Tennessee Truths: A Standalone Enemies-to-Lovers- Romance

by Ashley Munoz

  I glanced at the car she was next to and couldn’t help my curiosity. “New ride?”

  She flicked her gaze from examining her sweater back up to mine. “Yep.”

  We could hear the crickets chirp in the field off to the side of the station as we stood there in silence. I cleared my throat, tucking my hands into my pockets. “Hey, Faith, look…I wanted to apologize for what happened the other day—”

  Her head tipped back. “It’s fine.” Drawing her arms in tight, she shrugged as if she didn’t care. “You were just doing your job.”

  “Something tells me I need to be careful for a bit. I know that face—it’s your revenge face.”

  She let her arms drop as she searched my expression, a look of surprise transforming her features. I took advantage of the moment and stepped closer.

  “Let me make it up to you by taking you to dinner.” My thumb grazed her elbow, rubbing a slow circle into it. Her skin was warm under my touch, sending an unexpected jolt to my system. I was assaulted by the memories of all I’d laid down, the plans I’d put on hold to appease him…but that didn’t mean I should have been touching her.

  What the hell am I doing?

  Goosebumps erupted on her arm right before she let it drop.

  “No. I can’t. But, thanks,” she curtly replied, turning to remove the nozzle and putting her gas cap back on.

  I ran my hand down my face and let out an undignified scoff. I shouldn’t have cared. I should have just turned, taken my dog, and walked away. But for whatever reason, her denial dug at me in a way I hadn’t experienced since I first saw her on that fucking screen all those years ago, attached to that rich prick.

  “So, you’ll dance, drink, and kiss random strangers at a bar—while you’re married, by the way”—I narrowed my eyes in judgment—“but you won’t go to dinner with me?” I pointed at my chest, my eyebrows shooting to my forehead.

  Her eyebrows jumped, matching mine. She didn’t know I’d followed her. I needed to put her in her place, but she beat me to it.

  “You followed me?”

  “I didn’t follow you—I was there to give my card to the manager in case any cars were left overnight—but someone could have followed you. Did you see how many people at that barbeque photographed you?”

  She winced, ducking her head. I continued, hoping to make her feel the seriousness of how stupid she was being.

  “Even now, you’re all alone out here.” I spread my arms wide. “You’re in the news, on television, and whatever the fuck else all the goddamn time, and yet you think you can go on a little vacation and—what?” I gestured dramatically, looking up. “Poof, all your fame is instantly gone? Your stalkers and everyone looking for an easy payday just disappear? You’re being an idiot, Faith, and if I were your husband…” It just slipped out. Fuck. It had slipped and now my face was on fire.

  Her eyes turned to slits. “Well you’re not my husband and I’m not your problem, so leave me the fuck alone. And for the record, I’m not interested in going anywhere with someone who throws away relationships and people like they’re garbage.” Her blonde hair shifted as she turned away from me.

  I sidestepped, blocking her.

  “And I’m not interested in desperate gold-digging women who cheat on their husbands. Have a nice life.” I turned on my heel, taking the last word with me. I patted my leg for Trevor to follow as I finished pumping the gas, opened my door, and let him jump in.

  I drove away, flooring it and leaving her in another cloud of exhaust. My heart raced, nearly ready to burst out of my chest entirely. I should have known she’d turn me down, should have seen it coming, but I’d still stupidly gone for it.

  It was a mistake I wouldn’t make again.

  Seven

  “Do you even know how to drive this thing?” Gemma winced as the gears ground together. I rolled my eyes, shoving it into third and pushing down on the gas pedal.

  “Of course I do. The BMW was a stick…this gear shaft is just…difficult.”

  “I believe you, but…ugh.” The car jolted forward, forcing both of us to careen against our seat belts.

  “This may have been an oversight on my part.” I cringed, hearing the gear grind again.

  I had traded in my brand new, limited edition BMW convertible after my conversation with Bryan so I would have some extra money to live off of. It was estimated to be worth $38,000, but I only got about $28,000 for it. It was enough to buy a new car and keep some for savings.

