by Natalie Dean
Actually… maybe that was scary enough in and of itself.
“Sure, yeah. Show me around. The sooner I know where everything is, the sooner I can get to work.”
The copy—Sterling—laughed and stepped forward to offer his hand. “My brother said you were intense. I see he wasn’t kidding.”
“That’s one of the kinder words I’ve heard to describe me.”
They both laughed at that and wow, was it strange to hear mirth in stereo. “Alright then,” Silas said, the corner of his eyes crinkling. “Let’s get started.”
Unsurprisingly, the area she was supposed to work in was impressive. It was a garage about three times bigger than their entire shop and tricked out with almost more tools than she knew what to do with. The ceilings were lofted, allowing for the larger vehicles and equipment to come in.
They also showed her where the bathrooms were, lockers, and a place to get some grub. She hadn’t expected that part, but it was good to know that she wouldn’t be screwed if she forgot her lunch.
“Alright, do you have any questions?” Silas asked once they were back at the garage.
“No,” she said honestly. They’d been good guides, and once someone went over any special details, the rest was pretty easy to figure out. “So, what should I get started on?”
“You want to get to work already? Normally people try to milk their first day for at least a couple hours.” That was Sterling, and the grin he cracked was bigger than his brother’s, with more shining white teeth. Teddy got the feeling that he might be the more dramatic of the two.
“Well, I like to get things going. You know, idle hands and all of that.”
“Ah yeah, I’ve heard that before.”
“Well, we can get out of your hair then,” Silas said, taking a step back. “Wouldn’t want to get in the way of your work.”
“Ah, but it is such fabulous hair,” Sterling said with a wink.
Huh, so he was a flirt. Interesting considering his brother hadn’t so much as hinted at anything beyond boyish charm. If she had to guess, Sterling was probably the younger one. She’d had a few twin friends growing up and half the time, the younger one would be the more gregarious to stand out from their older sibling.
“I’m not so sure about that,” she said with a polite smile, looking to the nearest tool chests. Her fingers were itching to start organizing—getting things in an order that would make her workflow smoother.
Silas let out a disappointed noise and grabbed his brother’s arm. “Come on, let’s get going before you make her quit on her first day.”
Finally, the two handsome, rich bachelors were heading away from her. Technically, she didn’t know if they were bachelors or not. She was sure that they had to have at least some sort of side piece. They were practically billionaires and borderline models. There was no way they were spending their days single.
Besides, why was she even worrying about their relationship status? That was the last thing that she should care about since technically they were both her employers.
Shaking her head, she put that thought to the side and got to organizing.
Time quickly began to fly by as she went about her business, opening drawers, moving things around, rearranging what was by which power outlets. Especially around the half of the garage that had the lifts. She liked certain tools to be by those and in the wells, with others where the larger equipment would be brought in.
She was so into her work that she nearly jumped when a knock sounded on one of the half-open garage doors and she spun, wrench in hand.
She wasn’t sure who to expect, but it certainly wasn’t a young woman with wildly colored hair. “Hey there, sorry to startle you,” she said with a drawl. “I was just wondering if you would like to come eat lunch.”
“Who are you?” Teddy asked uncertainly. She certainly wasn’t dressed like a worker. She had old-fashioned, high waisted shorts on, multi-colored tights and a pastel camisole. She was quite tanned, with cat eyeliner making her hazel eyes look mysterious.
“Oh, name’s Frenchie. I’m kinda seeing Solomon, the oldest brother here. He mentioned you were around, and I figured I wouldn’t mind a lady friend to come eat lunch with me in the big manor.”
Teddy blinked at her. She was dating Solomon? Not to be judgmental, but she didn’t seem like the kind of person an heir to an empire might date. No, Teddy had expected a debutante. Or a starlet. Certainly not a skinny, artsy looking girl with a welcoming sort of nonchalance to her.
“I’m not certain that’s the best idea.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. Mr. and Mrs. Miller aren’t around n’ only Solomon and Sterling are at the house. With both of them working, they’re not very good company. Besides, I’m drowning in all the testosterone.”
Teddy thought on it another moment. It really did seem bizarre, but there was something warm and familiar about the girl. “I suppose I am hungry.”
The girl let out a happy sound and clapped. “Yay, alright then! Come with me. It’s a bit of a ride, so I have one of the golf carts.”
“Golf carts?”
“Yeah, come on. You’ll see.”
Teddy did indeed see as they walked around the garage because sure enough, there was indeed a golf cart there, painted a deep blue with mosquito netting pinned up at the sides.
“You really weren’t kidding.”
“No, why would I be?”
She didn’t have an answer for that, so she just got in. The smaller, thinner girl hopped into the driver’s seat and took off toward one of the worn paths that was too small for a car but plenty big enough for them.
It was surreal, but the real feeling of disbelief didn’t quite hit until the huge manor loomed into view. Sure, she was aware that some of the richest people in the city would have a mansion, but it was even bigger than she had imagined.
Geez, it was like a sprawling city. The main part was practically the size of three houses and towered over the lawn with separate wings channeling out from either side of it and even behind it. She was sure it would take her at least an hour to walk all the way around the main property, and that was maybe if she jogged.
