Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 16461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 82(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 82(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
So maybe I’d see it sooner rather than later.
“Bob Jones, you old son of a gun, put it there,” Lou says, offering a handshake to his old friend.
“Long time no see, Lou. Glad you’re willing to hear us out.”
“I’m always looking for a good opportunity. This your mechanic here?” he says, pointing at me.
“Him and my daughter here.”
Lou’s demeanor changes when he sees Windy. “Her? She’s working on cars? She’s far too pretty for that. Come on, missy, you should be on someone’s arm, not under a hood.”
“Sir,” I interrupt, “she’s helped me create this million-dollar idea. She’s brilliant and she’s far more than just a pretty face.”
He grunts. “Whoever heard of a woman mechanic? Sounds like work that could break their dainty little hands. She’s your daughter, Bob? You let her do this?”
Windy’s father doesn’t know what to make of this sudden change in conversation. “Yes? She’s very bright and she’s behind what we want to show you.”
He laughs. “All I want to see is her, though.” He steps forward and sizes up Windy.
“Can I help you, sir?” Windy says, not ready to deal with his shit.
“Oh, the things you can help me with. You have such a pretty face. You could get far if you leverage it right, telling you right now.”
“Not interested,” Windy says, breaking eye contact. “Judge my work on its own merits or don’t.”
“Come on, now. You know how it works in the business world. It’s not too different from cars. Sometimes you need to lube things up to get them going. With cash, with influence, with favors. And I know a favor you can do for me.”
“Back off,” I say, stepping in front of Windy, her father getting in between us too.
“What’s gotten into you, Lou? My daughter is half your age, you shouldn’t be talking to her like that.”
Lou grabs and adjusts his blazer. “I’m just saying what I need to get this business deal going.”
“You haven’t even seen our work,” Windy says, rolling her eyes.
“This doesn’t depend on how good your little doohickey is, cupcake. It depends on what you’re willing to do to get stuff done.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Lou?” Her father pushes past me and shoves him.
“Language! You know how I feel about foul language, Bob.”
“Forget your worries about language. The shit you’re spewing is far more foul than any ‘bad word’.”
He’s red with anger, and spits tobacco on the ground. “Figures you don’t want this bad enough. Thanks for wasting my time. Never call me again. Get out of my garage.”
Bob is trembling with anger, and I’m honestly right there with him. A few more words and I’d be throwing fists at that asshole too, but I guess I’m better at keeping my anger hidden.
We carry our things back out to the truck. Bob says, “I’m so sorry, sweetie.”
“For what?” Windy says as she closes the hatch.
“That I brought you here to be preyed upon like that. I should have known better.”
“He’s done it before. Usually when you weren’t looking.”
“What, really?”
“First time we went to meet him, he cornered me and threw cheesy pick-up lines at me. Asked me if I wanted to help my dad. I was fifteen at the time.”
Bob slams his fist into the truck. He starts marching toward the garage again, this time clearly ready to do some violence.
My level-headed ass grabs him by the arm. “I’d help you go thrash him but I don’t think that’s going to do us any good. Forget him. Move on. Let’s find another way to make this successful.”
Windy shakes her head and smiles. “I guess I’m grateful you’re both willing to go and kick his ass for me, but yeah, I’d rather forget about him and move on.”
Bob paces. “How? I don’t know of any other investors who would be willing to hear us out.”
“Let’s try Anchor Malone,” Windy says.
I raise an eyebrow. “Lemon’s husband?”
“Fig said he’d hear us out if this didn’t turn out well for us. And I’d say that meeting definitely didn’t turn out well for us.”
I nod along. “He’s loaded. And if he’s married to a Rough, there’s no way he’s a dickhead like Lou. I don’t think Rye and the other brothers would stand for someone mistreating their sister.”
Bob lets out a sigh of relief. “So there’s still hope for my sweetie’s idea?”
“I think so, Dad.”
“I guess I’ll do the honors and make the call,” I say. “I got the family connection after all.”
We climb into the truck, and pull away from Lou Griffin’s garage. Bob’s still broken up about it. “I should have never put you in harm’s way like that, Windy. I had no idea.”
“Don’t worry about it, Dad. I know you care. I know you try. You’ve done the best that a single dad can do. I love you.”