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Their server returned to check on them. Lawson glanced at his watch and was surprised they’d been sitting at the table nearly three hours. He paid the bill and added a generous tip, then escorted Shaye out of the restaurant.
The sun had slipped behind the mountains, leaving the sky all the colors of twilight.
“Give it an hour and there will be a lot of stars in the sky,” he said, as they started toward Kathy’s house.
“I looked out last night,” she said. “The sky is different here than back in Iowa.”
“We’re out west. Everything is bigger.”
“Even the sky?” she teased.
“You know it.”
That made her laugh.
He liked this, he thought. He’d meant what he’d said earlier, about wanting to get to know her better. Her plan to leave in a few weeks wasn’t helping, but he would do what he could. He was used to working under pressure.
“You ever think about finishing your degree?” he asked.
“I do. I was studying marketing. I was only able to take a couple of classes every semester before I left to be with my mom. So I’m probably about halfway through my sophomore year.”
“It’s a start. Seattle has a lot of good colleges close by. The University of Washington is the most well-known.”
“And the hardest to get into.” She smiled. “I’ll have time to figure it out. I’ll need to live in the state a year to establish residency. I couldn’t afford out-of-state tuition.”
He thought about mentioning North Cascades College, only twenty miles from Wishing Tree, but didn’t say anything. Shaye wasn’t staying, and he wasn’t going to push.
They reached the house and walked into the garage. Shaye turned on the overhead lights, and Lawson moved close to the car.
“I see what you mean,” he said, running his hands across the hood. “She’s beautiful, and all the bodywork is done.”
He saw fenders and doors lying on the floor. The inside panels were removed and refinished, with the door handles and window cranks cleaned up and shiny. The engine was mounted on an engine stand, with the parts on a shop cart nearby.
“The cylinder bores need to be honed,” she said, pointing. “At least one of the water plugs needs to be replaced.”
“How can I help?” he asked.
She looked at him, her expression surprised. “That’s it? You’re not going to start telling me what to do?”
“Why would I do that? You have a plan, you say you can do it. Why wouldn’t I trust you?”
“Because I’m a woman.”
He grinned. “Shaye, I was in the military, working side by side with women mechanics. If you tell me you know how to do something, I’m going to believe you until you show me otherwise.”
She tilted her head. “I’m not used to being trusted based on my word. Not about cars. Most guys want to be all in charge and tell me what to do, even if they’re wrong.”
“I’m not like that.”
“I guess not. It’s nice.”
He smiled. “I’m glad you think so.”
Their eyes locked, and tension filled the garage.
He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do a whole lot more, but kissing would be a good start. His gut told him to take things slow—based on what Shaye had told him about her past, trust was going to be an issue, so he needed to make sure they had that first.
“Can I come by in a couple of days and help with the work?” he asked.
