Page 7 of Until Nalia

“You got this?” Hector asks as she watches me approach.

“Yeah, thanks, man,” I mutter, and he goes back into the shop. “Logan.” I hold out my hand to her, and she drops her eyes to it for a long moment before unwrapping her arms from her waist and placing her soft hand in mine.

“Nalia.”

“You’re Bax’s sister?”

“Yeah.” She rubs her lips together, and I reluctantly release my hold on her.

“You mentioned that the engine is making a noise?”

“Yeah, Bax said it could be a belt, but he wasn’t sure since I had him listen to it over the phone.”

“Can I see the keys?” She passes them over to me, and I walk around her to the driver’s side door. The car is an antique, but it’s been updated and done well. The interior is pristine, and the stereo system is one of the newest on the market. Starting the engine, I listen for a second, then hop out, hitting the lever for the hood and walking around front to open it up. “Yeah, the belt is worn out.” I look over at her. “If you can hang for a few minutes, I can get it fixed.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s not a big deal.” I shut the hood, then get back in behind the wheel and turning off the engine. Noting her bag on the passenger seat I grab it and get back out handing it to her and she places it on her shoulder. “We don’t have a waiting room, but you can come back to the office and hang there.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, come on.” I lead her into the garage and back to the office. Dozer, realizing that someone new is here, gets off his bed and waddles over to meet her with his rump shaking.

“Hey, buddy.” She squats down to rub his head.

“That’s Dozer.”

“Is he yours?” She tips her head back to look up at me, and a hundred different inappropriate thoughts fly through my head in a flash, catching me off guard.

“He is.” I drag my eyes off her and clear my throat. “You want some coffee or water?”

“I’m good, thanks.” She moves and takes a seat on the bench.

“Alright, I’ll be back to get you. It shouldn’t be long.” Without looking at her again, I leave her in the office and head back out front with her keys. It takes me about thirty minutes to get the belt replaced, and when I’m finished, I go back to the office to find her on the couch with an e-reader similar to the one I bought Billie for Christmas last year. Her head bent to the device, and Dozer is up on the bench seat with her, his big head on her lap, with her free hand scratching behind his ears. I know she had to lift him to the seat since he can’t jump more than an inch off the ground.

“All done.” Her head flies up, and so does Dozer’s.

“Already?” She sounds almost disappointed as she rests the e-reader on her lap.

“Do you want me to come back in thirty minutes, so you have a little longer to read?”

“I wish, but I need to get back to work.” She smiles as she stands.

“Do you work around here?”

“I’m the client coordinator for B&T Builders, so I mostly work from home.” She bends over to pick up her bag and begins to dig through it after putting her e-reader away. “Do you take Apple Pay?”

“No charge.” Her eyes come to me, and her brows drag together. “I owe Bax, so this is on the house.”

“You don’t have to do that; how much do I owe you?”

“Nothing.”

“No, really, how much?” She opens up her wallet.

“Seriously.” I hold up my hands. “It’s all good.”

“Okay, but I don’t feel comfortable with you doing the work on my car for free.”