Page 15 of Hello Trouble

HAYES

“I can’t believe this had to happen tonight,” she mumbled, standing in the tall garage door opening, looking all dejected at her car.

“That’s how cars usually work—they break down at the worst possible time.” Although I wasn’t mad at the timing. I walked up behind her, grabbing the takeout bags from her grip and setting them on a table by the workbench.

The shop was entirely empty when we pulled up, all my guys having gone home.

“You can sit there and wait,” I said, gesturing at a rolling stool nearby.

The plastic seat gleamed under the overhead fluorescent lights, a stark contrast to the dirt and grease covering every other surface.

It had just come in earlier today, so it was clean enough for her to sit on while I worked.

“Okay.” Della gave a resigned sigh and sat on the stool. The way her thighs pressed together had me biting my lip.

But I forced myself to look away and lifted the hood again. “So what are you in a rush for?” I casually asked, keeping my gaze trained on the engine.

“I was going to meet a client, and then I have a...” Her sentence trailed off, and I looked over my shoulder at her.

The sunset was glinting in through the garage door, giving her hair that golden flame effect.

The sun caught her pale green eyes as she looked up toward the ceiling like she didn’t know how to explain.

Or maybe she didn’t want to tell me her plans.

Interesting.

“You have a...” I prompted.

Her cheeks gained some color. “I have a date, okay? I just didn’t want to tell you because I don’t want your cynicism to ruin it for me.”

That surprised me. That she cared enough about my words to let them affect her—she always seemed like a duck letting my words slide off her back.

Strangely pleased, I looked back at her engine, fiddling with different caps to check the fluids even though I’d topped those off the last time she came in. “No cynicism here.” I stood up, wiping my hands on a microfiber rag. “I like dates.”

“Really?” she said skeptically. “ You like dates?” She folded her arms across her chest, and I swore God was shining on me today because she was in a V-neck dress.

I walked closer to her, seeing her breath pick up in response as I leaned across her to put the rag on the counter. “I’ll let you in on a secret.” I held on to the counter, using it to angle me so my mouth was right near her ear.

She lifted her chin, not shying away.

This close, I could smell the delicate scent of her perfume as I whispered, “I like a date, but I love what comes after.”

I pulled back just in time to see her eyes flutter closed. “Hayes Madigan, you horndog.” But her voice was breathy. Not entirely exasperated like her words suggested.

Flirting with Della was one thing. My body’s reaction to hers was another altogether. The way it affected me had me stepping back to clear my thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the driver side door to the car and hooked up the scanner that would give a readout from the car’s computer. After a few minutes, I glanced at the screen, frowning.

“What is it?” Della asked.

“It’s an electrical issue.” I glanced at her before disconnecting the scanner and wrapping up the cords.

Della’s eyebrows rose hopefully. “That’s an easy fix, right?”

“Not too bad. A few hours, give or take.”

Her features sagged, and I almost felt guilty. But then she told me she needed to text Bennett and cancel, and I felt a lot less bad for her.

“Hey, if you can stick around, I can fix it tonight. You know, since I offered you a rescue.” I forced myself to watch her reaction. How did she feel about spending an evening with me while I worked on her car?

Her eyes widened. “Really, you’d stay late for me?” She seemed genuinely touched.

“Yeah, ’slong as we can eat some food first.”

Twisting her lips to the side, she said, “I guess my other dinner plans are shot. Can we eat inside, though? It feels unsanitary to eat out here around all the...” She gestured her arms around.

And I had to chuckle. It wasn’t rare for us to scarf down a snack between jobs. Something about Della’s finer sensibilities was refreshing and incredibly attractive.

“Let’s go to the waiting room, Princess,” I teased.

With a roll of her eyes, she picked up the takeout bags, placing the strap through her middle finger.

I let her walk ahead, if only so I could see the swish of her dress over her hips.

But I quickly realized how bad of an idea that was when all I could picture was lifting that dress up.

Digging my fingers into her soft flesh. Pulling her onto my?—

She was reaching for the door, but I got ahead of her just enough to pull it open. In response, she gave me an appreciative smile. “So there is a gentleman in there somewhere,” she teased.

The compliment pleased me far more than it should. “Dad taught me some manners.”

