feel like I'm the only guy on the planet who watches old eighties movies. If we're talking about the same movie, whodunnit? "

Maddie's melodic laughter rings through the air as she spouts off her answer. "Mrs. Scarlett in the first ending, Mrs. Peacock in the second ending, and they all did it in the end. Well, all of them except Mr. Green. I love that movie so much, and let's not forget the noteworthy performance of Tim Curry. I used to watch that movie with my mom all the time, and now it's one of my favorites."

I can't stop myself from wrapping my arms around her, pulling her close, and slapping a kiss over her lips.

Excitement rings through me as I tell her, "I discovered it one day when I was a kid. My mom would just let movies play, and when it came on, Dad made us sit down and watch it as a family. We ordered pizza, and then he pulled the game out of storage. Man, I miss him."

"I can't believe we have so much in common. You understand why I don't want to get rid of my car, and we both have great taste in movies."

I nod. "I'm interested to know what your favorite comedy is.”

"That's so hard," she says, not even subtly dropping her gaze down to my crotch.

"There you go again, teasing me. How about I ride you into town, take you home, and let you get some rest? Meanwhile, I'll take my hardness back here to clear this debris because I won't get anything done."

"Well, I won't get much done either without my car. So, instead of riding me into town, how about you let me ride you right now?"