Page 11 of Scrap Metal & Love Reforged
“She’s adorable,” I said, once Jess was inside the shop.
“Yeah, she is,” Troy replied. “A handful, though. I’m no good with kids.”
Iwas, but now, didn’t seem like the time to mention it.
“So, what did you want done with the bike?” Troy asked, crossing his arms. “She’s a real beauty. I’ll give you that. But if it’s anything that requires parts, that’s gonna be a special order. A pricey special order, just so you know.”
Troy cut his eyes toward me, seemingly judging my reaction. “Cost doesn’t matter. I just want her running.”
“Her, again?” Troy asked. “What is this one named?”
“I don’t know yet,” I replied, shrugging. “I’m thinking maybe Audrey. After Audrey Hepburn. That’s a very classy, old Hollywood kind of name. Just like the bike.”
“It’s fitting,” Troy muttered, crouching before the bike again. “You’ll want some body work, too? It might take a bit of work to match that exact black, but we have a guy—Matt. He’s pretty good at stuff like that. We can fix the scratches. Do you mind if I…?”
Troy trailed off and gestured to the bike.
“Do whatever you need to,” I replied.
Troy placed a hand, seemingly reverently, on the bike. I watched as his fingers, rough and cracked, moved along the polished black paint and the silvery hardware. “You drove her here?” Troy asked.
“I did.”
I nearly asked if he wanted to go on a ride but caught myself before the words left my mouth. While drinkscouldbe a friendly invitation, asking him to go on a ride with me sounded too intimate. That would definitely be crossing a line, and the last thing I wanted to do was make Troy uncomfortable.
“She pulls a bit to the left,” I said instead. “I think there might be a warp in her frame.”
“And you drove her down here like that?” Troy asked, a hint of chastisement in his voice.
I grinned. “I was very careful. Promise.”
Troy muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t catch. His hand moved slowly over the bike, tracing every dent and scratch. He stood and swept around; his eyes locked on my bike with such a stunning intensity that it sent a shiver down my spine.
“This is going to be interesting,” Troy said. “I’ll have to run some diagnostics before I can tell you everything she needs, but… bent frame? I don’t know…”
“I’ve no doubt she’s in capable hands,” I replied, reaching into my coat and pulling out the keys. “Do whatever you need to. I saw what you did for Debbie, so I’m sure you’ll do right by Audrey, too.”
Troy took the keys and nodded. “So, did you want to wait? We’re backed up, so this might take a while.”
I shook my head. “I’ll Uber home.”
Troy frowned. “Couldn’t you just have someone drop off your bikes for you, so you don’t have to do that?”
Absolutely. But if I just had someone drop my bikes off, I wouldn’t be able to see Troy’s face light up when he looked at them. And it was so hard to find people whoreallyappreciated motorcycles so much.
I grinned. “But where’s the fun in that?”
Chapter Five
Troy
My niece Jess sat in a hard, plastic chair, swinging her legs back and forth. Her nose was buried in her Nintendo DS. She’d been playing for hours. Skye wouldn’t like it, but I didn't care. Jess had already finished her homework, and it’s not like there was anything interesting for an eight-year-old to do around the shop. Unless, of course, Jess wanted to sit around and watch me work on cars, but even as much as I loved cars, I knew I’d have hated watching someone work on them as a kid. And really, Skye didn’t have any grounds to complain. I came cheaper than a babysitter.
I tapped my finger against the keyboard, just beneath the spacebar. So far, Seth's parts bill was already at three-thousand dollars. I couldn’t help but keep my eyes from drifting towards his bike, parked neatly outside. When the shop closed, I’d probably walk her back behind the place. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about anything happening to her.
Headlights flashed against the windows as Skye drove into the parking lot. “Looks like your mom’s here,” I said.
Jess closed her DS and pursed her lips together.