Serenity

Bells bang against the wooden door as I step into the office. Old license plates, Mopar and Snap On posters, some yellowing 'bad cheques' and various branded hats cover 3 walls of the small space. Above a worn leather couch is a giant white board listing services and prices. Framed photos of cars and motorcycles line the entire room along the ceiling. I walk up to the counter and wait. After a couple minutes of hearing only impact wrenches and clangs I decide to call out.

'Hello!' I call out in a singsong voice. I hear a wrench hit the floor and a dull thump then some cursing. I peek into the shop to see a man sliding out from under a 90s civic hatchback rubbing his head. I scoot away from the door so he doesn't realise I saw anything.

A cheerful masculine voice calls out, 'Be right there, sorry!'

I wait next to the rack of exhaust pipes and mufflers on display in the corner. I'm wearing my favourite jeans because they hug my ass and a quirky fitted T-shirt. Double D's stretch the image on the front and the obvious roll of my belly peaks out if I lift my arms too high. But I feel good today. I'm excited because I'm finally going to start modding my car. This shop came highly recommended and everyone swears they are trustworthy. That's important because while I'm not a complete car idiot, I don't know a lot and modifying away from stock is way out of my depth.

I turn towards the shop door as I hear someone enter the office and my eyes go wide, my lips twitch slightly. Of course the young guys who recommended this shop wouldn't tell me the mechanic was hot.

He walks in rubbing his hands on a blue towel, he is wearing a white shirt with a few finger shaped oil marks and coveralls that are tied at his hips.

'Oh, sorry, Miss!' He grabs the coveralls and quickly pulls them on, buttoning them up to his neck. 'Sorry about that, it's hot in the shop and well, women don't often come in here.'

I smile brightly, 'I didn't mind at all, there are better reasons to work up a sweat than working on cars.' I can't help but attempt to flirt with this seriously hot and according to the car boys, perpetually single man; though I am slightly surprised at my boldness.

I lean forward on the counter so I'm forced to look up at him and say, 'I've been told by many people that you make cars sing. That you are the best person to understand what I want and how to give it to me.'

Too obvious? I don't care anymore. I'm 42, I'm divorced, I got my ex's car in the settlement and I want what I want.

He gives me a coy smile, 'I like making them sing, purr, growl or even howl. Each one is unique, they all want different things and I try to give them exactly what they need.'

I flush when I realise he's caught my innuendo and I smile like a fool school girl as I quickly turn to the window. I point at my little black car and say,

'She's been treated like a valley girl her whole life, everything is basic. But she is mine now and I want her to be the best version of herself.'

He walks to the window and stands close beside me, 'Can I meet her?'

I nod and he pushes the door open, I pause but he motions for me to go ahead of him. The bell bangs against the door as it closes behind him. He walks around my car and runs his hands over the small ding in the door. He notices the little chips of paint from rocks and I wince as he runs his fingers over my botched paint work on some really bad parking lot rash. I point to the dual exhaust and tell him she had been in for factory recall and that she seems to have lost a lot of power. He taps one with his foot and it wobbles.

'They didn't even mount it right.' he pauses and runs his fingers over the bad paint touch up, 'You did this?'

'Yeah.' I reach for a different spot and scrunch my nose at the dust coated stripes near the gas tank. 'I can't afford to have her painted or even a fresh clear coat right now. That asshole looked right in my eyes as he jammed his door open against her. I was afraid she'd rust so I ran to the dealership and got a touch up pen and..'

I shake my head. I had kind of hoped he wouldn't notice it but car guys see everything.

'The paint was so thick! I panicked and brought out a fine paint brush and tried to feather it out but that made it look worse. It was a hot day and it felt dry so I didn't cover it but when I woke up in the morning all the dust was stuck to it and it won't buff out.'

'It's just a black eye, it will go away with patience and care.' He says absently and continues walking around my car. 'Valley Girl, you called her?'

'Yeah,' I chuckle, 'she's cute and quick and loves the summer but is an absolutely vicious moody bitch in cold, snow, and ice.'

He laughs, 'I bet she is.' He turns and looks at me from toes to ponytail in a manner I find quite intimidating. I scowl and cross my arms.

'What?' I ask.

'People say cars match their owner so I'm wondering..' he doesn't say more but taps his lips thoughtfully.