She sat down at one of the tables in the waiting area and began untying the bag. “Your fries are probably soggy by now.”

I shrugged, strangely unbothered. “What did you get?”

She opened one of the takeout containers. “Mozzarella sticks. With ranch.”

“You and Liv,” I said. “I swear she has ranch with everything.”

“It’s the superior dressing,” Della agreed, a sense of finality to her tone. It had me chuckling.

“You take your sauces seriously,” I said.

“Is there any other way to take them?”

A wicked thought crossed my mind and made a smirk form on my lips.

“Hayes Madigan,” she chided.

I shook my head at her. “Why do you always call me by my full name?” I finally asked.

She lifted a corner of her lips. “Because you’re an enigma. It’s like calling Evel Knievel just ‘Evel.’ Doesn’t make as much sense.”

I lifted my burger from the box. “I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not.”

She shrugged. “Maybe it’s both.”

A short silence hung between us while we chewed our food.

I wanted to get to know her better, to hear more of her thoughts and perspectives.

But an uncomfortable feeling took over my chest—like I was trying to write with my left hand for the first time and the words were coming out all jumbled and juvenile.

I didn’t know how to do this and definitely didn’t know how to do it the right way, without crossing any lines.

But damned if I wasn’t going to try. “How did you get interested in the insurance business?”

She gave me a look like the question sounded just as awkward as I felt.

But then she swirled a deep-fried stick of cheese through a puddle of ranch.

“How does anyone get interested in work? I was out of college, and there was a job open.” Her shoulders lifted, making her red curls move.

“At first, it was a job to pay the bills, and I really liked working with Edna. The people we served were nice—for the most part. And I was good at it. Am good at it. I don’t know what else I would do if I had a choice to change careers.

” She smiled slightly to herself. “What about you? Did you always want to do this?” She gestured around at the waiting room.

“Eat dinner with a pretty girl?” I held eye contact with her. “That was all I ever wanted to do.”

A look of surprise crossed her face for a moment, but she quickly wiped it away. “You know what I meant.”

Hmm. So she wasn’t shying away from the compliment.

But I realized she was waiting for my answer, so I wiped a crumb from my mouth and said, “I was always shit at school. It wasn’t that I was stupid—I was bored.

I couldn’t see how any of it mattered. And then we had a shop class my senior year.

Most kids took it as a fuck around class, but for me, it was the first time I felt like something I was learning could actually be used in the real world.

I got my first—and only—A. Mr. Smith taught the class part time while running this garage, and he offered me a job.

Kind of took me under his wing. From there, it was pretty obvious what I should do. ”

Her lips parted. “I didn’t know that about you.”

I lifted a shoulder. “Turns out there’s more to me than a pretty face.”

She chuckled, and my chest lifted. Della always laughed so easily, but it felt special when I was the one behind it. “Wait...” she said slowly. “If your only A was in shop class, does that mean you didn’t get one in gym? Everyone got an A in that class!”

Fighting a smile, I shook my head. “She docked me a letter grade for lewd behavior.”

“Ah, hitting on your classmates,” Della said, amused.

“No, the teacher.”

Her laugh could only be described as a cackle as she put her hands together, clapping. “Oh gosh, that’s great...” Her phone started ringing, and she picked it up, still smiling. “Hello?”

I looked down at my food, listening to her end of the conversation—sorry, not sorry.

“Oh, that’s so sweet of you... I’m at Madigan Auto. Hayes is getting me all fixed up... Yes! I’d love that... See you in fifteen?... Okay, bye.”

She was smiling so damn big when she looked at me and said, “Bennett is bringing dinner to me. Guess it all worked out after all—I get the date and my car fixed!” Her shoulders shimmied with her excitement, never mind the fact that I was trying to hide every uncalled-for feeling racing through my chest.

I definitely wasn’t hungry anymore. “I’m gonna work on your car. You can wait for him in here,” I said.

“Oh.” She looked at my half-eaten food. “Are you sure?”

“Yep. Later.” I got up and walked out, wondering what the fuck was wrong with me and feeling stupid for trying to do something new. Sex, one-night stands, friends with benefits. That I could do.

Whatever I wanted with Della was a fucking terrible idea.