…or used a golf cart.
“It’s something, ain’t it?” Frenchie asked, chuckling lightly. Teddy could only nod, her words seeming to stick to the roof of her mouth. It was just so big. “I remember the first time I saw it. Nearly had a heart attack. Weird to think that there could be so much of us homeless folks while this one family is living in a place that could house ’bout a hundred.”
Her words caught as something in Teddy’s mind. “You’re homeless?”
“Oh, uh, no. I mean, I was at the time. But now I’m… now I’m mostly not.”
“…mostly not?”
She grinned and such a sappy expression crossed her face that was completely incongruous with the topic. “Yeah. I have a home, but someone bought it for me, so it seems… not real sometimes. But I have enough saved now to take care of everything when the bills start coming in, and I’ve done a lot to make sure it’ll stay that way so… yeah. Mostly not homeless anymore.”
“I see.” Teddy wasn’t quite sure she got it at all, but she believed Frenchie. Frenchie was like her; she understood how the world worked and what it was to struggle. She knew what it was like to go to bed hungry and not know where the next meal was coming from.
“Anyway, come on in.”
She pulled up to the side of the main part of the building, and then they were walking in what seemed to be a fancy side door. There was a small foyer, with coat hooks and a place to put muddy boots and galoshes, then they were walking into a really nice kitchen.
Most of it was all white and chrome, but there were a few hanging plants and other greenery that gave it lovely pops of color. Little splashes of life to make the space less sterile and more inviting.
But they weren’t alone in the space. A figure stood up from where it was leaning on the counter and, sure enough, it was Solomon stan
ding there.
“What are you doing out of your office?” Frenchie said, bounding over to him and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thought you’d be locked up in there until late.”
“Decided to take a break. Was getting too upset about some peripherals.”
“Anything you want to talk about?”
But he shook his head, his eyes flitting to Teddy. “No, that’s alright. Was thinking of making some snacks.”
“Well, great minds think alike because I was just gonna make me and Teddy here a light lunch. I noticed you’ve still got some fancy cheeses in there, so I was thinking cucumber and cream cheese tea sandwiches and the rest on the crackers I brought.”
Solomon chuckled lightly, and Teddy took in the entire situation. The two of them interacted so naturally, with Frenchie bouncing around happily and Solomon leaning toward her like a stalk of corn might lean toward the sun. It was clear that he thought the world of her, even just from the look in his eyes, and it was bizarre to see the quiet man who had hardly said a word during the contract negotiation be so relaxed.
“You know you don’t have to keep bringing crackers as snacks. I’ll make sure you’re fed.”
“Yeah, I’ll stop bringing crackers when your mom stops buying those gluten-free, health-nut crackers. None of you have Celiac’s or a wheat allergy, so she’s just being fancy for the sake of being fancy.”
Solomon huffed behind his hand, clearly trying not to laugh. “Her side of the family has a history of diabetes, and she loves her carbs.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s what she tells y’all, but really she just buys them so her giant gorilla sons don’t keep eating all her snacks.”
“Oh, so we’re gorillas now.”
“Y’are if you got your mama resorting to buying those papery abominations just to make sure they don’t get swiped.”
“Alright, alright, fair enough. We’re leaving Teddy out of the conversation.”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” Teddy said, crossing over to perch on one of the stools around the island bar. “I am thoroughly entertained.”
“Ah, thank God, another practical person around the house. I’m already in love,” Frenchie said.
“Really?” Solomon questioned Frenchie. “It took me months to get that out of you, and the mechanic has that on the first day?”
In response Frenchie gave him a slap on the arm, and then it was Teddy’s turn to chuckle. After that, the conversation lulled as Frenchie went about making the snacks, with Solomon trying to help her only to be generally chased off every time he started to insert himself. It was cute and natural, and for the first time, Teddy found herself relaxing in the opulent place.
Of course, it helped that the snacks were all delicious. They really did have an assortment of ‘fancy’ cheeses, and the cucumbers were fresh and crisp. It wasn’t exactly a filling lunch, but Teddy didn’t want that, considering she was about to go back outside and work in the growing summer heat. Sure, there was air conditioning in the garage, but she couldn’t use that if she was going to have the doors up, and she wanted to have the doors up to let the breeze and sunlight in.
They went through the snacks quickly, but before the last was gone, Frenchie was reaching over the counter to grip Solomon’s hand. “Hey, before you lock yourself back up in the office, I made some treats for the chickies. You wanna help me feed ’em?”
The soft look that was exchanged between them almost made Teddy feel like she was invading. There was a raw sort of honest love between them, one she wasn’t used to seeing. Her father had certainly never felt that way towards her mother, and Andre hadn’t looked at anyone like that since she knew him.
“Yeah, that sounds nice.”
“Alright, I’ll be back in a minute to drive you to the garage, Teddy,” Frenchie said happily, practically bouncing over to what must have been her worn backpack. “You can finish up the food. I see those muscles; you probably need the fuel.”
And then she was gripping Solomon’s hand and pulling him out of another back door, leaving Teddy alone.