I'm feeling self conscious about his first impression of me, I wonder what he's thinking but he just asks to see under the hood. Deciding to show him I'm not a pushover I press the hood release button. I walk to the front of the car, look directly into his cheerful blue eyes and unlatch it without breaking eye contact. I prop the hood gently and step back. He quirks an eyebrow at me.

'No offence to your gender but not a lot of women can find a release so easily.'

Is that more innuendo? I decide to roll with it.

'A little flick and twist in the right spot and she lets loose.'

His blue eyes crinkle with a smile, 'Is that so?' He looks down at the engine, 'Tell me about your Valley Girl's history.'

I stand beside him and have the crazy urge to grab his ass as he bends over the engine. I resist.

'My husb...' I take a breath. 'My ex husband bought her new 10 years ago without telling me. I would rather have discussed it with him but we did need a second vehicle.'

He turns his head towards me as he checks fluid levels, 'You really weren't mad when he brought this home?'

'I wasn't thrilled but the payments weren't crazy so we could afford it. And it made him happy to have it instead of always driving the minivan.' I shrug. 'Trade your time for money, your money for things, and things for experience.'

'Interesting philosophy.'

'Again, not ideal, but it is the way this world works.'

'Any crashes or major work?'

'Nothing major and no crashes. Power steering line, engine heat sensor and few fuses. I blew out a speaker and need to get the tool to pry the door panel off and replace it. She's always had regular oil changes and I keep the fluids topped up'

'Why not take it to a shop to replace the speaker, a special tool is a waste if you only use it once.' He glances at me with another coy smile as he says this.

'Because you are expensive.'

He lets the hood close lightly and takes a step towards me, blue eyes boring into my hazel.

His voice low, nearly a growl he says, 'I'm worth it.'

I swear I shivered. Sir. What did you just do to my pussy? Damn. I take a moment to exhale and he steps around me to the passenger door.

With a cocky smile he asks, 'Want to take me for a ride?'

I grin, 'Thought I'd have to buy you dinner first.'

He laughs as he sits down and immediately notices the fitted floor mats and touches of red I've added to the interior. He flips the newly red air vents and I wince. I'd strategically positioned them to hide the fact that I cut the coloured rods slightly too short to fit perfectly.

He looks at me and smiles, 'It takes practice to get the angle just right. Since the vents in the center are perfect I assume you ran out?'

'I should have more next week.' I admit.

I press the brake and turn the key. For a 10 year old car she starts easily and he nods at the smooth start and gentle burble coming from the exhaust. I get us out onto the street and ask where he wants to go, he points to the highway and I head over. At the intersection he puts his hand on mine on the gear shifter.

Startled I look over at him and he says,

'Drive like I'm not here.' He turns on the stereo. It is immediately blasting my Spotify playlist and I wince as Strut is nearly finished.

'Let's go' he says and I pull out onto the highway. There's virtually no traffic so I slowly get up to highway speed.

'Pull off on the next road.' I do and he motions me to park. 'If you aren't going to actually drive, I will. There is no way you grandma this car around.'

'I drive differently when someone else is in the car with me. I don't want to kill you.'

He tilts his head as he looks at me, 'I can't know what she needs unless you show me.'

I take a deep breath and take us back to the highway. I flick the song to my current favourite and as I lose myself in the music I drive. I actually do forget he is there for moment as I feel my seat shift in the turns onto the highway, I mouth the words to the song as I press the gas down hard and we accelerate, when it finally shifts into 6th we are over 130kph and that's my sign to relax my foot on the gas. I let it slow back to 110 and hit cruise, there is very little traffic but I quickly pop up to 140 to pass and let her slow back to 110. The song shifts to some bad omens and I again silently sing along, I glance over at the mechanic and he's looking out the side window. He turns the volume down, points to a gravel road in the distance and says, 'Turn off there.'

'I'd rather not, I don't want any more chips.'

'It's a short hop back to pave. I'll fix any new ones free of charge.'

I miscalculate slightly as I pull onto the gravel and we fishtail in the turn. I easily keep her pointed in the right direction but I blush. 'It's been a while since I drove on gravel, sorry.'

'I notice you keep your hand on the shifter, this is an automatic.'

'Yeah, but I don't want to replace any more brake rotors, I shift manually to slow down.'

He says nothing and I drive straight ahead, I'm wary of potholes and ruts and absolutely despise the washboard just before the pavement starts. My car has tight suspension and those make my boobs jiggle a lot. That's when I notice he's watching me with a big grin on his face.

