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“It is a blessing,” Carter agreed as he crossed to the side of the bay where he worked. The familiar smells of tires, brake dust, oil, and cleaning solution hovered over him, along with the sound of country music playing from a nearby radio. He shucked his work jacket and plain black t-shirt before changing into a dark blue shirt emblazoned with the Barton Automotive logo.
The door that led to the office and showroom opened, and Glenda, Gage’s mother, shuffled out with a wide smile on her face. Although she was petite, it was easy to see that Gage had inherited his dark, curly hair and honey-brown eyes from her. The curls were threaded with gray—“sparkles,” she called them—and her eyes were lined with wrinkles, but she was still young at heart.
“There you are!” Glenda sang as she hurried over to him. “I thought I heard your truck pull into the parking lot.”
“That behemoth is hard to miss, Mom,” Gage called from his side of the large bay.
Carter shook his head and finger-combed his short hair. “You’re just jealous that it sits taller than your pickup.”
Gage snorted before opening the box of supplies and pulling out the disposable gloves.
Glenda rested her hand on his bicep. “Did your appointment go well?”
“It did. My kidney numbers are going strong.”
She gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “Well, son, you need to embrace your good health! It’s time you started dating again. You’re going to be thirty in June, and you’ll have no trouble finding the right woman. You’re a great catch.”
Carter fixed a smile on his lips as memories of his ex-girlfriend filled his mind. He’d been certain that Gabrielle would be the one with whom he’d share a home and a family, but she’d bailed on him when his health had deteriorated and he started home dialysis. Three years later, he still hadn’t recovered from that heartbreak.
Besides, what woman in her right mind would want to get involved with a man in debt up to his eyeballs and who lived with his sister and her husband? Gabrielle dumped him not only because he was ill, but also because he wasn’t “living up to his potential.” Or so she insisted. More than once she told him that he needed to find a higher-paying job, and she tried to talk him into working for her father’s race team. She couldn’t understand that he liked working for Ernie. And even after he finally agreed to work for her father, she still dumped him.
Darcy’s beautiful smile flashed in his mind, and he remembered their fun conversation about his project car. But then he shook his head.
No, he wasn’t a catch at all.
Glenda patted his cheek. “Carter Donovan, you’re too handsome to spend your life alone.”
Gage hooted from the other side of the garage.
“You hush over there, Gage,” Glenda called with a grin.
“Enough talk about my nonexistent love life. I’ll go pull the battery from the Lexus and test it.” With a resigned sigh, Carter got to work.
Chapter3
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t leave work earlier.” Haven steered her Honda CR-V through the rush-hour traffic on Interstate 485. “I had my usual middle school drama today.” She rolled her eyes. “For one, there was a seventh grader who thought it would be a great idea to bring water balloons to the assembly. Then he dropped them all. What a mess!”
Darcy cupped a hand to her mouth to cover a snort. “You have the best stories.”
“Yeah, but the call to the parent wasn’t all that fun,” Haven said. “Anyway, I had hoped to pick you up at four thirty, but my calls went late and then the principal wanted to discuss a few things.”
Darcy looked down at her phone. “It’s okay. Carter said he’d wait for me at the shop.”
“He said he’d wait for you, huh?” Haven’s smile was mischievous. “Carter. That’s a nice name.”
“It is.” Darcy scanned their text message exchange from earlier this afternoon. He’d told her the problem had turned out to be the starter instead of the battery. She agreed to the cost of repair, and he said the car would be ready before the shop closed at five thirty.
Darcy glanced at her watch. Almost five thirty. The traffic in front of them crept along the highway. “I’ll let him know we’re running late.”
Darcy: We got a late start, but we’re on our way. Traffic is pretty heavy on 485.
The conversation bubbles appeared right away.
Carter: No worries. Take your time.
“So tell me about this handsome mechanic who saved the day.” Haven’s baby-blue eyes sparkled.
Although her best friend worked as a middle school guidance counselor, Darcy always thought Haven could have strutted down runways at fashion shows with her gorgeous strawberry-blonde hair, flawless ivory skin, long legs, and perfect figure. She’d always secretly been envious of Haven’s height of five feet nine. It often astounded her that Haven was so humble and down-to-earth despite being drop-dead gorgeous, and she never seemed to notice how she attracted men’s attention when she walked past them.
