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Despite Sam's polished beauty, Erin was a billion times prettier, especially when she smiled.
"Erin, I've got some good news. The Adams dropped their suit and, drum roll please, Daddy is paying my bill." Sam bowed gracefully while Erin clapped. "Seems Mr. Adams is absolutely furious that his dear, sweet daughter would lie under oath. He's also not thrilled about his daughter sleeping with this Brad character.” Sam rolled her eyes. "We already knew he wasn't bright, but he's got quite the criminal record. Nothing big, yet, but he's headed downhill."
"I'd almost feel sorry for the guy if I hadn't met Kaylee. You don't get that self-absorbed by yourself. It takes a village of servants to get like that." Erin chortled.
Sam laughed. "You're right there. I also brought you the signs you need. One on the coffee shop door, one for the garage door, one at the entrance to the property, and one at the driveway to your house. And I'm guessing tall, built, and handsome here is okay with it?" She jabbed a thumb toward Ryan.
"Ryan suggested it. It's his friend who's installing the rest of the system at my house right now."
"Really?" Sam turned to him. "Is he looking for more work?"
He knew Wiz was incredibly busy. "She isn't local, and she's doing this mostly as a favor. She's a computer security expert."
"Good to have expert friends." Sam nodded slowly. "Still, if she ever wants to do more in this line of work, or computer security in the area, she should call me. I'm always looking for good people."
"Noted. I can give her your card if you'd like." Wiz would probably ignore it, but if she moved here, maybe she'd want a local lawyer.
"Sure. That would be great." Sam handed two heavyweight cards to him. "And keep one for yourself."
"Nice to meet you. I need to get back to the shop." He had a job to do, and it wasn't dreaming about Erin or chatting with her friends.
"It was very nice to meet you, Ryan," Sam purred.
"Sam..." Erin's voice held a clear warning. Ryan slowed his steps, curious.
"You can't keep all the good ones for yourself. Besides, you can't have him, or I'll be defending you in a sexual harassment suit someday."
"I'm all too aware of that, Sam, thanks." Erin's tone was so dry, dust should billow from her mouth.
"Just looking out for you, dear," Sam said in a saccharine sweet voice. "And I'm still trying to get Cust's people to tell me where to put that heap of junk." Her tone turned exasperated. "I've told him over and over to give me someplace or I'm having it dumped in his driveway, but they know I won't do that. He's still paying the storage fees, after all."
"How about Mrs. Cust's driveway?"
Sam's laughter pealed. Ryan shut the door to the garage. That explained a lot. If Erin was attracted to him, and that was a huge if, she couldn't act on it. And if he made a move, she'd shut him down right away for the same reason. Shoot. This sucks. Ryan cleaned up the shop and refilled all the ladies’ cups on autopilot, trying to find alternatives. He couldn't quit, that was for sure. No way he'd leave Erin in the lurch. Besides, she certainly wouldn't want anything to do with him then. And he'd have to find some place to live.
He was kidding himself. He didn't have a shot, so why worry? It was all a big dream. Or nightmare. Ryan started the closing duties, since it looked like Erin could use a hand. Good thing she only needed one. He snickered.
Sam appeared in the connecting doorway. "Well, Ryan, if you ever need a night out away from this place, call me." She slid behind him, trailing her fingers above his belt, and Ryan jumped. She chuckled.
He was over the shock and awe. "Shouldn't a lawyer know better than to touch without an invitation?"
She chuckled. "Did you hate it? You can always sue me." She batted her eyes at him. "Didn't think so." She patted his cheek, spun on a toe, and strutted down the room, drawing every eye in the place. Sam must be killer in the courtroom.
After she left, Ryan scanned the room, but everyone was leaving. He locked the door and finished the closing checklist, then returned to the garage, where he wanted to be, with Erin. Sam was gorgeous but couldn't hold a candle to Erin. Besides, high-society balls and expensive dinners seemed like Sam's idea of fun. He'd rather clean Izzy after a month of no maintenance. "Erin, do you need help?"
She knelt on the floor, angle iron laid in a rectangle. "Yes, please. It's really hard to keep this square and weld. The only place I can put a clamp is where the weld has to go. There's another set of welding gloves and a helmet over there." Erin pointed at an acetylene torch rig against the back wall. He grabbed the gear and adjusted the helmet to fit. Erin frowned. "You need a heavier shirt, too. You'll get burned for sure in that. I think there's an old Carhartt coat in the storage room somebody left here. Or you might fit in one of my coveralls."
Ryan looked in the storage room. Yup, huge, dirty Carhartt coat. He wrinkled his nose. Stinky too. "Okay, but now you owe me welding lessons 'cause this thing reeks."
"Sure." Erin grinned and pointed at the metal stock. "Here, I need this absolutely square. Normally, I'd build a jig, but I don't want to take the time."
"Okay." Ryan followed her directions, holding each piece firmly against the carpenter's square. Minutes later, they had two large rectangular frames.
"Good. I can tack in the aluminum sheet bottoms by myself later. Can you help me with the rest, too?" They finished quickly. "Thanks, that was really helpful." Erin smiled. "I've got the rest. Can you close?"
"Sure." Ryan put all his borrowed gear away, then checked the door and windows one more time and returned to the garage.
Erin stood in the back of the van. She'd already put support brackets in at chest-height. "Oh, good, you can hold these shelves up while I tack weld them. They're supports for cabinets that Wiz will put in later."