'I love washboards, don't you?'

'Only on guys.' I grumble and punch the gas hard as we come up on the pavement. Straight as an arrow and smooth I can see this empty road goes for kilometres.

I grin over at him, 'Tell me when to stop.'

He chuckles and settles back in the seat as we rocket forwards. As we pass 140 the car shivers and begins her usual vibration, he touches my hand on the shifter. Without taking my eyes off the road I say,

'It will stop soon.'

Sure enough by 150 she smoothes out, my foot isn't on the floor yet and we keep accelerating. She's not a rocket ship or a muscle car but she can move.

'What's her top speed?'

'In theory 198, I ran out of road and courage at 173 so I don't actually know.' I respond without glancing at him.

My body is tense, so many things can go wrong in an instant and at this speed there is no saving it last minute. I'm scanning for animals, ruts, debris, even a small rock can cause us to crash. I'm also aware that my tires are stock, not high speed rated and although new... I let my foot off the gas at 173. I see an intersection ahead so I let the car settle back down to a sane speed and gear down as we get close. I barely have to touch the brake and just before the intersection he says to turn and head back to the shop.

'Let's take some time to talk on the way back.' He says and I nod. I set cruise at 110kph and wait for him to speak.

After a few moments of silence he says,

'She's not the right car for you.'

I nod. 'We are making it work.'

'A BRZ would be a better fit.'

I snort, 'As though I can afford one, the gas prices are never going down.'

'Well, I know what she needs and I have an idea how to give it to her.' He turns towards me and slides his arm over the back of my seat. 'You, I'm not so sure.'

'I'm easy.' I respond without thinking. I sputter and choke as I realise what I've said and he laughs.

'I meant I'm not complicated! I want to be safe, keep this car for a long time and to have fun with her.' I'm quiet for a moment. 'I owe her my life.'

His fingers stroke slowly along the back of my neck and I twitch as a shot of electricity races up my belly.

'Here's my plan.' He brings his hands together and checks each point with a finger.

'You're right, she's not breathing properly so a new exhaust system is a must. That will also give her the sound you want.' He glances over at me, 'Cougars need to growl.'

I roll my eyes and cancel cruise control as I see the gravel coming up.

'Next,' he continues, 'Your suspension doesn't need to be so tight, I'll loosen it up so you're a little less.. jiggly.' He heaves a dramatic sigh, 'May mankind forgive me.'

I push lightly on his shoulder and grin, 'My ass also appreciates that sacrifice.'

He chuckles and I let my hand trail down the rocks that are his biceps. He's not a big guy, with his coveralls on he might even be described as lanky but damn. His arm flexes as he puts up a third finger.

'Do not drive that fast again until I've had a chance to go over the entire drive train, she should not vibrate at any speed.'

I put my hand back on the shifter and gear down to third as we reach the gravel, I keep it under 50 and fully under control as we get back to the main highway.

'4th, I don't even have to check to know that your headlights suck. I'll replace the bulbs as soon as we get back to the shop.'

He pauses and looks over at me. 'The next 2 are expensive and not necessary. While I insist on the others I leave these up to you.'

I think I know what he's going to say.

'You need an entirely new stereo system and some body work and paint.'

I sigh, 'Yeah, those last two will have to wait.'

Alimony is kicking my ass. While our divorce was amicable I still make far more than he does and I kept the house. I've been saving for a while to get this work done and I hope I have enough to cover it. I settle into pensive silence.

We are pulling up to his shop when he puts his hand over mine on the gear shift. I push it into park and look over at him.

He looks around the dash and says 'I like her.' When his eyes meet mine I flush at the intensity in his stare, 'We have a connection that I want to pursue.'

'I'm only looking for a quick fix.' I reply, he nods.

'Then let's make it a good one.'

I smile and lean towards him. His hand traces along my neck and as our lips meet I experience a mind melting kiss.

A year later or maybe only a few moments, I open my eyes to see 2 big brown eyes staring at me through the passenger window. I jerk back and hit the horn. The eyes blink, let out a loud bark and bolt around the side of the building.

Turning to see a brown tail disappear behind the building he smiles and says, 'That's Boot, he's our shop dog.' Then he grumbles, 'Also known as cock block.'

I snort and lean over the shifter, I press a kiss to the corner of his lips, 'I think this is the problem.' and point down.

