Page 22 of The Devil's Revelation
ELEVEN
IZZY
As annoying as Zeb is, I miss him. I definitely need to get out more and make some new friends.
“No,” I say firmly. “You are not coming here. Absolutely not.”
“Well if you would stop being so damn stubborn and come back to work for me, I wouldn’t have to threaten you,” the deep voice on the other end says in annoyance. “Seriously, Izzy, what the hell? I offered you a job in my damn shop and you turned me down.”
“You know why,” I reply with a sigh. “Seriously, Zeb, you keep asking and I keep saying no. When are you going to get the hint?”
“When you finally stop being a damn stubborn bitch and come to work for me like you should be,” he replies back. I should probably be offended by being called a bitch, but that’s just Zeb. Zeb Austin is a legend in the mechanic field, and he works on some of the coolest vehicles out there. He also is the top restoration guy for celebrities and millionaires. I did my practical apprenticeship at his shop while I was in school after he saw a video of me one of my instructors took.
To say I was shocked that he chose me to work with him is an understatement. It also didn’t help with the resentment of my classmates. A job with Zeb is a damn rarity, and I soaked up every ounce of training and advice he gave me. When I graduated he offered me a job, but I wanted to try and make it on my own. Not that it hasn’t stopped him from trying to convince me to change my mind. In a weird way, he’s become a father figure for me, and we have an odd friendship.
“And I’ve told you a million times that I need to make my own way and while working with you is fun, I want to experience life outside of Missouri,” I remind him for the thousandth time.
“Do you know how many people would be begging to be in your shoes?” he demands. “I have a shit ton of resumes on my desk and in my inbox, and not one of them can hold a candle to what you can do with an engine.”
“You make it sound like I’m some kind of miracle worker,” I laugh. “Zeb, you need to find someone else and focus on them. Hell, find someone else from the college and train them.”
“They’re all lazy pricks that don’t know a spark plug from a brake,” he gripes.
I snort. “I doubt they’re that bad, and if they are, they have no business being there in the first place. Now, was there another reason you called me?”
He grumbles, and I can picture him sitting in his office, surrounded by papers, pictures of the classics he’s restored on the walls, and a computer he hates to use. At fifty-four, Zeb is a silver-fox of a man who hates technology with a passion. He has dark green eyes, dark hair with a smattering of silver, and a perpetual five o’clock shadow with just enough silver to give him a sophisticated look. He also sports plenty of ink, and even tried to convince me to get a matching tat with him one time. I definitely am not that crazy.
If he wasn’t more of the fatherly type to me, he would definitely have caught my attention. Still, I know he never lacks for company of the female variety, even with his surly attitude.
“I told you, I’m planning on coming to visit,” he repeats, talking slowly. “You sure that Texas heat isn’t frying your brain, girl? Or were you always this slow at comprehending what I say?”
“Says the old man.”
“You’re getting far too sassy for my liking. No idea why I put up with it.”
I grin. “Probably because I’m the daughter you never had,” I retort, repeating the words he told me when we were out celebrating my last day at the shop and he got terribly sloshed.
“The words of a drunk man are not to be believed. And I’m seriously thinking of changing my mind. No daughter of mine would be so disrespectful.”
I laugh, unable to help it. “Zeb, all you have to do is say you miss me, you know?”
He grumbles under his breath. “Don’t push it, missy. Now, I’m going to be down in the area in a couple months, so you best make time, you hear me?”
I wince. “Yeah, you’re probably going to have to entertain yourself during the day. I only just started at a new shop and I doubt they’ll let me have time off.”
“You should be done with your probationary period by then and you’ll be due some vacation time.”
I sigh. “Yeah, it’s not that kind of shop, Zeb. I need to prove myself, and the guys aren’t coming around as quickly as I was hoping.”Or at all, I silently add.
Zeb is quiet for a moment, but I can sense his displeasure. “Izzy,” he says seriously, “I don’t give a shit about your damn stubborn pride. Don’t wear yourself out to impress anyone. Especially any assholes that don’t see what an asset they have. You hear me?”
“I hear you,” I say softly. “But I’m not a quitter, Zeb. Maybe by then it’ll be fine and I can take some time.”
“If you can’t, then I’ll see you at night and on the weekend. I’ll be there for a little over a week. You going to give me the name of the shop?”
“And have you snoop around?” I ask drily. “Nope.”
He chuckles. “Can’t blame me for trying. Alright, well I have to get back to work since no one in this place knows what the hell they’re doing. Which wouldn’t be a problem if you would just come back and work for me.”
