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Authors: Julie Garwood
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had usurped his title as the king of gross. Professor MacKenna wiped his mouth with his napkin, which had lain folded on the table throughout the meal, and scooted out of the booth.
“I want to get home before it gets dark.”
It wouldn’t be dark for at least another hour. “Do you live far from here?”
“No,” he answered. “I’ll meet you at the car and transfer the boxes. You’ll take good care of them? Isabel spoke highly of you, and I’m trusting her.”
“I’ll take good care of them,” she promised.
Ten minutes later the bill had been paid, the boxes had been transferred to her car, and Jordan was, for the time being, rid of the professor.
She felt liberated.
J ORDAN WAS UP BRIGHT AND EARLY THE FOLLOWING MORNING . She drove the car over to Lloyd’s Garage and was parked and waiting for him to open his doors.
She hoped to get the car patched up, then drive to the grocery store she was told had a copy machine. If all went well, she could get one box finished and maybe half of another. Two of the boxes were filled to the top, and, fortunately, the professor hadn’t written on both sides of the paper because the pen he’d used on some of them had bled through.
The garage doors opened ten minutes after eight. After popping the hood and looking at the engine for about thirty seconds, the mechanic, a brute of a man about her age, leaned against the fender, crossed one ankle over the other, and gave her a slow and definitely creepy once-over while he wiped his hands on an oily rag.
He must have thought he’d missed something in his rude inspection because he gave her the once-over again, and then again. Honest to Pete, her car hadn’t gotten this much attention.
She was going to have to put up with the jerk because he was the only mechanic in town until next Monday.
“I’m pretty certain the radiator has a leak,” she said. “So what do you think? Can you patch it up?”
The mechanic had his name, Lloyd, printed on a strip of masking tape and stuck to his shirt pocket. The edges were curling up. He turned away, tossed the dirty rag on a nearby rack, and then turned around again.
“Can I patch it? Depends,” he drawled. “It’s egregious is what it is.”
“It is?”
“You know…salivient.”
Lloyd obviously liked to use big words whenever possible, even when those words didn’t make sense. Salivient? Was that even a word?
“But you can fix it?”
“It’s almost beyond repair, sweetie.”
Sweetie? I don’t think so. She silently counted to five in an attempt to keep her temper under control so she wouldn’t blow up. It wouldn’t do to alienate the man who could get her car running.
Good old Lloyd had worked his way down to her feet and was on his way back up when he said, “What we have here is a serious situation.”
“We do?” Determined to get along no matter how irritating the man was, she nodded. “You said it was almost beyond repair?”
“That’s right. Almost.”
She crossed her arms and waited for him to finish another trip down her legs and back. He should have them memorized by now. “Would you care to explain?”
“Your radiator has a leak.”
She felt like screaming. She’d already told him that.
“I could probably repair it temporarily, but I can’t guarantee it would hold,” Lloyd continued.
“How long will it take you to repair it?”
“Depends on what I find under the hood.” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully, and when she didn’t immediately react, he added, “You know what I mean?”
She knew exactly what he meant. Lloyd was a real degenerate. Her patience ended. “You’ve already looked under the hood,” she snapped.
Her obvious anger didn’t appear to faze him. He must be used to rejection, she decided. Either that or he’d stood outside in the sun too long and had fried his brain.
“Are you married, sweetie?”
“Am I what?”
“Married. Are you married? I need to know who to bill,” he explained.
“Bill
“I want to get home before it gets dark.”
It wouldn’t be dark for at least another hour. “Do you live far from here?”
“No,” he answered. “I’ll meet you at the car and transfer the boxes. You’ll take good care of them? Isabel spoke highly of you, and I’m trusting her.”
“I’ll take good care of them,” she promised.
Ten minutes later the bill had been paid, the boxes had been transferred to her car, and Jordan was, for the time being, rid of the professor.
She felt liberated.
J ORDAN WAS UP BRIGHT AND EARLY THE FOLLOWING MORNING . She drove the car over to Lloyd’s Garage and was parked and waiting for him to open his doors.
She hoped to get the car patched up, then drive to the grocery store she was told had a copy machine. If all went well, she could get one box finished and maybe half of another. Two of the boxes were filled to the top, and, fortunately, the professor hadn’t written on both sides of the paper because the pen he’d used on some of them had bled through.
The garage doors opened ten minutes after eight. After popping the hood and looking at the engine for about thirty seconds, the mechanic, a brute of a man about her age, leaned against the fender, crossed one ankle over the other, and gave her a slow and definitely creepy once-over while he wiped his hands on an oily rag.
He must have thought he’d missed something in his rude inspection because he gave her the once-over again, and then again. Honest to Pete, her car hadn’t gotten this much attention.
She was going to have to put up with the jerk because he was the only mechanic in town until next Monday.
“I’m pretty certain the radiator has a leak,” she said. “So what do you think? Can you patch it up?”
The mechanic had his name, Lloyd, printed on a strip of masking tape and stuck to his shirt pocket. The edges were curling up. He turned away, tossed the dirty rag on a nearby rack, and then turned around again.
“Can I patch it? Depends,” he drawled. “It’s egregious is what it is.”
“It is?”
“You know…salivient.”
Lloyd obviously liked to use big words whenever possible, even when those words didn’t make sense. Salivient? Was that even a word?
“But you can fix it?”
“It’s almost beyond repair, sweetie.”
Sweetie? I don’t think so. She silently counted to five in an attempt to keep her temper under control so she wouldn’t blow up. It wouldn’t do to alienate the man who could get her car running.
Good old Lloyd had worked his way down to her feet and was on his way back up when he said, “What we have here is a serious situation.”
“We do?” Determined to get along no matter how irritating the man was, she nodded. “You said it was almost beyond repair?”
“That’s right. Almost.”
She crossed her arms and waited for him to finish another trip down her legs and back. He should have them memorized by now. “Would you care to explain?”
“Your radiator has a leak.”
She felt like screaming. She’d already told him that.
“I could probably repair it temporarily, but I can’t guarantee it would hold,” Lloyd continued.
“How long will it take you to repair it?”
“Depends on what I find under the hood.” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully, and when she didn’t immediately react, he added, “You know what I mean?”
She knew exactly what he meant. Lloyd was a real degenerate. Her patience ended. “You’ve already looked under the hood,” she snapped.
Her obvious anger didn’t appear to faze him. He must be used to rejection, she decided. Either that or he’d stood outside in the sun too long and had fried his brain.
“Are you married, sweetie?”
“Am I what?”
“Married. Are you married? I need to know who to bill,” he explained.
“Bill
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