A Restored Man

by Jaime Reese

  "Um, no. Not even for that much food. Just make a list of what you need and we'll pick it up at the store."

  Cole tugged on his beanie and leaned his head back on the couch. "Can you call and invite Aidan?"

  "I'll ask Matt to call him. If I called, he'll think something's wrong and start interrogating me," Julian said with a chuckle. "Does Aidan know you're putting the moves on his brother?"

  Cole vehemently shook his head. "Hell no. He already hates me so I'll leave that up to Ty to break it to him or he'll figure it out on his own when he comes over. Besides, we're going really, really slow."

  Julian looked up from his notebook again. "Blue balls?"

  Cole smirked. "I think they're bordering on purple. He's killing me."

  They both laughed and resumed their tasks—Julian forever writing in his notebook and Cole thumbing through a car magazine.

  "You should have introduced him at the party," Julian said.

  "I wasn't sure he'd be able to come by so I was surprised when he showed up. I didn't want to scare him away introducing him to everyone. He met my mom and she made a not-so-subtle comment. And he met Carmen, too." Cole shook his head. "I'm shocked that didn't send him running away."

  Julian chuckled. "Yeah, she's…um…"

  "Pushy as hell. But I love her."

  "And her daughter is great," Julian added quietly, scribbling in his notebook.

  Cole looked up from his magazine. "Have you guys ever thought about having kids? I always thought Matt would make the good family man, but after seeing you with Pulga, I was kind of surprised."

  Julian scowled. "Surprised?"

  Cole rolled his eyes. "Oh, c'mon. You never struck me as the daddy type. But Matt, I can totally see him with babies and all that…stuff."

  Julian's expression softened. "I can see that."

  Cole pitched the magazine on the table and turned to face Julian. "Pulga grabbed on to you like a tick. She never does that. Kids pick up on things sometimes better than adults do."

  "I don't think it's polite to refer to your niece as a blood-sucking insect," Julian said, absently scribbling in his notebook.

  Cole grinned wickedly. "You're avoiding the subject. I must have hit a home run."

  Silence.

  "What the fuck do you write in that notebook every day? Is that like a diary or something?" Cole asked, craning his neck hoping to sneak a peek.

  "I don't keep a diary."

  "Project notes?" Cole asked. It wasn't beneath him to annoy the hell out of Julian until he gave him an answer.

  "Sometimes."

  "Grocery lists?" Cole asked, leaning forward on his crossed arms.

  "Maybe."

  Cole stared at Julian intently. "Something to do with you and Matt?"

  Julian's jaw muscles flexed.

  Cole dove in for the kill. "House plans, baby names, wedding vows?"

  Julian's gaze shifted up slowly, his death glare in full force.

  A smile slowly spread across Cole's face. "Did I hit a grand slam?"

  Julian stood from the couch with his notebook in hand. "Take your baseball analogies and shove them up your ass," he said, heading up the stairs. "Lock up before you go to bed."

  Even Julian's death glare couldn't ruin Cole's mood. He launched into the kitchen and grabbed the notepad to make the grocery list for Saturday's dinner.

  Ty arrived at the shop an hour late and immediately began knocking off items from the project checklist, finally wrapping up the last of the details on the Drayton rig. The rig would be ready within the hour, just in time, before the scheduled service appointment for two additional cars.

  His focus kept wandering back to Cole circling the rig to inspect every line and gap to ensure everything was perfect. Behind that façade of somewhat crass humor was a man who had a deep love for his family and an intense work ethic. His expression, focused, his movements efficient and precise, and his knowledge and skills broader than any of the other techs. Ty smiled to himself and looked over at Cole again. He could literally see the wheels turning in Cole's head so fast Ty was certain smoke would start emerging from his ears.

  "So what are you making for our dinner date?" Ty asked to break the silence.

  Cole knelt and adjusted one of the hinges with a screwdriver, comparing the gap with the adjoining area.

  "Cole?" Ty asked.

  Cole jerked, as if deep in thought and only now heard Ty's voice for the first time. "Where do you go?"

  Ty cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

  Cole straightened and fidgeted, shifting the tool between his hands. "When you come in late to the shop. Where do you go in the morning?"

