Chapter 61: The Dedicated Visitor

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: The Dedicated Visitor

By the time I finished changing and got back to the workshop, Nicole had already found herself a place to stand where she could watch me work. She looked genuinely interested, too, following me with her eyes as I moved between the workbench and the car I’d be working on first.

I got started, expecting her attention to last maybe ten minutes before she’d find something else to do. Instead, she watched closely enough to ask a few questions, and before long, she was making observations of her own. She pointed out something about a customer’s spark plugs, then offered a suggestion about a rough idle that had Marcus turning away from the engine he was working on to look at her.

"Hold on." He glanced between Nicole and me. "She knows cars?"

I smirked and nodded. "A little."

Nicole turned toward me, narrowing her eyes at the insane understatement, but I was already looking back at the engine.

Marcus stared at her for another second before looking at me again. "Man, I need to start looking for better women. What have I been doing with my life?"

Nicole laughed at that, and I shook my head, smiling, before turning back to my work. Marcus followed suit, still muttering something about how unfair life was.

Nicole kept watching for a while, occasionally offering a comment or asking me something about the job in front of me. I answered whenever I could, and she seemed happy enough with that arrangement. It was actually nice having her here, even if I had to remind myself every now and then that I was supposed to be working instead of enjoying the fact that she wanted to spend her afternoon watching me do it.

A little over an hour later, however, the novelty seemed to wear off. Nicole shifted her weight from one foot to the other, stretched her legs, and announced that her feet were killing her before settling back with a slight pout.

I couldn’t blame her. Watching someone work on cars for that long wasn’t exactly the most exciting way to spend an afternoon, especially when the person doing the work was too busy to give her much attention.

She eventually wandered over to a seat a little away from where I was working, close enough that we could still see each other. Before sitting down, she looked over at me and smiled, then pulled out her phone.

—

I returned my attention to the car and got back to work, occasionally glancing over at her whenever I had a moment. She seemed content to sit there for a while, and the afternoon carried on much as usual until Marcus tapped my shoulder while I was checking the ignition timing on a customer’s engine.

I looked up, following his gaze toward Nicole, who was staring at her phone with a small pout on her face. Whatever she’d found to occupy herself clearly wasn’t doing a very good job.

I smiled, set the timing light aside, and wiped my hands before walking over to her.

She noticed me approaching and looked up. "You’re done already?"

I shook my head. "Not even close. If you’re bored, you can go home. I’ll come meet you when I’m finished here."

She shook her head without saying anything.

"You’re sure?" I asked.

She nodded twice, looking so determined about it that I couldn’t help smiling.

It was cute, honestly, and not entirely unexpected. Nicole had never been particularly good at pretending she didn’t want to spend time with me. Apparently, even a workshop full of engines and mechanics wasn’t enough to convince her to leave before I did.

"All right," I said, smiling before heading back to the car.

I tried to focus on the work in front of me, although I caught myself glancing in her direction more than once. She eventually went back to her phone, occasionally looking up whenever someone walked past or a tool clattered against the workbench. Marcus made a few comments about my very dedicated visitor, which I ignored on principle.

By the time I finished the last job, the workshop had quieted down considerably. I cleaned up my tools, washed the grease from my hands, and changed out of my overalls. When I stepped outside, Marcus was locking up.

"Night, bud," he said, giving my shoulder a firm pat.

"Night."

I walked toward the parking area, where Nicole was waiting beside her Mercedes with a bottle of water in her hand. She looked up as I approached and held it out to me.

I took it, smiling at her. "You survived."

"Barely," she said, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

I took a few long gulps before lowering the bottle. "Where’d you get this?"

"The convenience shop across the street." Nicole reached into her crossbody bag and pulled out a small chocolate bar, holding it out to me. "Here."

I took it, looking at her for a moment before peeling back the wrapper. She’d already taken out another one for herself and was opening it as well, so I broke off a piece and popped it into my mouth.

"Ready to go?" I asked, chewing.

She nodded, finished her bite, and held out her hand toward me.

I looked at it, then at her face, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"Car keys." She tilted her head slightly. "You’ve been working all day. I’ll drive."

For a moment, I just looked at her. It was a small thing, but Nicole always had a way of making me feel taken care of without making a big deal out of it. And I...

I liked that. A lot. A lot more than I knew how to put into words.

I pulled the keys from my pocket and placed them in her waiting hand. "All right."

Her smile brightened as she curled her fingers around the keys, and we got into the Mercedes. Once she’d settled into the driver’s seat and started the engine, I leaned back and turned toward her.

Nicole looked perfectly at home behind the wheel, one hand resting on the steering wheel as she pulled out of the parking space. I watched her for a little longer than I needed to, a smile slowly finding its way onto my face again. There was something about watching her drive that I found unexpectedly relaxing.

I turned toward the window, still smiling, and relaxed into the seat, closing my eyes as Nicole drove.