Well, that was awkward.
The house was so big, so foreign, and without Frenchie and Solomon to fill it, it felt so cavernous. But that feeling quickly popped as the first door opened and none other than the twins were coming in, breathless with windswept hair.
“Oh.” Silas was the first one to speak, looking startled to see her. “I didn’t expect you to be here.”
Yeah, the feeling was definitely mutual. Teddy blanched, hoping that it didn’t seem like she was trying to shirk her work. Or worse, steal. “Frenchie invited me to come eat with her. So… I did.”
“I see. Right. This is one of the days she usually visits. Where is she?”
Since when had they both grown so stilted? “She said something about feeding the chickies? Treats?”
“Okay, that makes sense. I think I’ll go check on them.”
He gave her a polite duck of the head and then followed the direction that the other two had gone off in. Some of the tension ebbed, but Teddy certainly wasn’t relaxed to be alone with Sterling either.
“So,” the younger twin said, sauntering over and grabbing one of the mini cucumber sandwiches, popping it into his mouth whole. “How’s your first day going?”
“Alright. I wasn’t exactly expecting the lunch on the house here though.”
“Yeah, I bet.” He chewed and swallowed, then snatched up a cracker, popping it into his mouth without any cheese. “So, what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”
“Pardon?” she asked. It was pretty clear now, from his posture and the easy expression on his face that he was hitting on her. It was casual, so it didn’t come across as creepy, really. But it wasn’t something that she wanted, either. He was the twin of her boss, and not to mention part of an elite that she would never really understand.
“I get that you’re a mechanic, which is definitely cool, but what I suppose I don’t understand is why you’re here. My family has guys, so why did my brother—who only really handles acquisitions—go all the way out to the city to hire another one? And, get this, after we talked, I checked into things, and I haven’t found you added to the payroll at all. Even the freelancers we hire are on the database.”
In addition to being handsome, the twins were both smart. Great. It definitely felt like God had stacked the deck when it came to the Millers.
“Hmm. That’s strange.”
But Sterling just laughed outright. For a moment she was afraid that he was about to reach out and touch her, but he grabbed his brother’s glass and drained it before returning to a respectable distance away. Good, so he wasn’t one of those pervs. Maybe he liked to flirt, but he seemed to know that there was a line and not to cross it.
“You’re a cagey one, aren’t you?” he asked.
“Again, I’ve been called worse.”
He chuckled again, and the sound was so easy. “I bet you have.”
“What do you mean by that?” Teddy asked, getting exasperated with the Miller brother who seemed intent on bothering her.
“Well ma’am, because you’re a young, female mechanic and you’ve got enough scars on your knuckles to show you’ve been in at least a couple of fights. I’m sure plenty of people haven’t liked that at all.”
Great, so Sterling was observant too. Another thing to be wary of. As pretty as they were, as charming as they were, she only met any of these people because they were trying to buy out her home. Displace the people she loved.
“That’s a mild way to put it,” she said.
“Really? I don’t think much of anything about you could be considered mild.”
He was grinning at her again, all honeyed and charming as he stepped forward ever so slightly. And that was right about when Teddy figured him out.
At least a little bit.
It was sibling rivalry, plain and simple. Silas had brought her in, so she was technically ‘his,’ and Sterling was trying to insert himself into the
situation. She remembered feeling something similar when Andre had first brought her in. Roman had been his real child and she was just an imposter. She remembered feeling jealous and defensive, and trying to be the saccharine, sweet daughter in a bid to earn Andre’s favor.
But Andre didn’t play favorites. He loved them equally, raised them as siblings, and it was through the months, and then the years of that kindness, that assurance that helped her move past it.
“You never know. I’m a multifaceted person,” Teddy said.
“I don’t doubt that. And what does it take to get to know these different facets of yours?”
She opened her mouth to shoot him down humorously, but then the door banged open and Silas was standing there, sun streaming in behind him.
“Hey,” he said flatly to his twin. “Are you going to finish that proposal you were going to send to Dad?”
“Really? You just happened to come in because you were so pressed about that?” He stretched, pulling away from the counter. “I’ll go do that now if it’s such an issue.”
“Thanks.”
Silas’ eyes then landed on her and, uh-oh, there was that awkwardness again. “I’m gonna go see if I can get Frenchie to take me back to the garage. This lunch is dragging on longer than it probably should have.”
“Yeah. That sounds like a good idea.”
12
Silas
He had messed up.
He had known that it was a bad idea from the beginning, and yet for some reason he had still done it, and now he was suffering the consequences.
Consequences that really mostly meant the mechanic woman was bothering him way more than he thought she would.
It wasn’t even that she did anything, or at least anything that she wasn’t supposed to do. For the most part, she tried to stay in the garage and fix or maintain whatever the other workers brought to her, but that still didn’t stop her from popping into his thoughts all the time.
In fact, he couldn’t seem to get his mind off her. And that fact wasn’t helped since—for some reason—Frenchie seemed to have become super attached to the redhead in the three weeks since she’d started working on the ranch. So even though it was clear that Teddy was trying to stay out of the way, most Tuesdays she would have lunch in the manor.