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“There’s an older woman named Mrs.Deese who comes by at least twice a month insisting there’s something wrong with her car. But there’s never anything wrong.” He explained how he’d once spent thirty minutes trying to fix her windshield wipers, but they weren’t broken.
Darcy laughed. “That’s crazy. What was it this time?”
“She told me her engine was making a noise, but it wasn’t. She ended up leaving her car with us. Thankfully Old Man Dwyer showed up and said he’d help. He doesn’t work at our shop, but he likes to hang around. I think he just wants something to do since his wife passed away a few years ago.”
She frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, I feel bad for him too.” Carter unwrapped a straw and dropped it into his glass of Coke. “Mr. Dwyer worked as a mechanic for a long time, but cars have really changed in the past twenty years. Anyway, he comes by and talks to Ernie all day, and sometimes he likes to help. When he offered to look at Mrs. Deese’s car, I was relieved.”
“Did he fix her car?”
Carter shook his head. “He convinced her there was nothing wrong with it, but I’m sure she’ll be back next week with another complaint.”
“It sounds like you have a lot of interesting characters who come by your shop.”
“That’s true.” Carter took a sip of his Coke and then grinned. “One time Mrs.Deese insisted that her blinker was too slow, and she wanted me to speed it up.”
Darcy studied him. “Is that an issue that a car can have?”
“Not exactly.” He rolled his eyes. “Gage says she has a crush on me since she often asks for my opinion.”
“Well, I can’t blame her there.” The words rushed out of Darcy’s mouth, and her cheeks began to flush.
Carter’s eyes widened. “Is that right?”
Just then the server arrived with their food—and Darcy had never been more grateful to be interrupted by a barbecue sandwich.
Chapter14
After they finished their meals, Carter paid the check. Then he and Darcy headed out to the sidewalk. Crowds of people moved up and down the block, where vendors had set up booths to sell different items during the Flowering Grove Memorial Weekend Festival. The air was warm and smelled like popcorn mixed with funnel cakes and nachos.
“Carter! Look at those,” Darcy exclaimed. She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to a vendor selling custom keychains.
He relished how natural it seemed for Darcy to hold his hand, and he loved the feeling of her warm skin against his.
“There are keychains for all of the local cities,” she pointed out. Then she dropped his hand.
Never mind.
“Here’s Matthews, Mint Hill, Monroe... Oh! There’s Flowering Grove.”
She was adorable as she fluttered around the displays, pointing out the ones she liked.
“Carter?”
He turned just as Jovan Rodriguez, one of his best friends since childhood, approached him. His sister had just brought up his friends, and now he’d run into one of them. “Jovan.” He extended a hand to him. “How are you?”
“I’m great.” Jovan’s dark eyes seemed to study his. “But how about you? I haven’t seen you since the transplant.” He gestured toward Carter. “You look fantastic.”
Carter turned toward Darcy, relieved she was still on the other side of the booth examining a display of keychains. He had to keep this conversation short or he’d risk Darcy overhearing. “Thanks, Jovan.”
“What have you been up to?”
Carter snuck another peek over toward Darcy, who was talking to the vendor by the cash register. “Work, mostly. Gage and I are staying busy at the shop.”
Jovan’s dark eyebrows careened toward his hairline. “You’re back to work full-time now?”
“Yeah. Have been for a while.”
