Love After All

  That was a first for her.

  He looked over at her. "You're staying tonight, right?"

  No mention of her raccoon makeup, her crazy, wild hair. No laughing at her. He'd just asked her to stay with him.

  Warmth surrounded her.

  "Yes. I'm staying."

  He gathered her close, and Chelsea was certain she was in way over her head.

  She had to keep reminding herself their relationship was just a temporary thing. He still wasn't the perfect man for her.

  But for right now? This was really good.

  Chapter 27

  Bash took his car into Carter's shop for some repairs. He'd noticed when driving it the last few times that it was making a grinding noise. He knew it was going to need new brakes soon, but soon had become now. Especially after being out in that rainstorm with Chelsea in his car. Bad brakes and a rainstorm didn't go together well at all.

  Normally he drove the truck and let his car sit. He was considering selling it, but it was an older model Honda and he was going to have to get some work done to it anyway to get it ready to sell.

  Today was a good day to get that work started.

  He sat in Carter's office while Carter prepared the paperwork.

  "This is normally the shop manager's job, ya know," Carter said as he and Bash went over the list of everything Bash wanted done to the Honda.

  "But then you'd miss spending time with me. What a loss that would be for you."

  Carter shook his head. "Yeah. Right. So, besides the brake work, you want an oil and filter change, and a check on the A/C unit. Then you want some bodywork done as well?"

  "Yeah. I got hit a year or so ago on the back quarter panel while I was parked at the grocery store and I never bothered to get it fixed. I'd like that smoothed out and repainted."

  Carter nodded, writing it all down. "Drive it around the back and I'll have Brady take a look at it, then we'll figure up an estimate."

  Bash drove the car around to the back where the bays were located and parked. By then Carter had walked out with Brady, who'd started working several months ago as his auto body specialist.

  "Hey, Brady," Bash said.

  Brady nodded. "How's it goin'?"

  "Good."

  "Carter tells me you want to do some bodywork on the Honda?" Brady was already walking around the car.

  "Yeah. I'd like to sell her. The smaller dings are okay, but I want the major dents fixed."

  Brady crouched in front of the damaged panel. "This looks like the worst of it. Some grocery cart get violent with you?"

  Bash laughed. "More like an errant teenager with a new driver's license. A bash-and-run at the grocery store."

  "Even worse." Brady stood. "Should be an easy enough fix."

  Brady jotted down some notes on the clipboard Carter had handed him. He gave it back to Carter, and Carter took it inside, saying he'd have a total for him shortly. Bash decided to hang around the shop where Brady was working. Brady had popped into the bar a few times since he'd been back in town, though he tended to drink his beer and keep to himself.

  He'd known about Brady's brother, Kurt. Bash and Kurt had been the same age, had gone to high school together. It had been a bad deal for Kurt, and he knew what happened must have devastated Brady, though Brady didn't talk about it.

  Not to Bash, anyway.

  "How's the job going?" Bash asked as he watched Brady put a finishing polish to a now-shiny, restored Grand Prix.

  "Good. There's a lot more bodywork here than I thought there'd be when I first took the job. Both custom work and fixing dinged-up cars--like yours." Brady quirked a grin in his direction.

  "Glad to help keep you in business. Carter said word's gotten out that you're here, so you're getting a lot of restoration pieces."

  "Yeah. Those take longer, but those and the custom motorcycle jobs are the ones I enjoy the most. I work on them in my off-hours so they don't interfere with regular business."

  "That's what you want to do eventually, isn't it? Open up your own shop and just do the bike repair and painting?"

  "Yeah. Eventually."

  "You're still staying above the shop?"

  Brady nodded, then grabbed a rag and wiped his hands. "It's a good spot, and I can easily do night and weekend work on the bikes. It's convenient."

  "How are your parents?" He knew it was a personal question, but he liked Brady, and it was an indirect way of asking how he was doing without actually asking.