  Ty wiped his hands while he debated on the best answer to give. He hated talking about the accident but he didn't want to lie to Cole. "Doctor's appointment," he finally said.

  Cole set the tool down in the chest drawer and walked over to Ty. He stood in front of him and shoved his hands in his work pants. "Is that also where you went last week and on the weekend?"

  After a few moments, Ty relented and nodded.

  Cole chewed his bottom lip and tugged his beanie. "I'm probably going to totally screw this up so don't get offended, okay?"

  Ty hid a smile. He knew Cole tried to control the random best-kept-silent outbursts, but Ty secretly loved them. "Okay."

  "Four appointments in four weeks. Is, um…everything okay?"

  Ty looked away and rubbed his hands together. His heart beat faster, thinking of what to say. He hadn't noticed how hard he was pushing his palms against each other until Cole stilled his hands with his own. His gaze snapped back to Cole's concerned expression. "Sorry," Ty said, shaking his head. "I see a few doctors for follow-up. I, uh…" He ran his hands through his hair and looked away again.

  Cole stepped forward, closing the space between them. He pulled Ty by the waist. "Are you sick?"

  "No. It's complicated."

  Cole gave him a lopsided grin. "Everything with you is complicated. Keeps me interested."

  "Only you would say that." Ty reached out and brushed his thumb along Cole's cheek. There was something honest about Cole that invited Ty to open up to him. But that inner voice urging him to jump in with both feet still battled with the demon on his shoulder that swore the desire burning in Cole's mismatched eyes would be short-lived. He wasn't a risk taker by nature, but he couldn't deny wanting to take a chance with Cole. "Aside from regular doctors, I have appointments with a physical therapist and a…a psychologist."

  Cole scrunched his eyebrows. "Why are you seeing a shrink? I had a neighbor who used to grab the paper in the morning naked and lathered up in lotion to make it tougher for the aliens to get a hold of him. He saw a shrink."

  Ty smiled. "People go to doctors for different reasons. It just helps sometimes to talk through things."

  Cole casually slid his hand down Ty's hips and let his fingers graze over Ty's ass. Every inch of Ty's body was instantly on alert. "You can talk to me, save a buck. I'm a good listener," Cole said with a wicked, teasing smile.

  Ty laughed nervously. He grabbed Cole's wandering hands and pulled them to his chest. "I'm not ready to talk about certain things. But when I am, you'll be the first to know."

  "Promise?"

  "Swear."

  "Lasagna," Cole blurted out.

  "Huh?"

  "You asked what I was making for dinner tomorrow. I'm making lasagna," Cole said, withdrawing his hands from Ty's hold and placing them back on Ty's hips.

  "You're trouble, you know that?"

  Cole's fingers traveled over Ty's ass again, more deliberate. "I can be. But you want to go slow," he said, stretching out and dragging each letter of the small word.

  Ty chuckled and leaned in to place a quick peck on Cole's lips. "Yes. And we need to get back to work."

  Cole gripped Ty's ass hard and pulled him forward, flush against his body. He leaned up and whispered in Ty's ear, "Yes, boss."

  Ty closed his eyes and tried to control his
racing pulse. He wanted nothing more than to submit to whatever Cole wanted to do to him. "You're real trouble."

  Cole patted Ty's ass and chuckled. "I can't wait for you to finally shift into gear. This whole cruising in neutral shit is making my balls hurt."

  Ty shook his head and smiled. Cole took a few steps back before turning to resume his work. He quickly spun to face Ty again. "You're seeing a physical therapist?"

  Ty nodded.

  "Good."

  Ty cocked his head. "Why's that?"

  Cole waggled his eyebrows. "Makes you bendy."

  Ty just shook his head and laughed as Cole walked back to the door to finish his work.

  Cole was trouble all right. And Ty couldn't wait to take a chance on finding out just how much trouble Cole could be.

  * * * * *

  Cole removed the distributor cap from the box and inspected the new part before walking over to the engine. He should have picked the car he would service rather than let Ty assign it to him. Cole only needed ten more minutes to wrap up his work—Ty's ticket, a classic car with the service record from hell, would take a lot longer.

