Page 9 of Hello Trouble
HAYES
So I might have lied to Della about no place in my house being for women.
Because in the bottom of my closet, I kept a basket I fondly referred to as my treasure chest. Any item left behind got tossed into the basket, where it waited for its owner to claim it.
Some items had been in there over five years—half a dozen lipstick containers, hair scrunchies, a pair of Buckle jeans, Silly Putty, slippers. It all went in the treasure chest.
When I was old and gray and sagging, I’d sit in my rocking chair telling the younger generation about my adventures.
But I was about to add a strange item to the treasure chest—a pink, frilly throw pillow. The chick I was with last night must have brought it for a comfy place to lay her head (although I had no idea how it could be comfortable with all the sequins) and forgotten it entirely.
I dropped the pillow in the basket and then finished getting ready for work.
The shop was about half a mile from my house, and I got on my Harley for the ride.
My helmet waited on the back seat, and I pulled it over my head, thinking of the infuriating woman with the luscious hips who led to the purchase.
Her face when she discovered the sticker would be imprinted in my memory forever.
If only that moment could make it in the treasure chest too.
With a shake of my head, I gunned the engine and drove the short path to the garage. It was cool in the morning, but I knew by the afternoon, I’d be thankful for the massive fan in the shop pushing air around.
The morning went by quickly, even though I was in the office handling paperwork.
Owning your business sounded like fun until you learned how much fucking not-work you had to do.
A lot of the hours I used to spend under the hood were traded for meetings with accountants, calls with suppliers, request forms that needed to be filled out.
The list was never-ending. Add on communicating with customers who want the repair done fast and cheap? Yeah, the headaches are real.
So I was thankful when Liv came into the office with Leah and Mira.
Seeing my nieces always brightened my day.
Leah ran around the desk as fast as her four-year-old legs would carry her and hopped into my lap.
“Do you have a sucker and a Gatorade for me, Uncle Hayes?” She blinked big puppy-dog eyes up at me.
I grinned at her. “Of course I do. If it’s okay with your mama.”
Liv nodded, shifting the youngest on her hip. “Sure thing.”
I kicked off the ground, making my wheeling chair spin toward the mini fridge in the corner of my office.
Leah squealed with laughter as we spun, and the sound made me smile.
Chuckling, I bent down to the fridge and opened it.
“Looks like we have blue or yellow. Mama said red dye was no good for you.”
Leah’s little hand darted out, grabbing a blue bottle. Then I spun us back to the desk again. She giggled on the way and then picked a sucker out from the drawer.
Mira was grunting and squirming in Liv’s arms, her soft blond hair curling up in sweet little tufts. “Looks like she wants in on the fun,” Liv said.
“Come on,” I said, reaching my hands out for the little girl. She and Leah sat on my lap for a little bit, giving Liv a chance to use the bathroom, while we played and spun around my office floor.
Maybe being an owner wasn’t so bad if it meant I could make time for things like this.
I heard the shutter sound and looked up to see Liv had snapped a photo with her phone. “Send it to me?” I asked. “I need something to put on my desk.”
“Will do,” she said. As she looked down at her phone, Leah and Mira crawled off my lap and started playing with an empty box in the corner of my office. Never mind that I kept a basket of toys especially for them.
“Hey,” Liv said, “I have a question for you. Can you get me Ethan’s number?”
I raised my eyebrows at her. “My mechanic Ethan? Why?”
She nodded. “I was thinking he and Della might be good together, you know?”
My eyebrows drew together thinking of Della, who spouted her belief in love, with Ethan . Fuck that. “Shut the door,” I said to Liv.
She pushed the door shut and then leaned in, whispering, “What? Is it juicy?” Her brown eyes were way too lit up for some gossip.
“Cool your jets. It’s nothing bad—Ethan’s a nice guy and a hell of a worker, but he’s also a functional alcoholic.
Della wouldn’t be interested.” Someone who talked about love and romance like she did wouldn’t be satisfied with someone who couldn’t be counted on after six o’clock because he’d be three sheets to the wind. Not a chance.
“Ohhh...” She glanced toward the door. We couldn’t see them, but all the guys were working on the other side. “Ethan, really?”
I nodded slowly. “On to the next harebrained idea, I guess.” Although some part of me was far too satisfied that Della wouldn’t be dating a guy from my garage.
But then Liv said, “What about Joshua? You were in the same grade in school, right?”
I shook my head. “He’s got a family in Oklahoma he pretends doesn’t exist.”
Liv’s jaw dropped open. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Wish I was.” Skipping out once kids got involved was as low as you could go. “Looks like your days of playing matchmaker are over.” Why did that bring me so much satisfaction?
“Not quite. We still have some options.”
Well shit. “Like who?”
“Don’t worry, you’re not on the list,” Liv said like that was supposed to make me feel better. And it should have.
Why the fuck didn’t I feel better?
Mira screeched at her older sister, and Liv and I both flinched. “Leah, let your sister have a turn in the box please.”
Leah huffed out, “ Fine .” But it sounded more like “Dine” because she couldn’t say her Fs yet.
Liv and I both held back a chuckle, and I turned my face away so the little ones wouldn’t see me grinning. Once we both got our composure, Liv said, “I better get these two to the car so we can pick up Maya. See you around.”
I waved to Liv and then gave my nieces each a hug before getting back to work. But it was hard to focus knowing Liv was actively trying to set up Della and obviously had shit taste in men for her best friend.
It was none of my damn business.
So why did I care so much?