  When I’d seen the Range Rover, my teenage heart had leapt, demanding I purchase it. It was only seven thousand dollars and the dealer mentioned that a few things might need to be serviced, but I waved him off and, with hearts in my eyes, handed over my cash.

  “That’s it! Pull into Walker Auto Body right now,” Gemma demanded from the passenger seat. I looked over, pleading with her to hang in there. I didn’t want to have to take it in or accept defeat. Plus, she didn’t know I had run into Jace the night before. That confusing encounter was still rattling around in my head and beating hard against my chest.

  “No, um…aren’t there like fifteen different auto shops in this town?” I narrowed my eyes at my windshield as if suddenly searching for said auto shops.

  Gemma let out a small laugh. “There are about five, and four of them charge nearly triple what Jace charges. Besides, we try to stay loyal to the local shops that aren’t corporately owned.”

  Of course they did.

  “Well that’s good for you, but I’m not giving him my business.” I lifted my chin, determined to make it to the edge of town.

  A loud groan emanated from the dash, making Gemma brace herself against it with a wince. “Will you at least stop in and get an estimate?”

  I flicked my gaze to hers and found desperation there.

  I huffed out an exasperated sigh and pulled over to the side, the car thankfully going into neutral without issue. “We’ll leave it up to Google.” I tugged my phone free and searched for Walker Auto Body. “If it’s the nearest one, we’ll go, but if there’s one closer, I’m going to that one.” I bit my lip and waited for the results to come up.

  “You should really change your network—my results came up like three seconds ago.” Gemma held her phone out toward me with a smirk on her face.

  “Shut up.” I grabbed the phone, scanned the red dots nearest to my location, and shuddered. “You sure this is accurate? Did you spell it right?”

  “Yes, it’s literally around the corner, which I could have told you if you ever listened to me. I do live here, after all.” My best friend sat back and rolled her eyes.

  I returned her eye roll and pushed my foot into the clutch as I shoved the gear into first. “Fine. You win. I doubt he’ll help me anyway—stupid jerk hates me.”

  “You’re exaggerating. I mean, yes, ripping the necklace off was harsh, but…”

  “No, I saw him last night. He was mean. And he has a dog.” I glanced over as the car jerked down the road. “Did you know he had a dog?”

  Gemma braced herself with her hands on the dash in front of her. “I guess so…”

  “You guess?” I nearly shrieked. “As my best friend, there are certain things you are obligated to tell me. Is he married? Does he have kids?”

  Gemma scoffed. “Nice try, but you made me swear an oath to never tell you what was happening with Jace.” Bringing her hand to her forehead with one hand and gripping the seat belt with the other, she exhaled. “Lord, you are being extra right now.”

  “I am not. That dog nearly killed me.” I turned my nose up as we moved closer. There tucked along the right-hand side of the street was an older, single-story building with white chipped paint. Two open bay doors revealed at least three different lifted cars. Riding the roof line in red and blue lettering were the words Walker Auto.

  The parking lot was mostly loose gravel and patched asphalt with faded white lines, so faint it was hard to make out the parking spaces. I pulled up in front of the door and put t
he car in park just as the entire vehicle jolted forward.

  Gemma opened her door and jumped out. “That is a death contraption!” she yelled, heading into the shop and leaving me in the dust. I got out and blinked against the sun as I considered whether or not I wanted to go in. On the one hand, I did need a car; on the other, I could start walking everywhere. I could definitely use the exercise.

  “Get in here—you need to fix this,” Gemma called, hanging halfway out the door. I trailed after her, not loving the feeling that washed over me from being there the other day. I hated that Jace had this kind of power over me.

  “Hey there!” Jessie greeted me as the little bell above the door jingled. The office was small, with murky glass windows covering the expanse of the front wall. The blue Formica counter stood out against the chipped tile on the floor, and messy papers and red folders littered the space where Jessie worked.

