Page 20 of A Room By the Sea

Michelle pushed open the front door of the auto repair shop, looking around warily for Theo. She’d dropped off her car earlier that day for an oil change, and she’d overheard a couple of the mechanics saying that Theo wasn’t working that day. Even so, she was on the alert for her nemesis. She’d come to learn that he could appear at any moment in Coral Sands, often in places where she didn’t expect to see him, like the library. It wouldn’t be all that unusual for him to return to the auto repair shop for one reason or another, even if he wasn’t scheduled to work that day.

You’re being ridiculous, she told herself as she glanced around the lobby, which smelled strongly of car tires and a little bit like grease, despite being separated from the garage. Gosh, you’re being so dramatic about looking for him it’s almost like you actually want him to be here.

She froze, immediately telling herself that was definitely not the case. She just didn’t want to run into him. She was feeling a little tired, and she wasn’t up for their usual sassy banter. Probably. She wouldn’t want to go into battle when she wasn’t feeling her best, after all.

“Hey, Miss Lowe,” said the young mechanic standing behind the counter. He was wearing navy coveralls and a lopsided nametag that read “Hayden.” “You here for your car?”

“Yup,” Michelle said. “And please don’t call me Miss Lowe, you can call me Michelle.”

As she got closer, she could see why Hayden had used her last name. The young mechanic was clearly still in high school, his face sporting a few pimples and his demeanor the blend of innocence and defiance that belonged only to adolescents.

“Um, okay,” Hayden said, the tips of his ears coloring slightly.

“Are you in high school?” Michelle asked, her tone friendly. She wanted to help the teenager feel more at ease.

Hayden nodded. “Theo got me this job. I come here and work after school and I get to learn about fixing cars. Some of my friends got hired too. It’s a really great job.”

Michelle nodded, feeling impressed that Theo had arranged the setup. It would allow any of the high schoolers who worked at the auto shop to easily choose becoming a mechanic as their career path if they wanted. It was a smart way to teach kids a valuable trade while also making sure the auto shop got the extra help it needed.

“That’s awesome,” Michelle said. “Is it hard to balance a job with your homework?”

Hayden shrugged. “It’s not too bad. I don’t work here a lot. I think the hardest thing to balance is my baseball practice with work and school—but school’s just about out for the summer, so that’s going to make it a lot easier.”

Michelle nodded. “I’m sure. And I heard your baseball team has been doing great, so congrats on that.”

Hayden grinned. “Yeah, we did all right for ourselves.”

“Are you graduating this year or next year?”

“Next year.” Hayden pretended to shudder. “I’m not ready to graduate yet.”

Michelle laughed. “Oh, come on, I’m sure you’ll feel more than ready by the time it happens. What do you want to do after you graduate?”

“Well, I’m really interested in Forensics, but I also do really enjoy working on cars. Theo inspired me to become a car mechanic—even though I might do something else too. He’s so good at what he does. The guy knows everything about cars. It totally blows my mind.”

“Huh,” Michelle said, trying not to be impressed with Theo and failing.

Well, I’m glad Theo is doing something constructive for the next generation, Michelle thought wryly. He sure didn’t have his life together like this when he was a kid. He was a rascal in school.

Despite her attempts to think negatively about Theo, she found herself being a bit attracted to the fact that Theo was able to inspire a future professional in his field. It was clear that he must really enjoy his work as a mechanic, and Michelle was impressed by that revelation. It was one thing for a man to do his job well but dislike it, and another thing entirely for him to find joy in it. She had always admired people who were able to focus on what was fascinating about their work and find the fun in it.

“What do I owe you?” she asked Hayden, digging in her purse for a moment and pulling out her wallet.

Hayden gave her the price, and Michelle was pleased by how inexpensive it was. She’d never been able to get her oil changed for a price like that in the city. Corporate-owned mechanic shops overcharged in order to put money in the pockets of the businessmen who oversaw them. It was clear that Theo’s shop was small enough to charge fair prices while still paying the mechanics well.

Michelle paid for the oil change with a swipe of her card. “Thanks again, Hayden. Are the keys in my car?”

“Yup. You’re welcome.”

She smiled at the teenager and turned around, getting ready to leave the shop. She froze in her tracks a moment later when the front door of the shop opened, and who should walk inside but Theo himself.

She was about to blurt, “What are you doing here?” but Hayden beat her to it.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” he said to Theo, crossing his arms. “It’s your day off. You can trust me, you know. You don’t have to come check up on me.”

“Relax, Hayden,” Theo said, grinning. “I have plenty of reasons to come into the shop other than checking on you.”

“Yeah?” Hayden looked suspicious. “What are they?”