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I shoot him a look.

“Right. None of my business.” He sucks in a breath and leans back over the open hood.

“Correct.” I test the belt again. Too loose. “Hand me the fourteen mil.”

Knox passes it over. “Alternator?”

“Belt tensioner. Customer said it only squeals on cold starts.”

“Could still be the alternator bearing,” he points out, leaning closer to inspect it.

“Could be, but the belt’s glazed to shit and the tensioner isn’t holding.”

Knox runs his thumb over the cracked rubber. “Yeah. Fair.”

“So,” he begins, because apparently silence might kill him, “did you see Blair last night?”

“No. Your work girlfriend got her drunk.”

Knox nearly drops the socket in his hand. “My fucking what?”

“Relax. It was a joke,” I deadpan.

“Yeah. I know.” He turns away, suddenly very interested in the tool chest.

What the fuck was that?

I watch him for another second before looking back at the engine.

Not my problem.

“Start it up,” I tell him.

Knox moves around to the driver’s side while I step back from the engine bay. The second the car turns over, a high-pitched squeal cuts through the workshop.

“There she is,” Knox calls over the noise.

“Shut it off.”

The engine dies, leaving the shop blessedly quiet again.

“Replace the belt and tensioner,” I tell him, wiping my hands on a rag. “Check the alternator bearing while the belt’s off, especially with that battery light flickering.”

“Got it.”

I glance at the clock on the wall and swear under my breath. There’s no fucking way I’m getting out of here by three.

“Shit. I’m supposed to pick Aspen up from school today.”

“Your parents can’t do it?” Knox asks.

“No, they’re in Portland for the afternoon.” I reach for my phone, considering Courtney before remembering she started her new job at the Coast Café today.

“Why don’t you ask Blair?” Knox suggests. “She already works there, and she’s coming back to your place anyway.”

He has a point. Blair has never brought Aspen home from school before, but she’ll be coming over once she finishes work. I hate asking her to rearrange her afternoon because I’ve fallen behind, but I’m quickly running out of options.

I pull out my phone and send her a message.