A Restored Man

by Jaime Reese

  "So maybe I caused it?" Cole asked. After a few seconds, his expression changed from worried to downright wicked.

  Ty raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I want to know what thought just crossed your mind."

  Cole smiled with undeniable mischief lingering in his eyes. "Maybe I'll tell you someday," he said before walking out and closing the door behind him.

  Ty chuckled and looked at the door where Cole had stood just a moment ago. He picked up the phone and dialed a number, stabbing each button with his finger a little harder than necessary.

  "Detective Calloway," his brother answered.

  "How would you feel if you started a new job and had a huge black eye to make that critical first impression?"

  "I'm fine, how are you?" Aidan said in a flat tone.

  Ty sighed into the receiver. "Why did you hit him?"

  "He deserved it."

  "I can stand up for myself, Aidan."

  "He got off easy. I should have shot him. Put everyone out of their misery."

  Ty blew out a frustrated breath. "You're impossible sometimes. I want you to apologize."

  "What? Hell no."

  "You need to apologize," Ty said patiently.

  "What the hell for?"

  "Please, it's important."

  "No. He's a cocky son of a bitch and someone needs to keep him in check."

  Ty exhaled heavily. "He needs to be focused on his job. I can deal with cocky if he can back it up with skills. I can't have someone nervous on the job with the equipment we have here. I can't risk him getting hurt."

  Aidan's sigh echoed through the line.

  Ty knew Aidan was ready to cave. "Apologize. Sooner rather than later."

  The silence was immediately followed by a muffled curse. He knew Aidan would do anything for his little brother, he just never took advantage of it.

  "That little shit is going to give me an ulcer," he mumbled, followed by another muffled curse.

  "Thank you," Ty said before disconnecting the call.

  He thumbed through Cole's file again for the hundredth time. He caught himself smiling as he read the paperwork. There was something about Cole that was genuine, no-holds-barred. Ty missed that about people. Around him, every word was measured and every glance cautious. He hated that. He closed the file and rubbed his eyes. Dealing with the recovery, the therapy, and all the other bullshit was just…exhausting. He wanted people around him who didn't overthink each word and action, to just let their guard down and go back to how things were two years ago. Treat him like a regular human being again.

  He wanted things to go back to normal.

  The way things were before his life changed.

  Ty sighed and shifted his focus back to the shop. After switching into his work coveralls, he checked his email, printed a few critical messages and a list of parts needed for the restoration project to hand off to Stacie, then grabbed one of the radios from the charger before exiting his office to check on his crew.

  He passed by the mechanic areas and saw his workers wrapping up the brake job on the exotics, with Stacie going through her checklist with the techs. He walked over to the restoration bay and remembered the night before. Cole had only seen a portion of the project, the section Ty hadn't yet touched. Although he had already invested months into the project, he still had a few more until it was completed.

  "The car's ready for you in the customization bay," Stacie said, standing by his side.

  "Thanks." He handed her the list of items to order for the restoration project before walking over to the neighboring bay. Since the accident, he had lost his inspiration to work on restorations and custom projects full time. He tinkered with a few items, but nothing matched his creative desire from before.

  He reluctantly grabbed the clipboard Stacie had left for him on the tool chest and began working on the service ticket.

  * * * * *

  "Why are you doing it that way?" Cole asked Jeff as they worked on the engine block. "You're doing it wrong."

  Jeff raised a gray eyebrow. "Am I now?"

  Cole nodded. "Well, it's just going to take you a hell of a lot longer if you do it that way." He stilled, a thought suddenly striking him. He neared to whisper, "Are you supposed to be billing more time on your repairs?"

  Jeff patted Cole on the shoulder. "No. The important thing is to do it right."

  Cole pursed his lips and nodded. "Then you're just doing it the long and hard way. For some things, that's what you want," he finished with a wicked grin.

  "You are trouble, kid. Put up or shut up," Jeff said, placing the wrench on the mat and crossing his arms.

