Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
“I don’t know,” I mused as I lowered myself onto the chair. “I’m such a baby compared to ye. Maybe I’ll call ye aul lad when the mood strikes.”
I laughed when his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. I quickly crossed my legs when a sudden pulse between my thighs caught me off guard. Jesus Christ, I was openly flirting with the man. I didn’t even think I knew how to flirt with someone, and here I was, teasing and smiling at the man like I’d known him my whole life. It hadn’t even been twelve hours since I’d first met him.
“Date,” one of the women a few seats down from me practically purred. “Haven’t seen ye in a while, big man. How’ve ye been?”
Dante looked at the woman, and fondness lit up his blue eyes.
“Róisín.” He inclined his head. “I’m grand. Work keeps me busy. Are ye well? ’Cause you’re lookin’ well, darlin’.”
Róisín practically beamed with delight. “I’m doin’ as well as can be. Are ye goin’ to the pub tonight?”
Dante flicked his eyes to me for a moment, then returned his gaze to the woman.
“Not tonight.”
“A pity, I was hopin’ to have a chat with ye.”
A chat, my arse. She wanted to have sweaty, dirty sex with the man, and I couldn’t blame her. Before Dante could reply, a voice hollered from inside the garage floor.
“Date? Give me a hand, bro. The damn hood won’t open on this piece of shit. I think someone’s actually welded it shut.”
The man’s accent wasn’t Irish. It stuck out like a sore thumb. I didn’t get a chance to see who spoke because Dante’s brother, Gavin, suddenly walked down the hallway with a middle-aged man in tow. A handsome middle-aged man, I’d even go as far as calling him a silver fox. He was clearly Dante and Gavin’s father. They were his image.
The man smiled brightly when his sky-blue eyes landed on me. Yep, definitely a silver fox.
“Miss O’Shea?”
“Yes, sir, Mr Collins.” I got to my feet and crossed the space to shake his outstretched hand. “But please, call me Ina. It’s a pleasure to meet ye, sir.”
Gavin chuckled as he walked by me. “Big brother, you’re so screwed.”
I didn’t have time to linger on what Gavin had said or why he said it. My focus was entirely on his father.
“It’s lovely to meet ye too, Ina.” Mr Collins gestured me forward with his hand. “If ye’ll join me, we can get started.”
I looked over my shoulder and noticed Dante and his brother watching me. When Dante winked at me, I smiled, suddenly not feeling so nervous. I turned forward and walked ahead of Mr Collins down the hallway when he gestured for me to do so. I passed by a door that said, “Employees Only”, another that read “Storage”, then entered the last room at the end of the hallway with a sign that said “Office”. I was careful where I placed my footing. Everywhere was clean, just extremely cluttered with boxes and piles of paper.
“I have to beg your pardon, love. This place looks like a bomb hit it.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“No worries, sir.”
He pulled out a seat for me in front of his desk, then he took his own behind it.
“Okay.” He exhaled a breath. “Where do I begin? Me head’s all over the place.”
I chuckled. “Take your time, sir.”
“Ah, here we are.” He picked up a few sheets of paper stapled together. “Ina O’Shea, twenty-seven years old from County Carlow.”
He muddled over the boring factors on my CV. He made two updates, one with my new address and the other with my phone number that was previously left blank.
“Okay, so to rid us both of nerves, I’ll ask a silly question to put us both at ease. Ready?”
“Ready.”
“Are ye an early bird or a night owl?
“Neither, sir. I’m a permanently exhausted pigeon.”
Mr Collins’ deep belly laugh made me feel like I was a comedian.
“Well, we’re both definitely at ease now.”
I grinned at him.
“Down to the interview we go. I see that ye’ve mentioned in your notes that you’re hearin’ impaired.” He glanced up at me. “Is that correct?”
“Yes, sir. I wear aids,” I explained. “Unfortunately, me right one broke last night, so only me hearin’ in my left ear is operational right now. I will be gettin’ me right one replaced very soon.”
“Are ye strugglin’ to hear me right now?” Mr Collins questioned. “I’m just thinkin’ of any phone calls ye’ll have to answer or make. A lot of our customers book online through our appointment portal, but many still call in to book in with us or make queries. Ye’ll have to deal with companies we order parts from over the phone too more often than not.”
“I can hear ye fine with my left ear,” I assured him. “Me workin’ device still levels out the sound for me, but I’m also good at lip readin’, so if I’m stuck, I trust in that. I can also sign, which might come in handy if any of your customers rely on that language.”