Page 11 of Other Woman Drama (Content Advisory #4)

Nine

I’m gonna be nosy. I want to know why your kids are in your bio on FB but not in your custody.

— Silver’s secret thoughts

SILVER

The Grand Am was acting up again.

I knew what it was.

I needed a new timing belt.

The squeal was god awful, not to mention embarrassing.

I contemplated whether to go to Webb’s or not for a solid thirty minutes—because I hadn’t spoken to my father in weeks after his latest incident and there was no way I was going to his place—before I finally decided…fuck it.

I went to my bedroom—which was actually my living room—and searched through the stack of clean clothes on my dresser before finding the oldest pair of cutoff shorts that I owned.

The same shorts that I wore every time that I worked on cars, and I didn’t care if they got dirty.

It being mid-July, there was no way in hell that I was going to wear jeans. Even if it was the smarter thing to do because of all the grease I knew was about to coat my legs.

It was damn near impossible for me to stay clean when I was working on my car.

No matter how hard I tried, I inevitably ended up getting coated in grease from head to foot.

Which was why I also chose a sleeveless cutoff tee that barely reached the top of my jean shorts.

I followed the outfit up with my old pair of sneakers that I keep to work on my car. Fuck running in them. I snatched up my car keys before heading out the door.

I was throwing my hair up in a bun when I got out to the parking lot and headed for my car.

I was wholly unsurprised to find Moran in the parking lot leaning against my car.

If I hadn’t needed my car, I would’ve just turned around and walked the opposite way.

However, I did need my car.

So I got up to it, didn’t acknowledge the woman that was leaning against it—luckily on the passenger side—and unlocked it.

When I was inside, I locked the door again and started it up.

I was satisfied when the bellowing peel of the belt filled the space around us, causing Moran to jackknife out of her casual lean against my car and stare at me with anger on her face.

Like I was the one that actually made it squeal and scare her.

The absurdity…

Using her anger and distance from my car to my advantage, I pulled out of my spot.

I’d started to back in when the Truth Tellers had first entered my life.

I’d witnessed them all back in, everywhere they went, no matter what. And I’d adopted the habit.

It had proven to be great, especially for situations like the one I found myself in now.

It being a Saturday, I treated myself to some donuts on the way to Webb’s, and made sure to get enough to feed an army in case some of Webber’s crew was there working.

When I arrived it was to find Hush the only one there.

He was also working on a pretty sweet looking short bed, square body Chevy.

He was leaned deep into the engine, his arms flexing and tightening as he used what would be my guess of a ratchet, when I pulled up.

My face flamed as I turned the car off and got out.

“Timing belt?” he said.

“I know,” I confirmed. “Would it be okay to use y’all’s shop for a bit so I can change it?”

His brows rose. “You know what’s wrong?”

“Yes,” I said. “My grandfather, and sometimes even my dad, taught me everything that I might need to know about fixing cars. I’m not fluent in anything over two thousand and eight, though.

That’s when the cars started to get smart, and we’d never been affluent enough to be able to afford the newer cars, and my dad doesn’t work on anything after that time. ”

“Your dad is a mechanic?” he asked.

“When he wants to be,” I answered. “When he doesn’t have someone to support him and he’s forced to work.”

That was what he did.

He married, had his wife support him. When that wife got tired of supporting him, and not getting any help around the house, she’d kick him to the curb. Then he’d start the process all over again with the next chick.

He had twelve marriages, and eleven divorces under his belt.

I imagined that it wouldn’t take long before Webber’s ex decided to kick my dad to the curb again. Then he’d be back to working in his shop, which he made sure to always have it remain in his possession after the divorce.

“Sounds interesting,” he said. “The only bay we have open is Webber’s. You can pull it back there and use it but just know that you need to get it done today because he has a big, special project he’s going to start working on tomorrow.”

That last sentence had been one of the most amount of words Hush had ever spoken to me.

He must be in a good mood today.

“What is it?” I asked, genuinely curious not just about what he was working on, but anything that had to do with the man that I was secretly in love with.

“I didn’t catch what it was, just that he was bringing it in later today,” he answered. “You need any help?”

I shook my head. “Nope.”

“Then have at it,” he invited.