  Cole grinned and grabbed a different tool from the tool chest then worked the engine from a different angle as Jeff watched every detail. He explained the reasoning for each step and addressed questions Jeff asked along the way. "There you go," he said, backing away from the car.

  The older man looked at the wall clock and snorted a chuckle. "You realize you just did that in about half the time I would have taken?" He waggled his finger at Cole. "And that has nothing to do with my age, kid."

  Cole shot him one of his cocky grins. "Like I said. You were doing it the long and hard way. They probably show you how to do it that way in school so you can bill more time."

  "Maybe. What else can you do with cars?" Jeff asked, removing the crank shaft.

  "How much time you got?" Cole said with a laugh.

  Jeff shook his head. "Anyone tell you a little modesty goes a long way?" he asked, looking over his shoulder before he turned to work the pistons.

  Cole nodded. "Yeah, but when you don't have those fancy certificates on the walls, you need to work twice as hard to prove your skills. I'm not shy about what I can and can't do."

  Jeff looked at him appraisingly. "Okay, kid. Show me what you'd do with this." He retreated and moved his hand in a sweeping motion.

  Cole immediately dove into his work, explaining what he was doing with each step and mixing in random thoughts or bits of car history—from the manufacturer, other jobs on similar engines, just about anything.

  "You're tiring me out, kid," Jeff said. "Your brain works a hell of a lot faster than your hands."

  "And apparently my mouth is much faster than my brain," Cole said with a smirk.

  Jeff barked a laugh. "I've noticed that one."

  "Sorry," Cole said, turning away. Who knew how many things he might have said in the span of the last few hours that would have best been kept quiet?

  The older man grabbed Cole by the back of the neck. "Don't apologize, it's refreshing. Things have changed around here in the last two years so it's nice to have a bit of a laugh."

  Cole nodded and continued to work, thankful he hadn't screwed this up so soon. Jeff was patient as hell, asked questions, and would occasionally nod an approval. He effortlessly worked with the older man for most of the day. He was so excited he couldn't stop talking—more than usual. Jeff didn't seem to mind at all.

  Ty walked by on his way back to his office with Stacie hot on his heels. It seemed as if she had some LoJack or other GPS tracking device pinned to his ass because she always seemed homed in on his location. The two times he'd seen Ty, Stacie had shadowed him, rattling off something from her clipboard or scribbling some note.

  Ty was very different from Aidan. While Aidan commanded the attention of a room, Ty was reserved and had a quiet demeanor. He obviously took pride in his shop and cared for his workers, asking Stacie to check with the members of the team on what they wanted for the lunch menu. He was attentive to his staff, thanked them when he made a round through the mechanic bay, and made sure to relay a message from a customer who had called to inform him they were happy with the service.

  The staff obviously liked him, but something was…off. They seemed guarded, hyperaware of him when he entered the area.

  "Are they afraid of him?" Cole asked Jeff some time later.

  Jeff shook his head. "Why would they be? Ty's great. Focus on your work."
>
  "I can listen while I work," Cole said with a scowl.

  "Focus, kid."

  "Focus, kid," Cole said in an exaggerated mocking tone. "Ow! What the hell did you do that for?" He turned to face the older man and rubbed the back of his head.

  "You do realize I'm standing next to you, right?"

  "Yeah, so," he said, still rubbing the back of his head through his beanie. The old guy smacked harder than Julian. "Would it be better if I did it when you couldn't hear me instead?"

  Jeff crossed his arms and stared down at Cole. "No. It would be better if you didn't do that at all." The older man closed his eyes and sighed dramatically. "You're a handful. You know that, kid?"

  Cole shrugged. "I tend to talk before thinking through sometimes. What else do you need me to show you how to do?"

  Jeff chuckled. "C'mon, you smug little bastard. How about you let me work for a bit and you watch."

  "Fine," he said, wiping his hands on the shop towel. "But if you're going to mess something up, I'm going to say something."

  The older man smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

  "How are things going here?"