  An old clock hung on the wall behind her head; it was as murky and old as the windows. The place needed a facelift, looking like it was on the brink of collapse.

  “Hey, Jessie.” I sauntered toward the counter, trying to sneak a peek at who might be in the garage. I wasn’t ready to see Jace yet. I was positive he was going to make me feel like an idiot for purchasing the car.

  “Faith, I’m so glad you’re here! I have been wanting to call you.” Jessie ambled around the counter and pulled me into a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around her thin shoulders, happy to be in her world again. We had been distant after Jace broke up with me. Trying to respect his wishes, I’d backed off, obliging his request for space, but it had killed me to do so.

  From what I remembered, it’d killed her too. We were once inseparable. She was like my little sister, coming to me for advice about boys and clothes. Whenever I was over at the Walkers’, it was always Jessie, me, and her mama, June, reading magazines, doing our nails, and gossiping about all the things my own mama wouldn’t.

  A splintering kind of pain opened inside of me at the thought of what might have happened to June Walker over the last five years. She had been really sick when I left, but I’d given strict orders to everyone in my life not to leak any Jace-related news to me, no matter what was going on. It was just too painful. Guess that’s what happens when someone breaks your heart—they break all the sense that was once there too.

  Jessie released me and searched my face before flicking her gaze to the garage entrance door. “I was wonderin’ if you’d come over tomorrow? I have a date and would love it if you helped with my hair.”

  “Of course I will. It’s been too damn long since I’ve done your hair.” I grabbed the ends of her hair and lifted them just as Jace’s voice broke into our conversation.

  “What in the hell is that beast doin’ here?”

  Intaking a swell of breath, I turned to see him. “Hey Jace, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind looking at my car?”

  I was trying to be nice. I needed to be nice.

  Jace was hanging off the door frame, a black tank top plastered to his chest, showcasing all the defined muscles he’d grown into over the years. His dark hair was mussed, falling into his eyes and making him look like some model from a hot mechanic photo shoot. My eyes, of their own volition, were drinking in every inch of him. I could feel my face flush as they lowered to his waistline and lingered on his navy blue coveralls, which were turned down.

  “Thought you were broke,” Jace stated, as though he might be considering it.

  Stepping forward with confidence, I explained, “I sold my car, which gave me some extra funds. Maybe I could just get a diagnostic, and if you don’t want to fix it, I can find someplace else.”

  He let out a heavy sigh as he pushed through the door completely. “What’s wrong with it?”

  “I think it’s the clutch. It’s making an awful sound when I try to change gears,” I answered, hopeful he’d take this on without including our personal baggage.

  He let out a long sigh. “I can look at it. Leave your keys with Jessie.”

  I lowered my head in agreement, waiting for the other shoe to drop or, in his case, another comment to follow. We all waited in awkward silence as he shuffled a few papers.

  “That all…? Or did you need somethin’ else?” He looked up, indifferent, as though we were strangers.

  “Jace, don’t be a jerk,” Jessie reprimanded quietly.

  “Since when is asking our customers to leave their cars so they can be worked on considered being a jerk?” Jace lifted his hands, the sunlight from the side window catching in his hair.

  “It’s the way you said it, idiot,” Gemma replied from one of the waiting chairs, not looking up from her magazine.

  I crossed my arms, like I was trying to guard my heart. “It’s fine.” I turned toward my best friend. “Gem, let’s just call an Uber or something and go hang at your office.”

  “Why can’t you hang here? I’d love to catch up,” Jessie argued on our behalf, hands full of folders and eyes brimming with hope. I took a second to really look at her, at the woman she was becoming. She had her mother’s dark hair, just like Jace, but where his eyes were blue, hers were green, her skin fair and her features petite.

  She was beautiful, and it felt like I’d just gotten to see my little sister grow up in the blink of an eye. I had no idea how high school had gone for her, or if she’d gone through her own heartbreaks. I hadn’t been there for prom or homecoming; I wondered if June had been.

  “No, they cannot stay here. We don’t let our other customers stay here,” Jace replied forcefully, grabbing for a ball cap and shoving it onto his head.

