Here's to Tomorrow

by Teagan Hunter

  I couldn’t help it, though. She looked like she was going to blow a fuse. Plus, all her pacing and rambling was making me dizzy.

  Oddly enough, it was also pretty cute. Why? I have no clue.

  Who in the fuck finds that shit attractive? Me. That’s fucking who.

  “I’m not creepin’, you dick.” He gives me a look that tells me he knows I’m completely full of shit. “Fine. I was. But only a little. I was worried she wouldn’t find a ride.” He knows I’m still lying. “I can see she did, though. Good.” A car pulls up and she hops in, so I walk away and start working on getting her car prepped before Tucker starts questioning me any further.

  Now I’m wondering who was in the car. Her boyfriend? Is it serious? Was it her fiancé? How long have they been engaged? Shit. Was it her husband? She looked a little too young to be married but you never know these days.

  Dammit. I have no idea what’s going on with me. I don’t care either way. I shouldn’t care. I don’t have time for girls, for dating. I have Joey to worry about and that’s enough. There’s no reason for me to get my brain all jumbled up over a gorgeous girl.

  Don’t care, don’t care, don’t care, don’t care. I repeat that in my head until I almost start believing it.

  But...I really do care, since I’ve spent the last five minutes repeating my new mantra and it hasn’t done anything to help get rid of the image of Rae’s beautiful stare that seems to be burning holes in my head right now.

  I’m not sure how to feel about it because I shouldn’t care and I shouldn’t still be thinking about her. I can’t really afford to care. I have too much to lose and a distraction like her is the last thing I need, because I already feel like she could be something important. And I just met her.

  Damn. I’m fucked.

  Rae

  Even though it’s been four days, I feel like I was just here, standing in the middle of Jacked Up waiting for my car. I don’t know if it’s the lack of sleep I’ve been getting or my rumbling stomach, but I’m starting to get irritated just standing here.

  “Miss Kamden?” All the irritation I’m feeling drains quickly from my body with those two words. I turn toward the same gravelly voice I’ve been secretly craving to hear again since I walked out of this shop the last time.

  Standing before me is Hudson—the insanely hot mechanic that witnessed my lack of filter and crazy rambling. I realize just then that I find uniforms to be very sexy and it has everything to do with Hudson. Even in his navy jumpsuit he’s hot. And the little smudge of dirt on his cheek does nothing to take that away from him. Hell, it just adds to the overall appeal.

  “Just Rae,” I say, finding my voice.

  He gives me a small smile. “Just Rae. Right.” He gives me an almost unnoticeable once-over. He clears his throat and shifts on his feet some, taking on a more authoritative pose. “We’ve got her all done for you. I can have one of my guys bring her around front while we go over any last minute paperwork in the front office.”

  “Sounds good. Lead the way,” I tell him steadily, feeding off the professional vibe he’s now giving off.

  We walk through the same doors as before. I notice this time that Tucker is nowhere in sight. Hudson walks around to the back of the counter. I follow his movements from the other side.

  “So, just looks like you need to sign off on a few things,” he says, handing me a clipboard. “Here.” He points to the bottom of the page. I quickly scan it and sign it. We do this three more times before I swipe my debit card and he declares us done.

  As I’m handing the pen back to him, his rough and calloused finger barely brushes over mine. And I’ll be damned if those stupid romance books weren’t right, because I feel it. A small zing. I look up into Hudson’s eyes. He’s staring back at me intently. I feel it again—that weird pull that I felt last time we gazed at each other like this. Only this time it’s just a smidge stronger than before.

  In that moment, something changes. Looking into Hudson’s eyes, I feel something. A spark, maybe? I’m not entirely sure but whatever it is, I like it. A lot.

  I clear my throat and look away quickly. “Right. So, anything else?”

  He shakes his head once. “No, you’re all set. Let me go tell the guys to bring the car around for you.”

  I fold my arms over my chest and wait for him to come back. I don’t have to wait long at all.

  “All ready. It’s out front,” Hudson says, walking back in the through the doors. He hands me my keys. “She runs great, by the way.”