  Cole spun quickly when he heard Ty's voice from behind.

  "Good. We're wrapping up the rebuild, and it looks like we'll have it finished up by the end of day," Jeff responded.

  Ty nodded and pursed his lips. "Before schedule. That's great."

  Cole couldn't stop gawking at his new boss. For some reason, his mouth wasn't working. Something in the back of his mind told him not to stare, but he couldn't help it. Ty's brown eyes were a rich, milk chocolate brown with flecks of amber that reminded him of a glass of whiskey with the light hitting it just right. And when he pursed his lips, Cole shoved his hands in his pockets to disguise his instant hard-on in response to imagining how those full, wide lips would look wrapped around his dick.

  "So then, we'll see you back here tomorrow morning at eight," Ty said.

  Cole straightened. "You want me to come back?"

  Ty cocked his head then looked over to Jeff. "Is there a reason I shouldn't have him come back tomorrow?"

  Shit. Great. His fate lay in the hands of the old man he had been irritating for the past few hours and probably insulted at some point by questioning his work.

  Jeff looked over to Cole with a knowing smile. "Can't think of one."

  "Tomorrow at eight then," Ty said, before turning and heading back to his office with Stacie hot on his heels again.

  "Thanks," Cole said. "I appreciate it."

  Jeff placed his hand on Cole's shoulder. "You're a hard worker, why wouldn't we want you to stay on?"

  Cole shrugged and tugged on the edge of his beanie. "I don't usually get to come back for a second day. I think I drive people a little crazy."

  Jeff raised an eyebrow. "A little crazy?"

  Cole rolled his eyes. "Okay, a lot crazy."

  The older man laughed. "As long as you do good work and have Ty's best interest at heart, you're golden in my book, regardless of that mouth of yours."

  Cole gave him a lopsided grin. "Thanks."

  "Now, let's get back to this engine block so I don't look like a liar who overestimated our ability to finish before the end of day."

  Cole grinned and immediately returned to work. Wrapping up the last of the rebuild, he glanced at the wall clock and couldn't believe the day had flown by so quickly. They had finished the engine before the end of the day, just as Jeff had said they would.

  "You did good, kid."

  "You know, I'm not a kid," Cole said with a smirk. "I'm almost twenty-five." In about eight months, but Jeff didn't need to know that detail.

  "To me, you're a kid so deal with it. Ty's twenty-eight and I still see him as that little boy his father used to bring to the shop on weekends."

  "But if I call you old man, would you be offended?" Cole asked, crossing his arms and straightening to his full five-foot-nine height.

  "Do you prefer short stuff?" Jeff asked, mirroring his stance but towering over him by at least six inches.

  Cole chewed on his bottom lip and scowled. "I'm not short."

  "You're vertically challenged."

  "Compared to you," he mumbled. He was going to start developing a complex around all these guys. His entire family was about the same height but it seemed everyone he met since his release shared some height gene with Bigfoot. Aside from Stacie and his friend Jessie. At least he wasn't size-challenged in other areas, but he was pretty sure that little bit of info was best kept to himself. He didn't even need to pause for a moment to figure that one out.

  "Bye, Jeff, see you tomorrow," another one of the mechanics said as they grabbed their gear to leave.

  "Bye, Wayne," Jeff responded, looking over his shoulder before returning his focus to Cole.

  "Why do you call him by his name and give me a smartass nickname?" Cole asked, lowering his brow.

  "'Cause I like you. You got a problem with that?" Jeff asked.

  Cole looked at the older man skeptically. "No," he said suspiciously, enunciating the tiny word clearly. "Why do you like me?"

  Jeff looked away and shook his head. "I trust my instincts. And something tells me you're good for this place and the people here. Quit while you're ahead, kid."

  Cole smiled. "Okay, old man."

  Jeff chuckled. "You're trouble. Pack up your stuff and get ready to go. Who knows, if tomorrow you're good, maybe Ty will let you work with the other guys on the exotics."