  “Jessie, we’ll catch up later.” I grabbed her hand and squeezed.

  Her lips were turned down as she watched her brother’s profile. “But they aren’t just customers, Jace. We grew up together. Faith and Gemma are like sisters to me…I know y’all have your differences, but there’s gotta be some part of you that still cares a little bit about—”

  “Jessie,” he interjected harshly, “it isn’t personal. It’s strictly a business decision.” Jace’s gaze was hard as stone, warning his sister not to press it further.

  “You know what? I think I’ll just take my car down the street.” I moved toward the door and shoved it open. I didn’t care if Gemma even followed. She was a big girl, and could get home on her own. I wasn’t entrusting my car to him, not when he was being such a dick. He’d probably keep it for kicks and giggles or find a thousand other problems with it and charge me everything I had left.

  “You fuckin’ kidding me right now?” Jace fumed from somewhere behind me.

  I picked up the pace and hoped I’d somehow outpace him. Ignoring him, I pulled my car door open, and was about to hop inside when his firm hand gripped the door, stopping me.

  “You honestly that sensitive? The old Faith would have fought back, given me just as good as I was giving her.” Inky strands of hair stuck out from under his hat, making him seem boyish, and for whatever reason, it made my rage simmer and pop.

  With narrowed eyes, I stared back at him, ignoring how sweaty he was from the Tennessee summer and how that likely meant he didn’t have air conditioning in his shop. I ignored how much that bothered me and how good he smelled and how his presence felt like a soaking wet blanket, smothering me.

  “You don’t get to talk about the old Faith.” I shoved a finger into his chest, pushing him backward. “You left her, broke her, and ruined her—you don’t get an opinion on who she is now, especially after the other night at the gas station.”

  With the little room I had from shoving him, I turned and got into my car, pulling the door shut. He stood there with no emotion on his face, as if my words and touch were as effective as a warm breeze on an already blazing hot day. I swallowed the thick lump of frustration in my throat and started the car; thankfully, it turned over with ease.

  I pushed the clutch down as far as it would go and punched the gear down into reverse. “Please don’t grind. Please don’t grind,” I mutt
ered uselessly to myself. Jace was still standing there with his arms crossed watching me try to pull out, but my poor, broken car wouldn’t cooperate. A horrible sound emanated from below my feet. “No, no, no…please just work.” I pleaded again, but it was no use. I wasn’t going anywhere.

  Jace stood at my hood and lifted his hand, indicating I should pop it open. Lowering my head in defeat, I killed the engine, pulled the lever to pop the hood, and got out of my car.

  “Did you have this looked at before you bought it?” Jace asked while peering into the darkness of my engine. I twisted my lips to the side as I considered ignoring him, but a second later, those blue eyes slowly wandered up to mine.

  “No, I just bought it because…” I trailed off, feeling more ridiculous by the moment.

  “It’s your dream car,” he finished for me. His gaze was down on the engine, which I was thankful for, because my heart crashed inside my chest at his comment.

  He remembered.

  Those nights in the back of his truck half-naked, dreaming in his arms, talking about our future…about how one day when I was a mom with kids, it was an old Rover I wanted to drive around. Jace had laughed and joked about how impractical it was, but I didn’t care. It was what I wanted, so he promised to make it happen. He’d give me two boys to cart around to practices and school. He’d make my dreams come true one silly hope at a time.

  “Yeah, ugh…exactly,” I mumbled, pulling my fingers together. The heat was swallowing us up, drowning us in stickiness. The realization that I had skipped lunch surfaced, making my stomach growl, and the reminder that he’d called me such horrible things the night prior stung. It was a horrific mess of feelings all at once, and I just wanted to hide from it all.

  “Well, you’re likely right about the clutch. We can start there, and I’ll check everything else at no extra charge. It’ll take a few days to get the parts in—this make and model are pretty hard to get.” He stood back, surveying the car with a set of narrowed eyes. It was a relief that his gaze wasn’t on me.