'And them.' He says as he points to 2 older guys standing in the office pretending not to look at us.

I sit back in my seat and shake my head. I grab the keys and pass them to him. 'Do you have a loaner or am I walking?'

'I need to order parts so it will be a few days before I steal her away. But I'm replacing the headlights now, it won't take long. You can wait in the office while I do it.'

I frown, 'Do I have to?'

He looks puzzled, 'Well, no. You can grab a coffee or something if you want. It will only take half an hour.'

I pluck the keys out of his hand and start the ignition. 'How do I get into the shop from here?'

'Follow the dog.'

I pull behind the building and into the bay. I hop out and tuck the key into my pocket.

'I want to watch.' I say with a grin and lean on a tool bench.

He shrugs and walks off to grab a couple small boxes.

'You aren't supposed to be back here, insurance doesn't cover you.' An older voice says to me.

'Then I'll do my best not to trip on the hoist.' I reply. 'Or,' I say, noticing the bandage on his forehead, 'Walk into one.'

The second mechanic barks a laugh and walks back to the dropped truck in the 2nd bay.

The older man doesn't react to my jab and instead says, 'I'm serious, it is easy to be badly hurt in here.'

He is giving me fatherly worry vibes so I try to reassure him, 'I spent time in shops as a kid, my uncle was a mechanic. I won't mess around.'

He turns towards the younger mechanic walking towards us, 'Careful with her, Lu.'

And it is at this moment I realise that I don't even know the hot guy's name.

'I'm Alice.' I say and put my hand out to the older mechanic. He looks at my hand and raises an eyebrow, I wiggle it slightly and he gently shakes my hand.

He smiles and says, 'I'm Will, that one is Max,' he points to the man near the truck, 'and you've already met Lewis.' I smile gratefully and he releases my hand.

Lewis rolls a trolly near the front wheel and I look over as he slides under the wheel well. I must have a furrowed brow because Will says, 'It's an irritating place to reach just to change a bulb, luckily Lu has skinny arms.'

'It's not hard, you're just too old and fat to get under here!' Comes a muffled voice from under my car.

My eyes widen and I stifle a laugh but Will yells, 'Good one, asshole.' He shakes his head and walks away.

I look around the shop as a way to not stare at Lewis's chest and hips heaving as he loosens a bolt. I hear a clink and see a socket roll along the floor, I pick it up as Lewis rolls out from under my car. I hand it to him and with a surprised look on his face he plucks it from my fingers.

'Slippery little shit. Max always drops them in oil and NEVER CLEANS THEM.' He bellows the last 3 words across the shop and I hear a loud bang.

Lewis chuckles. He notices the oil on my hand and points to a roll of blue paper towel. I grab one and wipe my hand then kneel down beside him as he rolls back under the car. I try to see what he's doing but his arms fill the small space between wheel and fender. I hear a click and a moment later he drops an oddly shaped bulb onto his belly and grabs the new one from the box. Another click and then he's reaching for the socket wrench, I nudge it towards his hand.

In 5 minutes he is sliding out from under the wheel well and lying flat on his back as he smiles up at me. I bite my lip hard as my mind goes to all sorts of dirty places. Curled dirty blond hair spills out over the edge of the creeper and his deep blue eyes sparkle with mirth.

'Are you going to stare or let me get back to work?' He asks playfully.

I shift my pose to something languorous, 'I haven't decided, stay down there for a moment longer please.'

A loud cat calling whistle sounds from the other end of the shop and I laugh. I step back and Lewis grabs the box and bulb from his stomach before standing up.

He looks at my car and says, 'You parked perfectly over the hoist, want to see how it's done?'

'Yes!' I reply enthusiastically, 'I've never changed bulbs before.'

He beckons me behind him as the hoist lifts my car. Every time I see the shocks lengthen when the weight of the car is removed I think of a cat stretching. I tell him that.

'Don't say the C word around Boot, he's obsessed. He's brought more strays here than we can count.'

'Every shop needs a cat.' I reply.

A loud bark sounds from outside and scrabbling paws announce a dog racing towards me. I recognize the big brown eyes and realise he's a Great Dane. Lewis grabs my waist and hauls me to his side as the massive dog slides to a halt exactly where I was standing. Enthusiastic ruffles of breath and nose pawing at my hands encourage me to pet Boot, after a moment his nose drops to the floor and he begins frantically walking around the shop.