  "Hey, Cole. Can you come on over here and start the engine for me please," Ty said. "Something's not right and I need to see what it is when it cranks up."

  "Sure," Cole said, setting down the part on the fender pad. He sat in the driver's seat and turned the key. The engine kept turning, but wouldn't start.

  "Did you check the belts?" Cole asked, sticking his head in between the open door and the car's a-pillar support.

  Ty nodded as he stared under the hood. "Changed belts, plugs, and all the fluids. Try it again."

  Cole turned the key again with the same result. "What about the alternator?"

  Ty walked over to the tool chest and looked over the sheet on the clipboard. "It's new. Give me a sec and try it again," he said, dipping under the hood again. "Go ahead."

  Cole turned the key again. He didn't know what sounded louder. The boom he heard coming from the front of the car that shook the driver's seat, or the sound of his heart beating in his ears when he realized Ty had been close to the explosion. He raced out of the car and found Ty lying on his back on the ground, shaking his head. "You okay?" Cole breathlessly asked, looking over to the car's engine. He leaned over and saw the battery housing had exploded, burned parts scattered and some melted. He looked back at Ty, still dazed on the ground as Jeff and two other techs came running over.

  "I think I'm okay," Ty said, trying to get up from the floor.

  Cole reached out to help him off the ground and noticed fluids splattered on the front of his coveralls and under his forearm, as if he had used his arm to block his face. "Get to the washdown now."

  "What the hell was that!" Jeff said, racing over to them.

  "Go, now!" Cole said firmly to Ty, trying to control the panic in his voice. He pushed Ty to leave and shifted his focus to the arriving techs. "Battery exploded." He glanced back at Ty walking quickly through the bays.

  "This is a mess," Jeff said. "Wayne, grab some baking soda and let's get this all neutralized and cleaned up ASAP."

  "What the hell," Cole whispered to himself when he saw Ty walk past the emergency washdown and head toward his office. "Fuck!" He began walking at a brisk pace through the bays and found himself racing until he reached Ty's office. He pushed open the door without knocking and found Ty with his coveralls hanging by the waist and his white T-shirt pulled halfway up, over his head. "Oh my God."

  Ty threw the shirt to the side and was startled to see Cole. "What the hell are you doing here?" he said, his tone both angry and worried.

  "Fuck! It's not supposed to happen that fast," Cole said, reaching out to touch Ty's torso grazing over the leathery skin with his fingertips. The texture was tough, firm, not new. He looked up. "I don't understand?"

  "Get out," Ty said, his voice barely above a whisper and unsteady.

  Cole shook his head. "You need to get the acid rinsed off. I don't get it. It shouldn't have caused this much damage this fast," Cole said, his fingers unable to stop touching the side of Ty's marred torso.

  "Get out!" Ty yelled at Cole just as Jeff entered the office.

  "Cole, you should probably leave," Jeff said, pulling Cole by the shoulders, herding him toward the door.

  "I don't understand…" Cole said. "It's too fast for it to have done that." He stopped in the doorway.

  "Get out!" Ty yelled again, his voice cracking. He turned his back to Cole and picked the shirt up off the ground.

  Jeff grabbed Cole's face to draw his attention. "Go," he said, his eyes pleading.

  Cole looked at Jeff, his heart still racing a mile a minute. "Make sure he gets under the wash for at least fifteen minutes and…" Then he saw Ty's back and lost his train of thought.

  "Cole, go. I'll take care of it. I promise," Jeff said, placing his hand on Cole's shoulder, gently pushing him out the office.

  Cole curtly nodded and closed the door on his way out. His heart had been beating so fast and his brain on auto-pilot, he hadn't connected the dots that Ty's torso hadn't been burned from the battery acid. Until he saw the scar running along Ty's spine. In an instant, the dots connected—the doctor's appointments, the physical therapy, the stretching exercises, the flinch of pain. Everything. Something had happened two years ago. An accident? He stalked back toward the bays, trying to sort the thoughts racing through his mind. He had to focus, he couldn't risk letting his mind wander faster than it usually did. He immediately worked with Wayne and the other tech to finish neutralizing the battery acid and clean up the area.