I got the car started again and tried not to cringe at the sound of it reverberating off the walls of the shop as I pulled it into Webber’s spot.

I thankfully shut the car down and got started.

I was elbow deep in the engine when movement caught my eye.

I looked up to find Eedie strolling across the forecourt of the shop.

She was heading right for me but stopped and blinked in surprise when she found me coming to a stand beside my car.

“I fully expected my dad to be the one in this spot,” she said. “He never lets anyone use his area. Or his tools.”

She looked pointedly at the wrench in my hand.

“It’s mine,” I said as I showed her the pink handle of the crowbar that was in my hand. “I know how people get when you use their tools.”

“Ahh,” she said.

My grin was massive when I greeted her.

“How ya’ doin’, Eedie.” I smiled at Webber’s girl and flushed a little bit at the attention that Webber’s mom now at Eedie’s side gave me. “How are you today?”

Eedie smiled and looped her arm through her gran’s and said, “We’re great.

We’re going to go to the mall. And then I’m going to go watch a class at a Jiu Jitsu gym and see if I want to start up classes there.

Gran said she liked seeing sweaty, in shape guys working out, so she volunteered to go with me. ”

I grinned, unable to refute her logic. “Which one are you going to?”

Eedie’s eyes became focused. “Do you have a recommendation?”

I listed off several, but ended with the one I went to. “I go to Slow Roll Jiu Jitsu Academy. It’s the one that’s about five miles away from here next to the Cookie Explosion.”

Eedie’s eyes lit up. “I love Cookie Explosion. But I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a Jiu Jitsu place there.”

I grinned. “The Cookie Explosion tends to steal all the thunder. But, the good thing is, after rolling around on the mats breaking a sweat, I don’t feel the least bit guilty about going in and getting a cookie after I’m finished.”

Eedie’s eyes danced. “Maybe we can go there, Gran.”

Gran’s eyes were focused solely on me. “I don’t think I caught your name.”

I held out my hand. “I’m Silver.”

She looked at my dirty hand and smiled.

“This is Silver, Aella’s sister,” Eedie explained at the same time as my introduction.

“Ahh.” Brittnie shook my hand, uncaring of the grease. “It’s nice to meet you.” She took me in. “Woman with a lot of talents.”

“Necessity is the root of all learned crafts.” I shrugged.

“We used to live in a bad neighborhood, so I taught myself how to protect myself until I could afford to pay for self-defense classes on my own. Also, I drive a shitbox, and I needed to know how to fix it if I was going to be able to drive.”

“Makes a lot of sense,” she said. “What class times do you usually go to?”

“Evenings, mostly. Before I have to go to work. I shower there and head in,” I answered.

“I go three to four times a week, depending on if I have the time or not. I’d go more, but my favorite coach—who’s a girl named Shaw—only coaches three to four times a week.

If you can find her in a class that you can get to, I’d definitely recommend going then.

Shaw’s a badass and knows how best to roll seeing as she’s a tiny slip of a thing. ”

“You are, too,” Eedie pointed out.

“As are you,” I agreed. “Which is why I recommend her. She’s very knowledgeable, and her dad’s been teaching her since he’s the owner. Then again, if you can get to Shaw’s dad’s classes—he’s mostly teaching advanced ones—you’d really love it. Plus, he’s hot as hell. Brittnie, you’d love him.”

“Are you going today?” Eedie asked.

I thought about it, then looked down at my progress on the car.

“If I can finish this up,” I said. “I might be able to.”

“Great!” she said as she walked to me. “What’s your number?”

I gave it to her.

“I’ll call you around three and see if you can make it to the four o’clock class for me to observe,” she said. “Then, maybe you can go to dinner with us afterward.”

I smiled, even though I felt like maybe it was a bad idea.

Webber might not want me hanging out with his daughter and his mom…

“Perfect,” she said. “Get to work!”

Then she was gone.

I laughed at her enthusiasm and turned to Mrs. Webb.

“She’s the best,” I said.

Brittnie stared at me for a long second before saying, “I’m not sure where she got it from, because it definitely wasn’t my Piers. He saves his smiles for special occasions, and his daughter gives them out like confetti.”

I snorted. “Amen to that.”