She often wondered what their clients thought when they first saw Gary. She knew what she’d think if he turned up at her door. She’d shut it in his face. However, there was one redeeming thing about him. He might be rude, sexist, and just plain disgusting, but he was a damn good plumber.
She guessed people would put up with a lot if it meant they got their leaks fixed or their toilets installed properly.
“It’s done for, sweet cheeks. I towed it back here for you, but the only way it’s leaving the yard is on the back of a flatbed headed for the junk yard.”
She tried not to show how much the thought troubled her. Or the fact that his breath was really bad today. Did he ever brush his teeth? She bet it wasn’t a fight that had lost him that tooth, but all those doughnuts he liked to consume. He ate sugar and crap all day and was as skinny as a toothpick, while she lived on salads and—
Wait a minute. Was she seriously jealous of Gary because he was skinny and could eat whatever he liked?
Huh, new low, Kinley.
“Thank you for towing it back here.” It saved her paying someone to move it. Although she wouldn’t be able to leave it here for long. Was Gary right? Was it only good for the scrap yard? Her stomach tightened at the thought of getting rid of the car. She knew she was overly attached; it was just a car. But it was the car her dad had chosen for her. The one he’d worked hard to give her.
“Yeah? How thankful are you?”
He leaned forward, placing his hands on her desk, his face mere inches from hers. She forced herself not to flinch, not because she was afraid of him, but, dear God, not only had he not brushed his teeth she was fairly certain he hadn’t showered either.
“Jeez, Gary, you ever hear of dental care?”
His eyes narrowed, and he snapped his head back, and she was able to breathe easier. But as she noted the angry look on his face, she realized she’d been too rash. She needed this job and couldn’t afford to offend Gary. Not when he could easily get her fired.
“What are you saying?”
“Nothing at all,” she told him with a cheery smile. “Just ignore me. I’m upset over my car.”
He sniffed, still looking suspicious. “Don’t know why you care about that hunk of junk.”
She pressed her nails into the palms of her hands. Calm. Just calm.
“I know it’s not the flashiest car, but it means a lot to me. My father gave it to me six months before he died.”
She knew as soon as she told him that she shouldn’t have. Gary didn’t have a sympathetic bone in his body. If there was anything more than beer and Cheetos swirling around in there, she didn’t know what it was.
He sneered at her. “Women. Always got to be sentimental about shit. It’s a car, not your dead father’s spirit or anything.” She ground her teeth together. She knew that. Asshole.
Gary studied her for a moment. “You’re acting weird today, is it your time of the month or something?”
Holy fuck. Was he for real?
“But, hey, I get it if you can’t afford a new one. I know what it’s like to be short a few bucks. I feel for ya.”
All right, that was suspicious. What was he leading up to? Because she was certain he didn’t care one bit about her finances.
“I’m sure you and me . . . we could come to some arrangement. You know what I mean?” He smiled, but his gaze was centered on her breasts. Not that she wore anything revealing. She’d learned from day one to dress very conservatively while working here. But it didn’t seem to matter, Gary still found a way to leer at them.
“I think I do. And let me tell you exactly what I think—” Just as she opened her mouth to let it rip, her boss walked into the reception area.
“Good, Gary, you’re back. Could you fix Kinley’s car?”
She shut her mouth. It was just as well Mike had come in. Telling Gary he was a pig who could shove his offer where the sun didn’t shine wouldn’t have been her brightest move.
She needed more sleep. She was usually much better at navigating the minefield of sexual innuendoes and gross come-ons Gary liked to hit her with on a daily basis. They usually didn’t bother her much. Today was not a usual day.
She’d spent most of last night thinking about James and her reaction to him. And when she wasn’t thinking about James, she had Sloan to worry about.
It was understandable she was short on patience with Gary-the-sleaze today. Still, it didn’t mean she could lose her temper with him.
“No, it’s fucked.”