  “Yeah? I’ll believe it when I see it,” I say, not succeeding in trying to keep the bite out of my voice. I can’t help it. I’ve been burned by one too many mechanics that have said the exact same thing.

  “You want to go for a test drive then?” Hudson asks, a small smile playing on his lips.

  A test drive? Huh, that’s unusual.

  “Ya know what? I do. Let’s go,” I tell him, already moving toward the front door. I don’t hear him following me so I look back. He’s bent down behind the counter reaching for something. “You coming?”

  Hudson stands up holding a piece of paper with footprints on it. “Wanted to grab a mat so I don’t get your car dirty.”

  I look him up and down, making it obvious that I’m eyeing his dirty jumpsuit. “What a gentleman,” I deadpan.

  He laughs at my blatant sarcasm and unzips the getup right there in front of me, stripping out of it in seconds. Not gonna lie, there’s a huge part of me that was hoping he was naked as can be under there. I’m slightly disappointed to discover he’s just in a pair of black running shorts and orange t-shirt. Hmm…guy doesn’t look too bad in my favorite color.

  I click the unlock button on the key fob as we approach my car. Hudson jogs up ahead of me to the driver side door at the sound.

  I stop just a few feet from him. “Um, shouldn’t I be the one driving?”

  He gives me a smirk—something that I feel is his secret weapon—and opens my door for me. “Just living up to my gentlemanly duties,” he says with a little glint in his eyes.

  My lips betray me and a smile breaks out across my face. “Right. Gentleman. I forgot,” I say, walking past him and climbing into my car.

  I can’t help but admire the way he moves as he jogs around the front of car. He’s a big guy—tall and obviously muscular—but he moves with such ease. Hudson folds himself into the small car and immediately pushes the seat back, stretching his legs out. Fuck. Even his legs are sexy. I’ve never paid any attention to someone’s legs before because there’s nothing sexy about hairy man-legs—except Hudson’s, apparently.

  Hudson clears his throat. I realize then that I’m still staring at his legs. I force my eyes to meet his. He’s smiling still. Stupid smile.

  “You do know how test drives work, right?”

  It takes me a second to get what he’s talking about. As soon as the lightbulb goes off my cheeks light up. I lower my eyes to slits and stare him down. “Yes, I do know.”

  “Just checking,” he says, laughing lightly.

  Meeting someone that you like right away, someone you click with instantly, is a very unusual event. And to have that person just happen to be the hottest guy you’ve ever seen? Unheard of.

  But it’s happening. Right now with Hudson, it’s happening. He just seems to get my sense of humor. I know that I come off as snarky and sometimes rude to a lot of people, but Hudson just seems to understand what sarcasm is. And I so appreciate that. I’ll just add that my list of attributes for the dude.

  “You sure?” he prods.

  Shit. I’m still just sitting here. Luckily, this time I was staring out the front window instead of at him. I put the key in the ignition and she fires up beautifully.

  “Good so far,” I mutter.

  Hudson chuckles from beside me. I ignore him and make my way out of the parking lot, turning right. I make it to the first stop sign before Hudson speaks again.

  “Where you gonna take her?” he asks.
/>
  I shrug. “Probably just around the block.”

  “That’s it? After practically insulting my ability to repair a car, you’re just gonna drive around the block? That’s…a let down. I figured we were going for a long, long drive. You know, to make sure I really know how to trade out a tranny.”

  I can hear the teasing in his voice so instead of turning like I had planned, I go straight. “Well, I thought about going to visit my Maw Maw in Boston, but I figured you had some work to do. Unless you wanted to meet her. But that outfit…it’s hideous. She would never appreciate your grease-stained fingers the way I do.”

  “You appreciate my fingers, huh?”

  I nod. “Very much so. They got this POS up and running again. I’ll be forever grateful for them. Magic fingers, I tell ya. Magic.”

  My seat starts vibrating from his silent laughter. I look over briefly. His face is red from trying to contain it. Damn. He’s even hot when he looks like a cooked lobster.