  "Do you need us for anything more here?" Wayne asked with the other tech standing alongside him.

  Cole shook his head. "I've got it. Thanks."

  He returned to work, finishing his car then moving on to check the ticket for the other. He surveyed the inventory and pulled a new battery. He focused on his work, mentally repeating each step of the task he was undertaking—trying to avoid the music from playing in his head or his mind from steering toward negative thoughts. He looked up in the direction of Ty's office. The Calloway temper had finally made an appearance in Ty and Cole knew better than to push. He'd finish the work then get an update from Jeff.

  He returned his focus to his work, trying like hell to block out the crack in Ty's voice when he had yelled.

  * * * * *

  "Get your hair, too…just in case," Jeff said.

  Ty closed his eyes and looked upward toward the showerhead, letting the water sluice through his hair and down his body. He didn't want to think about how embarrassing it was to stand completely naked in the employee showers in front of a man who had been like a second father to him. Instead, all he could think about was Cole, his warm hands on his skin and the worry in his eyes.

  "Shampoo it while you're at it," Jeff said.

  Ty could follow instructions. It seemed as if that was all he did lately. The physical therapy, the appointments with the half dozen doctors for follow-ups, the take-home instructions he had to follow. He was scarred, both physically and mentally. After everything he had gone through with the recovery, the intense physical therapy, the skin grafting, the uncomfortable pressure garment, the doctors who kept telling him his recovery was a miracle. He wondered, still, after everything, why he had been spared if he had such a hard time moving forward. Everything had changed that day. He had lost his parents, his relationship with Aidan wasn't the same, he had to do these repairs or risk losing his shop and customers. He wasn't the same man he was before.

  He was broken.

  Lately, there was only one thing that managed to get him up in the mornings. The one glimmer of happiness in his life wore a beanie to the shop every workday. He craved the laughter, the brash humor—regardless of how crass it may be. It was genuine. Unguarded. Uninhibited. Unmeasured.

  And exactly what he had been missing for the past two years.

  Cole didn't measure his comments or his actions. How could he? He didn't kno
w what Ty had been through. He didn't know about the accident, the scars, or the numerous metal parts in his body that held him together like a jigsaw puzzle.

  He leaned his weight on his arms against the shower tile wall. He didn't want to think about the worry he saw in Cole's eyes or the rejection he knew would follow. It was inevitable. Why would Cole want someone as screwed up as him?

  "I think that's good," Jeff said, pulling Ty from his thoughts.

  He grabbed the towel from Jeff's extended hand and began drying himself.

  Jeff casually turned his back to Ty and crossed his arms. "I remember when your father used to bring you to the shop to work. You were a tiny little thing. You'd get this sparkle in your eye when you looked at the cars. You knew you wanted to work with them even back then. They always seemed to make you so happy. You couldn't hide that sparkle." He turned to face Ty. "And you can't hide it now."

  Ty wrapped the towel around his waist, trying to salvage a little dignity.

  "Take a chance, Ty."

  Ty shook his head. His chest tightened at the thought of Cole's rejection.

  Jeff placed his hand on Ty's bare shoulder. "That boy is crazier than a two-peckered billy goat but he's got a heart of gold and a sweet tooth for you."

  "I can't. I have issues. He shouldn't have to deal with them."

  Jeff huffed a laugh. "You have issues? Then that boy has subscriptions."

  Ty looked up at Jeff. The older man was as stubborn as Cole sometimes.

  "You just need a little more time to get a handle on things…to adjust. You've been through a lot and you picked yourself up and you're getting through it. A Calloway never stays down. You're proof of that. Don't bury yourself in this crap. That's not like you."

  Ty ran both hands through his wet hair and exhaled heavily. "I'm tired, Jeff. I'm just tired. Every day it all takes so much effort."

  "Then stop trying to do it all yourself. That boy is itching for a chance. I'm surprised he's not driving you crazy about it."

  "He was."

  Jeff crossed his arms again. "And you think all that's going away because of this?" He pointed to Ty's scarred torso.