The Biker's Fate Chapter 382

Grace

I locked the door and faced my brother. "You look like you've broken every bone in your body."

He grinned. "Almost."

"You should go to emergency."

"Katie and Lily fussed over me tonight. It's all good. Nothing's broken. Just gotta ice and take it easy."

Katie. Flea's sister.

She was a registered nurse (as was Lily), so I knew my brother had been in good hands, but I still worried.

"If anything seems… off… will you let me know?"

He grabbed a beer and smiled. "Yeah, Grace, I'm gonna run to my little sister the second I have a headache."

Before I could argue, my phone buzzed in my pocket and I slipped it out and glanced at the screen. It was Hatch. "Hi, Hatch. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, Gracie girl, it's all good. Hear you might be lookin' for a job."

"Wow, Flea doesn't waste time, does he?"

Hatch chuckled. "He knows we need someone, so I'm callin' to officially offer you the job."

"I appreciate that, but I'm waiting to hear back from the Portland Ballet Conservatory, so I don't know how long I can commit."

"We'll work around your schedule."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Can you start Monday?"

"Um, yeah, I can. That'd be great. Thanks, Hatch."

"Great. Talk to you then."

"Okay. Bye." He hung up and I smiled at my brother. "I got a job."

"I heard. Hatch needs someone, huh?"

I nodded. "I don't know anything about working in a mechanic's shop, but he knows that, so…"

Merrick grabbed the Advil from the cabinet and popped two. "I think it'll be good for you. But you know you can stay here as long as you want to."

"I know that. And I really appreciate everything you're doing for me. You're my favorite brother on the planet."

He grinned. "And you're my favorite sister."

"Well, now that the love-fest has been established, I'm going to go to bed. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm good, sissy. I'll see you tomorrow."

I gently hugged my brother, then headed to my room, my heart light for the first time in a while.

Monday morning, I was a bundle of nerves as I drove to Hatch's shop. I don't know why I was so nervous, Hatch was like the dad I never had, so I knew he'd be patient with me, but, still, I knew nothing about grease monkeys and the engines they fixed.

Flea.

Ohmigod. Flea.

He was someone I wasn't quite prepared for. I liked him.

I didn't like men.

I mean, I did. But my life was chaotic, and I never felt like dragging anyone else into the drama. But Flea… well, he didn't seem fazed by anything. Come to think of it, he never had.

I shook my head. Of course he wasn't fazed by anything. He was a badass biker. They were used to chaos. But he probably wasn't a man who would mess around with someone like me, so I didn't know why the thought kept entering my head. I had neither the time nor the emotional fortitude to chase after a man. It didn't matter that said man was gorgeous and sweet and the first one in… ever to make me stop and dream a little.

I sighed. This was just more proof I was certifiable.

All of my man-mooning had shortened my drive time considerably and I found myself pulling into the shop parking lot. I saw a Harley parked in front, so I pulled in next to it. I assumed it was Hatch's since he'd said to meet him there at eight.

I turned off my car and took a deep breath before grabbing my bag and heading into the building. I'd worn jeans and knee-high boots, along with a dark top which would hide the dirt and keep me cool. Hopefully, I wasn't overdressed.

Pushing open the front door, I called out, "Hatch!"

"Back here, Grace," he said, and I followed the sound.

I stepped through a side door and smiled. Hatch was washing his hands at the sink at the back of the shop and smiled at me over his shoulder. "You're early."

"I know. Sorry, there was no traffic."

"Don't apologize," he said, drying his hands. "You can be early anytime you like."

"Well, I hope you'll feel the same way whenever I'm late."

Hatch chuckled. "Come on, I'll show you around."

For the next hour, Hatch showed me the shop. By the time the tour ended, I felt confident I could do this job. And this was because Hatch was patient and he made me feel empowered.

I heard the roar of pipes as Hatch led me back to the front desk. "That'll be Flea. He's gonna train you on the computer and shit."

A shiver stole up my spine and I forced myself not to jump up and down with excitement. "Okay, cool."

And then I saw him, and I found myself swallowing convulsively. He dropped his helmet in a saddlebag and ran his hands through his hair and I felt warmth pool in places it probably shouldn't. He was a beautiful human being and when he shoved his keys in his pocket and a toothpick in his mouth, then started toward the front door, I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from squeaking.

I swear it was like the opening to the Bachelor or something… Flea walked toward us, the breeze catching his hair, almost like it was slo-mo, and when he caught my eye through the glass, he smiled.

And, ohmigod, what a smile.

I had to look away.

"'Mornin'," Flea said as he walked inside.

"Hey," Hatch replied, but I just smiled and nodded. "I'm gonna leave you two to it."

"Okay. Thanks, Hatch," I said, and Hatch went to the back of the shop.

"You ready for this?" Flea asked.

"I think so." I smiled. "Thanks for making this happen."

"No problem," he said. "I'm gonna go grab a cup of coffee, then we can start."

"I just made a fresh pot."

"Good first step," he said, and chuckled as he headed into the back office.

He returned quickly and turned into 'all-business' Flea.

He stayed with me at the front desk the entire morning, which I appreciated, because it was busy. As in, slammed.

By the time the sixth customer in less than an hour walked out the door, I'd decided I was wrong. There was no way in hell I was going to be able to do this job.

"Lunch," Flea announced just before noon, and I couldn't stop a sigh of relief. "Overwhelmed?"

"Little bit." I bit my lip. "Is it always this busy?"

"Nope. It's usually worse."

"What?" I squeaked.

He grinned. "Don't freak, babe. I'm with you all week."

"You are?"

"Yep. Got your back."

Buddy, you can have my front, too, I thought to myself, but said, "Thanks."

"You hungry?"

"Starved," I admitted.

"Chinese?"

"I love Chinese."

"Good, there's a place next door. You ready?"

I nodded. "Sure."