A Father's Name(64)
Tucker didn’t blame him. His life was in upheaval. He’d lost his friend, he’d inherited a baby and he’d lost his job and his identity.
No, she couldn’t blame him.
“Yes,” she said. “We’ll make it a night to remember.”
It wasn’t his fault that she’d gone ahead and fallen head over heels in love with him.
CHAPTER TEN
ON WEDNESDAY, TYLER was struck with an overwhelming realization as he arrived at work. Something that he wouldn’t have believed before life, as he’d known it, had fallen apart.
He liked being here at Tucker’s Garage.
The fact that he’d see Angelina every day was part of it, but not all of it. He simply genuinely liked the work.
If someone had asked him before everything happened, he’d have said he never wanted to do car repairs again. He’d had his fill of mufflers and oil changes growing up. He’d accepted being a mechanic out of desperation. He needed a job and no one else wanted to hire a convicted thief.
When George Tucker had offered him a chance, Tyler expected to punch in each day, do his time, then punch out. He assumed the actual job would be a grind and that he’d hate it.
Yet, as he walked into the garage today, he looked forward to it, found a certain peace here despite occasionally having to listen to the noise of air hammer and impact gun. He liked the feeling of accomplishment when he figured out what was wrong with a vehicle, then fixed it. He even liked the faint smell of exhaust and oil that seemed to permeate garages, no matter how good the ventilation system.
Tyler almost laughed at the thought as he digested this new insight.
When he was young, and his father was too drunk to repair a car, Tyler had done it and he’d resented it. A twelve-year-old shouldn’t be responsible for putting food on the table. When Tyler couldn’t figure out a problem, or what to do about it, he’d haul his old man’s sorry ass out of bed and make him show him.
He’d hated it. Hated every minute. Hated missing classes to do a repair. Hated the ever-present oil under his fingernails.
But now?
He smiled as Joe and Lou teased North about his new girlfriend. He’d been with Jen since the Fourth of July outing. And they were going strong, which meant the teasing at the shop was even stronger.
“Come on guys,” North said, “she didn’t dress like Star Trek characters or Star Wars. She dressed as Sookie Stackhouse.”
“Who?” the other two guys asked.
North shook his head in disgust. “A girl who dates vampires in a book series and on a television show. I know old men don’t follow popular culture, but it’s a big show. Vampires are a huge trend.”
“Vampires?” Joe asked. “Come on, North, aliens and starships aren’t enough, now you’re dating a vampire?”
North grimaced. “Jen’s not a vampire and neither is Sookie. Sookie’s part fairy, but mainly human.”
“Oh man…” Lou said.
Tyler laughed and the guys turned around.
“You gonna weigh in, Ty?” Lou called.
Joe nodded. “The kid’s dating a vampire…”
“She only dressed like a girl who dates vampires for a convention,” North protested.
“Yeah, that’s right, she’s half fairy,” Joe’s tone was serious, but his expression was anything but.
“I’m not getting into this,” Tyler said, laughing. “I know when it’s best to stand back and let you guys go at it.” He left his three colleagues arguing about vampires and went to check the worklist. As he listened to Lou and Joe giving North a hard time, he was struck all over again by the realization that he liked it here.
He was good at his job, and he loved coming here each day.
That was something.
He was beginning to understand how important that was.
Angelina appeared with Jace on her hip. And Tyler realized it wasn’t only Lou, Joe and North that he liked working with.
“Just checking in with everyone,” she called to them with a smile. “Jace and I are heading to my office to make some calls.”
“Poor Tucker,” North called out. “It has to be torture to call people and be all nice and accommodating.” He glanced at Lou and Joe, apparently hoping they’d join in and tease Angelina, but the two of them simply waved at her and started back to their work stations.