Copyright © 2022 : Rae Finley, All Rights Reserved
This work may not be published under any circumstances without this copyright.
*****
The blaring sound of my alarm woke me up abruptly and I slammed my hand down on it, silencing it. I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes. It had been an extremely restless night of sleep. And the few times I had actually managed to fall asleep my dreams were filled with nothing but Victor. I yawned and glanced over at the clock before swinging my legs over the side of the bed and getting up.
At this point I really didn't care how tired I was. All I could think about was how excited I was to see him again. I hurried through getting ready as quickly as I could, jumping from a quick shower straight into my hair and makeup before pulling on the clothes I'd picked out late last night.
I knew my expectations were higher than they probably should be. We would be at the shop again and while I didn't regret yesterday, it had happened in the heat of the moment, and I was still extremely embarrassed that it had happened in front of three other people. Not to mention he could have been easily fired if we'd been caught.
Nevertheless I was going to make sure I looked my best. I adjusted the outfit and paused in front of my floor mirror to double check my appearance like I always did. I was wearing a fitted black skirt that hit just above my knees and had a zipper up the front with a deep red top that was loose and covered only the top inch of the skirt.
If I lifted my arms at all the shirt would raise revealing a small section of skin. I turned a few times making absolutely sure everything was perfect before smiling in satisfaction and pulling on my shoes before hurrying downstairs.
I found my father sitting at the island in the kitchen and he looked up in shock when I walked in. He let his eyes sweep over me from head to toe before putting his phone down and staring at me with a look of pure disapproval.
"You're ready early."
I walked to the fridge and got myself something to eat as I answered.
"Yeah, I didn't think it was worth stalling. It's not like it worked yesterday."
"Uhuh, and I wouldn't suppose you're dressed up for any particular reason?"
I sat down at the other end of the island and rolled my eyes.
"I'm not 'dressed up' but I am there to learn. I wanted to look professional."
He watched me carefully and I tried to act as nonchalant about everything as I could. It went on for a few moments before he sighed.
"Very well. But you need to be careful. I don't want you getting involved with anyone there."
I sighed and rolled my eyes again.
"I'm aware, dad. You want me to be established in a career before I seriously date anyone. We've already talked about all this."
"I know I know. I'm just worried about you."
"I know, I'll be careful. You don't have to worry so much."
He nodded and sighed before going back to his phone and I finished eating trying to keep to myself so I didn't draw any further questions. After I finished I put the dishes away and he glanced up.
"Ready?"
I nodded and he got up and I followed him out to the garage. I tried to pay closer attention today to where we were going so I had a better idea of exactly where in town the dealership was and was surprised when it went by fairly quickly.
Usually I was bored and spent these drives focused on my phone. But apparently time went by quicker when I was looking forward to us getting there. When we pulled up my father parked close to the entrance and we both got out. He took my arm stopping me for a moment before we went in.
"Liliana, wait. I just wanted to reiterate what we talked about earlier. I understand the appeal and the desire to want to date guys and that your body might be pushing you towards doing things-"
"Ew dad stop! We've already had this talk, we don't need to go through it again."
I squirmed uncomfortably and crossed my arms over my chest defensively. And he sighed and nodded.
"Alright. Well just in case I might come down and check on you today. I worry about you being by yourself there with four grown men."
"Dad, I'll be fine. I'm here to learn and they're here to work, nothing will happen."
He pressed his lips together tightly and nodded.
"Very well. But I'll still be checking in."
With that he turned and walked into the building. I sighed and followed him in. Guess that itch I'd had burning since last night wasn't likely to be scratched any time soon. We walked in and I was surprised as he turned towards the repairs garage and walked with me down the hall. He opened the door for me and I walked in with him close on my heels.
Inside the garage it seemed much busier than it had been yesterday when I'd come in. Victor's car was nowhere to be seen but there were other cars parked inside each of the bays. I saw Tommy and Marco each working on cars nearby and Tommy smiled and waved at us as we came in.
I returned it with a shy smile and wave of my own. Still wishing they hadn't been there yesterday. We walked further inside and Carl turned away from where he was working and came over.
"Nice to see you again Mr. Scott, and you to Ms. Scott."
I smiled politely and nodded at him as my father greeted him eagerly.
"Wonderful to see you again as well. Is Mr. Orlov somewhere around? We spoke yesterday about Liliana spending some time down here with you all to learn a thing or two."
Carl grinned down at me and nodded.
"Yes, he mentioned that. He's at the back over there."
He gestured to the far end of the garage and my father thanked him as I turned and started walking, trying to hide my embarrassment as much as I could. Not that it seemed to work. The look Carl had given me had definitely made me feel like he was imagining yesterday's events.
I stopped at the last car and looked around the side of it and saw Victor crouched low as he pulled off one of the back tires. He lifted it with surprising ease and turned towards me, spotting me immediately.
He looked me up and down quickly and I felt an arm slide around my shoulders as my father stopped next to me. Victor turned and set the tire down before wiping his hands and coming over to us.
"Mr. Scott, it's good to see you and your daughter again."
I glanced over at my dad and saw the hard look in his eyes he always got when he was feeling overprotective.
"You as well. I see you're busier today than you were yesterday."
Victor glanced around the shop and nodded.
"Yes, unfortunately yesterday was pretty uneventful. I heard there was a scheduling mix up. But it seems to be resolved today."
