Gage O'Neill is an all-around nice guy and an Adonis in coveralls. With a thriving automotive business, a gorgeous girlfriend, and his ADHD under control, life is pretty incredible. But when he loses a loved one, Gage's perfect world unravels. Prone to bad choices, he's desperate to quell his rash behavior. Thankfully, hiring a curvy mechanic is the one impulsive decision he's gotten right.
Eden Sampario is destitute as a result of a confrontation turned violent with her former employer. When Gage mistakenly offers her a job, she readily accepts. But soon she wonders if she made the right decision. Resisting her sexy boss proves more challenging than an engine rebuild. Her only other option? Give in to temptation and risk not only her career but also her heart.
Welcome to Big C's automotive shop, a place where more than cars overheat.
Excerpt
He relaxed as the woman came back into view. She
hadn’t moved, other than to offer a forced smile at him.
He didn’t mean to stare, invading the woman’s privacy,
but he couldn’t look away. Her eyes, beseeching and
beautiful, yet without any spark. Her vulnerability
beyond raw, verging on potent.
The words grief and sorrow flashed at him like
flipped over cue cards from childhood. He reminded
himself of the circumstances. It was a wake after all.
Not everyone got plastered and told ill-humored jokes
to mask emotions. But this was a different kind of grief.
It went beyond that which had emanated from the
employees of Big C’s and others who knew Elroy. The
woman’s sorrow so intense, so forceful, he felt her
profound loneliness. There wasn’t a name or a way to
describe what he witnessed in those big brown eyes of
hers, but it existed in the same way the moon existed
during the day. Her grief radiating from a place no
armor could protect, from deep within, bursting directly
from her soul.
He too experienced this level of pain, not only
today but every day since Elroy left this world. Plenty
of people missed the old mechanic, but until now, he
hadn’t thought anyone ached like he did. Elroy’s life
meant something extraordinary to this woman.
Something which brought her here. To a hole in the
wall bar, in a town so small, businesses shut down for
funerals.
