Last July

Chapter twenty one

"Hey"

I looked up seeing kenzy walking up waving another envelope in her hand.
"I got this awhile ago. The second one right" she said glancing at it. "Solarwing engineering. Isn't that the place that makes cars I think"

" Yeah " I replied. "Something like that"

She handed over the envelope placing her hands against her hips. She wore a deep green spaghetti blouse today tucked into her shorts with her small sneakers on her feet. She looked cute with her hazel eyes staring underneath her black hair.

"Shouldn't you be at the lake?"

" I thought you might like some company " she replied glancing around. "Seems I was right"

"You mean you just want to annoy me"

"No" she said a teasing smile crept into her lips. "Just distract"

"Right " I replied. "Annoy and distract me"

"Can I help then?" She looked up at me hopeful and I sighed inside.

Don't look at me like that.

" Do you know anything about cars? " I asked still working but keeping a side vision of her.

"Not a thing" she admitted. "But I'm a quick learner"

" No. You're better off staying away from them" I'd hate for her to break anything or worse get hurt.

She leaned against the car I stood working on, on the other side staring into the box that was littered with envelopes.

"I'm guessing you get mail from them quite often"

I glanced over at the box. "Something like that"

"You went to college?"

" Why I don't seem like a university bum? "

"No" she replied adamantly. "Quite the opposite actually. I mean why would a guy who went to university work here?"

I took offense to that. What was wrong with my garage? It was more sanitary than half the others I'd been to having engine oil running all over the place and the ground black.

"What's wrong the garage?"

"It's small" she said. "And why would someone with a degree fix cars instead of make them? And I'm guessing it's actually engineering you did right? "

"Yeah. But to correct your arrogance, I love working on cars and lastly it's my SMALL business"

Her mouth fell agape at my pronouncement. "You're Steinman?"

"Yeah I'm Steinman" I confirmed rolling my eyes.

"Oh shit"

Her arrogance didn't surprise me anymore. She wasn't the first or the last person to walk into my shop spurting talks like that. As if working on cars was a profession to be ashamed of. Moving here I'd figure out after two months there was no way I was ever going to find a job that I'd enjoy here, so with hands tied I had no choice but to apply for work at solar. But it wasn't until a few months ago that my application actually had any use. If I'd wait until then, I'd have moved back home and probably be rather damn unhappy being there.

"You're one of those rich, private schooled kid aren't you" I said ending the awkward moment between us. She wouldn't meet my gaze when I stood grabbing a spanner.

She grinned slightly amused before shaking her head. "I don't know about rich. Sure my parents have a little wealth. My dad's a financial analyst like my bother, my sister is a dentist and my mother is a bank manger" she explained. "If that's your definition of rich, sure. As for private school" she took in a deep breath. "I went to private school yes, but my high school years were at public"

"Why?"

" I got tired of the snobbish behaviors from the children and I wanted to see what else the world had to offer"

"I can't imagine your parents agreeing to that"

"Well" she said meeting my eyes. "They were divorced by the time I was to attend high school so I got my dad to agree and let them argue it out"

I shook my head at her wittiness. She disappeared after I headed inside to take a call. I started to wonder when I checked the clock realising that it was half past three and Heather hadn't marched her way walking into the shop. No Heather yesterday, or the day before and none today. The office must be busy or she didn't wake up this morning. I doubted the latter.

Grabbing my sandwich I sliced in in half and turned to my drink. I didn't have an extra glass and I wasn't up to sharing ziploc's saliva, I grabbed a bottle of Evian instead. I found her sitting in the back of her van immersed in her phone typing away.

"Its not stake" I said putting out my disclaimer before handing her the half slice of sandwich.

She gave me a half glance before returning to the phone. "Okay then" she said chucking.

"Its not Heather's either"

She looked over as I placed the water down and reached out to take the plate.

"Thanks but you didn't have to"

"Either you take it or you don't" .

She took in a deep breath and gripped the plate firmly as I walked off.

"Wait just let me get down from here first"

I continued to walk only to glance back in time to see her feet slip from the back of the van, her lace caught in the side of the door as she fell down. The swiftness of her fall caught me so off guard there wasn't much I could do. She groaned rubbing her arms as she got up. Her stomach was across my groin and her left hand momentarily rested, pressing against my chest.

I took a deep breath running my hand through my hair as I thought about the situation we almost had. Now I was her chair. She sat in my lap staring down on me while I tried to calm my mind. This situation was getting more ominous as the moment went by. I swallowed as a disarming thought of her entered my mind.

Get it together andrew. She's too young I repeated in my head but my other body parts weren't responding to the memo. I had to do something before she figured it out.

"Ziploc"

My voice was so low as I grimaced feeling her ass pressing further as she rested back.

"Yeah?" She said. " are you okay? "

No!

"You're, you're sitting on my-"

Her eyes went wide, and her feet quickly lifted her body from mine. She stood so far away, you'd think I was the one that did something to her. I sat up grateful that she caught on fast enough without having the evidence to back it up. There was no way I could let her know how hard I was right now. Dammit! This is wrong in every f***ing way!

She was heaving and I was bloody pissed.

"You okay?" I glanced around brushing my clothes and realised her lunch had gotten discarded with her fall.

"I'm really sorry" she replied looking up at me embarrassment staining her cheeks.

That wasn't what I asked.

I waved off her comment realising she was never going to answer my question. I guess that was her way of saying yes.

"Wait there I'll get the other half of the sandwich"

"No!"

I glanced back at her.

"Its fine" she said starting towards the exit. "I've been enough bother for the day. Bye"

I watched her walk slowly down the pavement. My back straightened noticing a long red mark along the side of her leg.

"Kenzy!"

She stopped for a moment before starting to walk off again. Everything told me to drag her back and see to it but I didn't. I did what my asshole self would do even though she was hurt. I went back towards the car I was working on and told myself she wasn't my business.