  Brady finally made eye contact. "They're doing okay. It's hard for them, you know? They haven't really been able to grasp that Kurt's gone. And they keep blaming themselves, even though I've tried to explain to them that it wasn't their fault." He paused for a few seconds, then added, "Wasn't anyone's fault, really."

  "Not in that situation, no. Not much anyone could have done."

  Brady dragged in a breath. "Nope."

  Bash felt the pain radiating off Brady and wished there was something he could do or say to take that pain away, but he knew there was nothing. "I'm sorry, man."

  Brady shrugged. "It is what it is, ya know?"

  "Yeah."

  "I need to get back to work." And just like that, his smile returned. "I'll get your Honda shiny and new so you can find a buyer for her."

  "I'm sure you will." He shook Brady's hand. "Thanks."

  Bash wandered back into the office. Carter handed him the estimate. Bash went over it and nodded. "This looks fine. Since I'm leaving the car here with you while it's being worked on, maybe you can give me a ride home?"

  "Sure."

  They slid into Carter's Mustang and headed out.

  "Where's Molly today?"

  "She's doing a training at one of the other shops."

  "Ah, okay."

  Bash always enjoyed a ride in Rhonda, Carter's '67 Shelby Mustang. It was a gorgeous restored classic, and just to feel her engine rumble was a joy that every man needed to experience once in his lifetime.

  Someday, he was going to have to buy a classic car. In his spare time. With all that spare money he never seemed to have.

  "I talked to Brady about Kurt," Bash said as they took a slow ride along Hope's main street.

  "Yeah? How did that go?"

  "About like you'd expect. I mainly asked about his parents, but I thought maybe he'd open up about his brother."

  Carter shook his head. "He doesn't talk about it. To me, or to anyone, as far as I know. He's a lot more animated now than he was when I hired him, but Kurt's death really hit him hard."

  "It hit all of us hard. I think about him a lot, wishing there was something I could have done. I can't even imagine what goes through Brady's head."

  "Yeah, me, too. It has to be tough on him. I just wish he'd talk to somebody about it."

  "How do you know he hasn't? He's got friends, right?"

  Carter shrugged. "He used to, but as far as I know, no one comes around the shop, and he mostly hangs out there, working or doing bike jobs at night and on the weekends."

  Bash nodded. "I've seen him at the bar a few times. Alone. I've tried to engage him, but I haven't gotten very far. He needs friends. Someone to talk to."

  "He'll talk to someone. When he's ready. He's obviously not ready yet."

  Bash hoped so. Holding that kind of shit inside of you only made it worse.

  "So how are things going with Chelsea?" Carter asked, obviously needing a change of topic as much as Bash did.

  "Good. I think. I don't really know."

  Carter laughed. "That was a vague non-answer."

  "I guess it was. I don't know what to think about her. She's got some definite ideas about what she wants in a guy, and I'm not it."

  Carter turned the corner, giving Rhonda some gas. "Yet she seems to spend all her time with you."

  Carter had a point. "She does."

  "So maybe she likes being with you."

  "Well, yeah. Who wouldn't?"

  Carter laughed. "That's what I've always liked about you, Ba
sh. You're so humble."

  "Right?"

  "But seriously, about Chelsea, what do you think?"

  "I don't know. We're just taking it day by day. Or at least I am. I don't want to get in too deep with a woman who has a perfect-man list when I don't meet the criteria."

  Carter pulled up in front of Bash's house, then turned off the engine and turned to him. "Look, I'm not the best at giving advice, and if anyone could fuck up a relationship in the worst way, it's me. But here's the thing. The brain and the heart are two different organs. What one thinks it wants may not have anything to do with how the other feels. Molly and I spent a lot of years apart figuring that out."

  Bash nodded. "Yeah, I get that."

  "So if you've got feelings for her, then start working on her heart, and maybe her head will eventually fall in line."

  Bash got out of the car and shut the door, then leaned in and smiled. "Sometimes you surprise me with how smart you are."

  Carter frowned. "I'm going to have to think about whether that was an insult or a compliment."

  Bash laughed. "Thanks for the ride, buddy."

  "Anytime."