  Cole's eyes rounded. "Yes, sir," he said before racing to the lockers to quickly change into his street clothes. He grabbed the work uniforms Stacie had left ready for him and made his way to a waiting Julian outside the shop.

  "I take it you had a good day?" Julian asked, pulling out of the parking spot.

  That launched Cole into a thirty minute retelling of his day. They arrived at the halfway house and were immediately greeted by Matt.

  "Hey, how was your first day?" Matt asked as they walked in the back door.

  Julian laughed. "You asked for it. I just spent the entire car ride hearing about it. Now it's your turn."

  Cole couldn't stop smiling. It was the first full day of an honest day's job and they wanted him to come back.

  It just couldn't get any better.

  Cole had barely slept, he was so eager to return to the shop. He thought the excitement might have worn off after the first few days, but it hadn't. If anything, he was even more anxious to return to work. He clocked in early and went to his locker, greeting some of the other techs as they arrived.

  He wasn't sure what part he liked most about his first week at the shop—hanging out with the guys, seeing how others worked, or being surrounded by anything and everything car related. For once, he felt like an equal among a group, comfortable, welcomed. He joked with the guys and none seemed to be bothered with his snarky comments or quick comebacks. In fact, he had overheard an argument between two techs who wanted to keep him on their projects.

  Damn, he liked that.

  But he wasn't kidding himself, there were two things he wanted more than to work with those guys. He wanted a chance to work with the exotics, but he'd trade that to work with Ty. A few stolen glances and the random 'how are you liking it so far?' wasn't enough to satisfy his curiosity about the quietly confident Calloway who invaded his thoughts more than he cared to admit.

  Physically, Ty ticked off each box on Cole's list—Ty was tall but not overwhelming, broad and muscular but more on the naturally fit side. He was quiet and cordial, which just piqued Cole's interest to discover if that façade held true with every aspect of his manner. And those eyes. They were a kaleidoscope of mesmerizing rich chocolate and amber shades. But even more intriguing were the emotions they held. Cole could swear he'd seen a hint of humor make an occasional appearance during those brief moments they chatted, but it was the guarded sadness he saw in them that spiked his curiosity. Something within him decided he needed to find a way to have the humor overshadow
the sorrow in that gaze.

  "C'mon, kid, you're working with me again today," Jeff said, corralling Cole to his station a moment before he spotted Ty exiting his office. His new boss raised a hand in greeting before making his way to the bays on the other end of the shop.

  Cole's shoulders slumped. "I take it there isn't a chance we're going to work with an exotic today," he grumbled.

  Jeff laughed. "No. And I know that's probably driving you crazy. I'm surprised you've held off this long."

  Cole shrugged. He was actually hoping Jeff would magically turn into Ty but he knew better than to blurt out that truth. He worked well with Jeff and the old man was a hell of a smartass. If he couldn't work with Ty or an exotic, Jeff was a solid alternative. "What are we working on today?"

  "We're replacing the transmission on this one," the older man said, preparing the area.

  "Okay." Cole reached for the work mats and began laying out the items for the job.

  * * * * *

  Ty took a quick inventory of the parts needed for the next phase of the Yenko restoration. He had to take a break from the service tickets he'd been working endlessly on for the past few weeks.

  "Ty, you around?" the voice said followed by a beep.

  He grabbed his radio. "Yeah, Sawyer. What's up?" He handed off the sheets to Stacie with his notes on the parts to order. Stacie nodded as his radio chirped again.

  "Can you come back here?"

  "On my way," he said. He walked through the two bays and reached the booth where Sawyer paced with his paint mask pulled up at the top of his head. "What's up?"

  "Katey went into labor. And I—"

  "So go," Ty said, taking the radio from his worker's hand. Sawyer and his wife had tried for too many years to have a baby and her entire pregnancy had been riddled with complications.

  "Shit, Ty. The timing's all messed up right now. I want to go but I need to finish the panels I started or they'll get all screwed up and I haven't had a chance to—"

  "Go. You need to be there," he stressed.