  “That’s…,” he starts, still laughing too hard.

  It hits me then what I said and how that can be easily misconstrued.

  “I swear to God if you say ‘that’s what she said’ I will pull this car over and drop you off on the side of the road and never look back,” I tell him, only being half-serious. “What are you anyway, fucking twelve?”

  He’s still laughing. My stupid, stupid lips betray me again, a small smile forming. I don’t know if it’s his immature reaction or his laugh that makes me smile, but either way, I like it.

  The easy laughter and constant smiling that I’ve done since I heard Hudson’s voice hasn’t escaped me. I don’t remember the last time I just clicked with someone like this. Maybe with my best friend Maura? That was over twelve years ago though. Wow. Has it really been that long?

  That truly surprises me because it has been so easy with Hudson. We just seem to…flow? Yeah, we flow. It feels like we feed off one another’s vibes rather quickly. Odd, but awesome.

  Not matter how odd it is, I like it. I really like it.

  “I am most certainly not twelve.” Don’t I know it. “I just don’t get a chance to goof around often so I make sure and take full advantage of it when the opportunity arises.”

  “Sounds fair, I guess,” I say.

  “And didn’t you know that it’s rude to ask someone their age.”

  “Correction. It’s rude to ask a woman her age. Not a man.”

  “And women are excused from this question because?” he challenges.

  “Because…Well, because I said so. So there.”

  I can see him looking at me from my peripheral. I glance over to see that he has his dark eyebrows raised, giving me a look that says he’s not buying it. I mimic his expression and flick on my blinker, pretending to inch closer to the side of the road.

  “Are you gonna argue with that, Hudson?”

  He shakes his head vigorously. “No, ma’am.”

  I laugh and ease back into the middle of the lane. “Smart guy.”

  Hudson

  Rae is snarky as hell and I fucking love it. It’s almost as if she doesn’t care about—or just doesn’t catch—the words that come out of her mouth. It’s adorable. Most would find it a turn-off but not me. I find it…refreshing. She’s like a little stick of dynamite or some shit. Small, but feisty.

  One of my favorite things about her so far is her obvious confidence. I could tell right away that she wasn’t someone that needed to be constantly reassured. She seems to have a good hold on who she really is and it’s kind of driving me wild already.

  We go another mile further from Jacked Up and I’m starting to wonder if she’s just going to keep driving or actually turn around at some point. I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving so I’m sure they’re wondering where the hell I am.

  I pull out my phone and shoot Tucker a text real quick.

  Me: Went for a test drive. If I’m not back in 30, call the cops.

  Tucker: Dibs on your office furniture!

  Fucker.

  Me: Thanks for having my back, Tuck. I knew I could count on you.

  Tucker: Always.

  I shake my head and slide my phone back into my pocket. I look over at Rae, who seems to be really concentrating on the road.

  “Are you really taking me to your Maw Maw’s? Or do you plan on finding some woods to dump my body in?” She jumps a little at my question, like she was lost in thought or something. She recovers quickly.

  “Honestly? The woods would probably be better. My Maw Maw is kinda nuts,” she replies honestly.

  Now I’m curious. “Yeah? How so?”

  “We’re talking collecting those creepy ass porcelain dolls. And by collecting, I mean having two entire rooms dedicated to them. It’s weird.”

  “Yikes. Woods it is.”

  She looks down at the dash and winces, then flicks her blinker on again. She pulls off into a gas station and parks at a pump.

  “Do you mind?” Rae asks turning toward me. “I didn’t realize how low on gas I was and the little light just popped up. I don’t want to risk driving you back and then running out of gas. I’ve done enough hiking this week.”

  “No, no at all. Do you mind if I run inside real quick? I’m a little thirsty.” I’m really not, I just want to drag this out as long as I can because I’m enjoying being around her.

  “Nope, but you’ve got three minutes or I’m outta here,” she teases. I think.

  “You need anything?” I call out as I walk toward the building.

  “I’m fine!” Yes you are.