  By the time Bash drove to work that day, he was in a pensive mood. Fortunately, he had a goofy dog to help take his mind off whatever plagued him. A couple of the waitresses played ball with Lou before they opened, so she got to burn off some of her excess energy, which was good, since he wouldn't have much time to play with her later. He was running a couple of drink specials tonight, and there were a few baseball games being played that were likely to bring in a big crowd.

  Summer filled the air, it was Saturday night, and he hadn't seen Chelsea in a week. She'd been busy with finals and graduation, so she told him she wouldn't be available. They'd talked on the phone a few times, but he'd given her space. He knew what it was like to be busy, and he didn't want to get in the middle of her schedule.

  But it was still interesting how she filled the spaces in his head even when she wasn't around. It was probably dangerous to let that happen, considering her state of mind about their relationship.

  He shook off thoughts of Chelsea and dove into work. It got crowded early and stayed that way for the majority of the night. The baseball games, plus the drink specials, brought in a lot of people. Bash tried to glance at the game scores while he made drinks. His favorite team was ahead, so that made the night even better.

  As usual, Lou wandered around, making friends at all the tables. She'd become a staple at the bar, especially drawing in the women, which made his male regulars damn happy. In turn, it made him damn happy, too. More women coming to the bar meant more guys buying drinks for them.

  Lou was good for business. Maybe he should put her picture on one of the front windows. The thought of that made him laugh.

  He had his hands full with making six fruity drinks for a table of women when a soft, sexy voice hit him.

  "You look busy."

  He turned around to see Chelsea had taken a spot on one of the barstools.

  He grinned, always gut-punched whenever he saw her. Tonight she wore a sexy, formfitting silver top.

  "Hey. What are you doing here?"

  "Megan, Sam, and I went to the movies earlier tonight, then over to Megan's place for board games. I didn't want to go home after, so I thought I'd stop here and check you out."

  He didn't want to admit to himself how glad he was to see her, but he was. "Checking me out, huh?"

  "Yes, you know, to make sure the bar wasn't going to fold due to lack of business." She looked around at the packed house, then gave him a crooked smile.

  He laughed. "No fear of that tonight." He finished filling the drink order so his waitress could take it to the table.

  "No kidding. Are you giving drinks away tonight?"

  "Not exactly. Good baseball games, and I'm running a drink special."

  "Obviously it worked well."

  "Can I get you something to drink?"

  She studied the alcohol behind the bar for a few seconds. "A vodka cranberry sounds good."

  "Coming right up."

  He made her drink, then handed it to her, sliding his fingers over her hand. "I'm glad you're here, Chelsea."

  Her lips curved. "Me, too. I've actually got a surprise for you."

  His brows rose. "You do?"

  "Yes. For after work."

  "Now I'm intrigued."

  "You should be."

  She sipped her drink while he worked, though he periodically checked back with her. This being Hope, she knew a lot of people, so she mingled. He knew he didn't have to worry about her. For a while, she had Lou on her lap. His dog happily snoozed while Chelsea sat at a table with several couples that had stopped in. Bash recognized one of the guys as a Hope teacher, so he assumed that's how Chelsea knew the group. He was glad she was in good hands.

  He didn't see her again until about an hour later, when she came back to the bar, still holding Lou.

  "Your girl seems wiped. Mind if I take her home?"

  He leaned over the bar. "And by home, I assume you mean my place?"

  Her lips tilted. "Of course."

  "Sure. You know the code to the garage door."

  "I do. I'll see you there in a little while."

  "Hang on a second." He hollered to the other bartender that he'd be back in a minute, then grabbed Lou's crate and came out from behind the bar.

  Chelsea gave him a quizzical look.

  "Walking my girls to the car."

  She smiled. "Okay."

  Chelsea waved goodbye to her friends. He noticed there were two couples there, and a guy by himself. The guy was definitely giving Chelsea interested looks.

  Huh.

  He knew one of the teachers, Joe Bretano, was married, so he waved to Joe and his wife.

  "Were all of those people teachers?"

