Page 8 of Scrap Metal & Love Reforged

“In all my spare time, right?”I asked. “Look; I’m not saying you’re wrong. But people take time and effort. I’m already working insane shifts at work and focusing on my art. I just don’t have time even to just casually go out with people. I don’t really have the money either.”

Godofdiscord would be theonlyperson I’d ever admit my money problems to. I frowned. Maybe all my friend problems would be much easier to solve if I didn’t actually have tolookat people. Fat chance ofthathappening, though, unless I decided I was going to meet all my friends at masquerade balls.

“Okay, but we’re talking one outing. It’s not like you’ve got to go seeHamiltonor something.”

Admittedly, that was another fair point. I sighed and collapsed onto my bed, kicking off my shoes as I stared at my phone. Why did he have to make everything sound so easy?

“You sound just like my sister,” I muttered.

And there was little more I hated than my sister being right about something.

“I didn’t ask you for advice,”I replied.

“Don’t worry! The advice is free!”

I sighed and tossed the phone onto the nearby chair, which I’d gotten from a yard sale. It was an absolutely hideous thing, a yellowish-brown shade with a couple of holes in it. No bugs, though. That counts.

Against my better judgment, my thoughts returned to Seth. Drinks really wouldn’t have been that much, especially since I didn’t drink much. Maybe a beer or two. It wouldn’t have hurt to have a round with him and talk over motorcycles, especially since he clearly had access to such impressive bikes. I’d only seen things like that in catalogs.

And he was a mystery, too. If he was so wealthy, why did he bother with a tiny, local shop? It's not like he couldn't afford something better. Before us, he said he’d gone to Mallory’s. I’d known Mallory, and he did good work. But he wasn’t exactly “the mechanic to the stars’, either.

I’d done good work on Seth’s bike. That much, I was absolutely sure of. But it had been a small problem really, easily fixed with a new part. $150, and Seth’s bike now purred like a kitten. It felt ridiculous to charge so little for a bike worth $300,000.

“Okay,” I said slowly, “Maybe Icouldhave gone out and had drinks with the guy.”

But how did I know that wouldn’t have led to another problem? There really wasn’t any way to win by hanging out with someone as attractive as Seth. If the invitation had been a date, I’d have had to lie and say I wasn’t interested in men. Andif it hadn’t been a date, I’d have likely spent the whole nightwonderingif it was a date and wishing itwasa date. So, it was best not to have gone.

Now I kind of wished I had.

I tossed my head back against my pillow and thought about my phone. Now that I was in bed, I stretched out my spine and slowly unworked all the muscle pains that came from constantly leaning over things. My posture was terrible, too. And yet I still thought of grabbing my phone and asking Godofdiscord what he thought about all this.

That was pointless, though. I knew he’d say the exact same thing that Skye had. He’d insist that I had to try new things and that I probably should’ve gone to have drinks. “Really,” I said, trying to sort my thoughts out, “It’s too early to tell. For all I know, Seth is one of those guys who comes back after his bike is fixed and blames his mechanic for… something. Like Gloria.”

I grimaced. Gloria’s damn part still hadn’t come in, and I’d overheard her screaming at Janet about it. The whole conversation had been over the phone, without the speaker on, but I’d still heard quite clearly. Gloria Dalloway was justthatloud.

My phone beeped. With a sigh, I rolled over and buried my face in my pillow. That was probably Godofdiscord, and I probably should’ve told him I would talk to him later, rather than just dropping off the conversation. But he’d figure it out. This wouldn’t be the first time I’d done that.

I propped myself up onto my elbows and frowned at the wall. Seth was handsome and he knew bikes. But really, that was all I knew about him. There was no reason to keep thinking about him. This was just this absurd sensation of lust, and, given time, it would go away. Then, life could go on like it had before I’d met him.

And really, that was the best possible outcome for something like this. Seth was like a mosquito bite—annoying, distracting, and impossible to ignore. Eventually, he’d probably go away, and everything would be fine.

Chapter Four

Seth

Iparked my well-worn bike by the curb. It’s a 1951 Vincent Black Lightning, one of only nineteen in the world. The bike still ran—sort of—but it had clearly had a hard life and a careless former owner. Hopefully, Troy would be able to repair some of the damage that had been done over the years. I pulled off my helmet and raked my fingers through my hair, although I knew from experience that helmet hair was just part of riding. When I stepped through the doors, I grinned. Troy stood at the front desk, head bowed as he looked over a stack of papers.

I straightened my spine and walked in; my hands shoved into the pockets of my jeans. “Good morning!” I exclaimed.

Troy looked up. “Good morning.”

“I brought you something new,” I added.

Troy’s eyes lit up as a grin tugged at his lips. He tilted his head and peered past me, a low whistle coming from between his teeth. “Is that—no, it can’t be.”

I grinned.“Oh, itcanbe. A Vincent Black Lightning. Want a look?”

“I’m assuming you brought it here to have work done?”