  Whoa. Where the fuck did that come from? Even if it doesn’t feel like it, this is supposed to be a professional test drive we’re taking. Not a check-out-the-hot-chick kind of thing. Not that I’ve been ogling her too bad. The only thing I’ve looked at a little too long is her ass. It’s nice. Real nice. I may have had to jog ahead and open her door back at the shop to avoid embarrassing myself because I was absolutely checking out her backside as we walked to the car.

  Fuck. Maybe I am being a pig. There’s no denying that Rae is attractive. Actually, that’s too bland of a word. Rae is…gorgeous, sexy, beautiful, perfect. She’s everything I’d be looking for in a woman if I actually dated. But I don’t and I’m not looking to.

  I grab a soda since that’s what I came in for and make it back out to the car in under two minutes. Rae’s just screwing the gas cap back on when I approach the car.

  “How’s that for timing?” I ask over the roof.

  She gives me a beautiful smile. “Perfect.” Yes you are.

  See? That wasn’t bad. You’re doing good, dude.

  We’re quiet as she drives us back to Jacked Up. It’s not an awkward silence, but a pleasant one. I like it. It feels…good.

  I frown, knowing our time is coming to an end and I can’t help but be a little sad over that. This has definitely been one of the better days I’ve had lately. The entire ride with Rae has been so…easy. And that’s something I’m missing in my life right now. Nothing’s been easy for the past seven years. So this? This short laugh-filled car ride with Rae? It feels good. Really good.

  “So, Rae…,” I begin as she pulls into the parking lot.

  “So, Hudson,” she interrupts.

  I chuckle. “What do you think?”

  “Of you or the car?”

  “Well, I was talking about the car, but, please, answer freely.”

  She thinks for a second.

  “I like.”

  Curious. “You like? Which is that directed to? Me or the car?”

  Rae looks over at me, a playful smile on her lips. “Both.”

  Now, I’ve been smiling and laughing since the moment Rae walked into the shop today. But this smile? The one plastered across my face right now? It’s different. Because that word—that one small four letter word—it just make my heart do some weird ass flippy thing it hasn’t done in years.

  You and me both, Rae. You and me both.

  “Good,” I say, sti
ll smiling like a damn idiot. “I guess this is it then. Thanks for the…uh…test drive.”

  “Thank you for fixing my car, Hudson. I think it may actually last this time.”

  I cock my eyebrow. “May?”

  She rolls her eyes. “I’m not one to count my eggs.”

  “Your eggs? You mean your chickens, right?”

  “Eggs, chickens, whatever. It’s all the same.”

  I chuckle. “Right,” I mumble, getting out of the car. She rolls down the window so I bend down and lean on the door. “I guess I’ll see you around then?” It comes out a question but I don’t know why.

  “I guess?” Another question.

  “Bye, Rae,” I tell her.

  “Bye, Hudson,” she replies.

  Neither one of us moves, obviously not wanting to go just yet. We stay frozen, gazing at one another and soaking up our last moment together before we each disappear back into life.

  I do my best to memorize her face in case I never get the chance to see her again. A tiny, miniscule part of me hopes something else will break on her car just so she has to come back. I don’t want to not see her again because I know—I know—she’s something special. And I don’t want to let that go.

  Not matter how inappropriate and unprofessional it is to mix business and dating, I’m about to ask for her number when I hear footsteps approaching. I look back to find Tucker.

  “Yo, you got a call from Mr. Anderson. He says it’s urgent.”

  I let out a big sigh and silently curse him for his timing. I turn back to Rae. I can see the disappointment on her face. I nod once and tap the side of her car. She gives me a small wave in return.

  I watch as she pulls away, and I can’t help but feel the odd weight that was lifted when she was around fall back onto my shoulders slowly.

  “Great timing, dude. I was just about to ask for her number,” I tell Tucker, walking past him into the front office.

  “Sorry, man, but Anderson is on the line. I figured you’d want to deal with him directly. Besides, can’t you get it from her file or something?” Tucker says.

  “I may be weird sometimes but I’m not that weird.”