  "Oh, the group I was sitting with? Yes."

  "I know Joe and his wife, Elaine."

  Chelsea nodded. "Yes. There was also Terri Frontman and her husband, Rick. Terri teaches English."

  They stopped at her car and Bash put Lou's crate in the backseat.

  "Who was the other guy? The one by himself?" he asked.

  "Oh, he's the new football coach, Zach Powers. He was just hired at the end of the school year, since Red Davis retired."

  "I heard Red retired. I didn't know they hired his replacement."

  She nodded. "Zach will be teaching history."

  "He was giving you looks."

  She paused as she was about to slip Lou into her crate, straightening to give him a shocked look. "What? He was not."

  "Yeah, he was."

  She shook her head and put Lou into her crate. "I think you're imagining things."

  "I'm a guy, Chelsea. I know when another guy is giving a woman a once-over. More than once, as a matter of fact."

  She leaned against the side of the car and crossed her arms, an amused smile on her face. "You're jealous."

  "No, I'm not. I'm just telling you what I saw."

  "You are jealous. That's so sweet, Bash." She pushed off the car, shut the back door, then wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, the kind of kiss that told him she was into him, not Zach the new football coach.

  When she pulled back, there was definite desire--and promise--in her eyes.

  "Don't forget, I have a surprise for you at home. I'll see you later."

  She climbed into her car, and he waited until she drove off.

  He was not jealous. But as he walked inside, he stopped at the table to say hello to Joe and Elaine, who introduced him to Terri and her husband. And to Zach.

  "I hear you're the new football coach at Hope High," he said to Zach.

  Zach was tall and well-muscled. He looked like he'd played some football himself in the past.

  Zach offered an easy smile. "I am. I'm looking forward to it."

  "Welcome to Hope, Zach."

  "Thanks, Bash. You have a great bar here. I hope to spend some time hanging out. I'm a
big sports fan."

  They spent a few minutes talking about tonight's games as well as Hope High's football team's chances for next season. Then Bash had to get back to the bar.

  Dammit. Zach was a nice guy. He'd gone to school in Tulsa, had attended college in Texas, and had played football there. He'd gotten drafted by Detroit, but a knee injury had forced an early end to his career. He'd ended up teaching in Detroit, but he wanted to come back home. When Coach Davis announced his retirement, Zach said he applied for the job and got it, so he moved to Hope to be closer to his family.

  He wasn't an asshole, and hell, who could blame him for being attracted to Chelsea? Too bad Bash wasn't able to work into the conversation that he was kinda sorta dating Chelsea.

  But was he, really?

  Then again, she'd showed up at the bar tonight to hang out with him, so he'd take that as a definite ...

  Maybe.

  He should just accept whatever was going on between them for what it was. They were hanging out and having fun together.

  And she was waiting for him at his house, so right now, he couldn't wait to get finished with work so he could see her.

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time.

  Not too long now.

  Chapter 28

  Chelsea had prepared everything in advance--actually, before she'd gone to the bar to see Bash. It was handy having the code to his garage door.

  The guy worked long hours and ate too much junk food, and she'd wanted to surprise him tonight, which was why she'd gone to the bar. Getting to bring Lou back here with her had been a bonus. She'd actually had an opportunity to take a little nap. She curled up on the sofa with Lou, turned the TV on, and conked out for about an hour and a half. There was something about a warm dog curled up against you that made you sleepy. Then again, it was late.

  She had no idea how Bash kept the hours he did. Of course, he started his day a lot later than she did.

  She got up and prepped everything, figuring Bash would be home soon. By the time she had the table set, she heard the sound of his truck pulling into the driveway. Lou heard it, too, because she barked.

  "Bash's home, isn't he?" she asked Lou, who responded by barking again, wiggling her butt, and running to the door leading to the garage.

  So cute.

  He opened the door. "Hey, Lou." He scooped the dog up and cradled her under his arm to pet her.

  "And hey to you, too. Sorry I'm late."

  She came over to him and brushed a kiss across his lips. "You're not late."