Chasing Red: Steamy New Adult Romance

I doubled my determination to find a job the next day. I felt threatened by the unfamiliar emotions Caleb could bring out in me, at how quickly I forgot all the precautions I put in place when he was near. I had to find a good-paying job and move out of his place, be on my own again.

By the third hour of job hunting, I glanced at my list, noting only one name left that wasn’t crossed out.

Hawthorne Auto Repair Shop—cashier/clerk. Apply in person. Salary to be negotiated.

Hawthorne Auto Repair Shop was on the opposite side of town from Caleb’s place, but that didn’t stop me. I boarded the bus and hoped for the best.

The garage was located on a big lot, a long, rectangular building freshly painted in metal gray with dark-blue trim. A smaller building with a slanted roof was attached to the left side. Cars were neatly parked side by side in rows of three.

The whirring of machinery, metal grinding against metal, and the heavy scent of diesel greeted me as I entered the garage. A young guy in a blue mechanic’s uniform was talking on his cell phone, his face youthful and stained with grease. He signaled for me to wait and jogged toward me.

“Can I help you?” he asked. The name tag on his uniform said DYLAN.

“I’m here to submit my résumé for the cashier/clerk position.”

“Hallelujah!” His face broke into a wide grin. “I’m Dylan, and the office is just over there.” He pointed to the door on his left. “I’d walk you over, but I just need to finish this.” He nodded at his phone.

Encouraged by his reaction, I smiled, then headed in the direction he had indicated.

I entered the office and saw a tall, slim-as-a-rose brunette standing behind the counter and cash register, her eyes narrowed into slits as she listened to a man I assumed was a customer. Her eyes shifted to me for a moment when the bell on the door jingled as it closed.

“Do you think I’m the one who puts these taxes on our customers’ bills? If I did, I’d add an asshole tax just before the idiot tax. Especially for some people,” she said in a no-nonsense tone, one perfect eyebrow arched.

She flipped her stylishly cut hair behind her shoulder.

“Not saying it’s you, but if you don’t pay for our service, you don’t get your car. Just try it,” she warned, her eyes gleaming with challenge when the customer reached for the keys on the counter. “Try driving that car out of this lot without paying your bill, plus taxes. I assure you, sir, you might get away from me but not from the cops.”

I bit my lip, wondering if I should turn around and leave, come back at a better time.

Her eyes flicked back to mine, and she gave me a quick wink.

I decided to wait and looked around the office. Facing the counter, there were two desks crowded with paperwork and paraphernalia. Shelves displaying car parts lined the walls, some behind glass. On the far end of the room was a glass door leading to the outside. The argument continued, but I noticed that the customer ended up paying his bill, plus taxes. Eventually he grabbed his keys and brushed past me on his way out.

And, in my opinion, barely kept his life.

“Bastard,” the brunette muttered under her breath. “Be gone, negative energy. Whew. Hello there, gorgeous. Here to pick up your car?”

She was absolutely unapologetic, her hazel eyes clear and direct as they focused on me. And I just had to grin. I liked her already.

I couldn’t help but admire the long, green Bohemian dress she was wearing. She had a small beauty mark on the side of her upper lip. She was of mixed race, possibly Asian and Caucasian. Behind her chic glasses, her hazel eyes slanted beautifully upward.

I shook my head. “Sorry, no. I’m here to hand in my résumé, if the cashier position is still open. I saw the ad online.”

Her brows knit in confusion. “What ad?”

She reached for my résumé, her eyes skimming it.

“I’m Veronica Strafford,” I said.

“Kara Hawthorne. Sweetie, I think you got the wrong shop—”

“Hey, Kar!”

We both turned at the voice. Dylan opened the office’s back door, poking his head inside. Sounds from the garage filtered through, loud but not deafening.

“Dad told me to post an ad on the internet for a part-time cashier to help you around here. You’re welcome.” His eyes shifted, and he grinned when he saw me. Then he winked.

“Will you stop winking? You look like you’re having an epileptic attack. And why did Dad ask you and not me?” She sounded insulted.

He rolled his eyes. “Chill, chill. This is exactly why Dad asked me. You’ve been a raging psycho lately, and you need help.” He winked at me again.

I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. It seemed such normal banter between brother and sister.

“Go to hell.” Kara turned her attention to me. “Sorry about that moron. We don’t let him out of his cage much.”

I smiled.

“I heard that!” Dylan piped up as he disappeared behind the closed door.

Kara waved her hand dismissively. “Okay, let’s take a look again,” she said, scanning my résumé. “Can you give me three references?”

“Absolutely.” I handed her a piece of paper with my references.

“Give me a second while I check these out,” she informed me, already heading to the back office for the phone.

When she came back a few minutes later, there was a radiant smile on her face. “I got ahold of two out of three of your references. Before anything else, I have a few questions I need to ask you now.”

“Okay.”

“Do you wear fur?”

“No.”

“Real leather?”

My mouth twitched. “No.”

“Good. I’m an animal lover. Are you vegan or vegetarian?”

“Um…no.”

“That’s too bad.” She let out a sigh before grinning. “You’re hired. Care to start today?”

My heart did a quick dance in my chest, and I felt a grin stretch across my lips, mirroring hers.

“I’d love to.”

“Call me Kar, then. And since I’m probably going to boss the hell out of you at work, want to have lunch with me now and we can discuss the rest?”

I nodded.

“There’s a vegetarian restaurant down the street. Okay with you?”

“Sounds perfect.”

She grabbed her purse and keys from a drawer in her desk, flipped the sign on the door saying that she’d be back in an hour, and locked the office behind us.

Now that I’d found a job, I allowed myself to buy a meal to celebrate, but just this one time. I needed every cent to pay off my loans.

Over fries, mushroom burgers, and milk shakes, we discussed my hourly rate, my responsibilities, and her expectations.

I didn’t warm up to anyone easily, but I couldn’t help it with Kara. She was in college and attending the same university. We just hadn’t met until today. Some people might find her bluntness intimidating, but I really appreciated her no-bullshit attitude.

We were laughing over her methods of dealing with difficult customers when she stopped mid-sentence, staring at something over my shoulder. Her eyes widened in shock, then flashed with hurt, before her shields went up.

“My ex. My ex from hell. He’s here, and he’s with someone. Don’t look!”

But I already had. Kara snarled in dismay, glaring at me. I chuckled at her expression.

A dark-haired guy was seated three tables away, his eyes a startling blue as they drank in Kara’s face. They quickly shifted to me for a second before they went back to Kara.

“He’s staring at you,” I said when I finally turned back to her.

“Fuck him. I hate him. I hope he’s burned alive, flayed alive. Boiled alive.”

“You’re scary.”

She glared at me. “And you suck. He totally saw you checking him out, and now he knows I’m talking about him. His ego is big enough without our help—trust me.” Her eyes narrowed, then gleamed. “Let me deflate it a little. Let’s go,” she commanded, already rising from her seat.

I looked at my burger longingly—wondering if I’d have time to ask the hostess to box it—but one glance at Kara told me that wasn’t going to happen. She was a woman on a mission.

She stopped beside her ex’s table.

“Hello, Cameron,” Kara greeted him. She fluttered her eyelashes at him, her voice full of sass. “How are the drugs working, honey?”

Cameron, who was taking a sip of his drink, choked at Kara’s question.

His date looked up at Kara, confused. “Drugs?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t you know?” Kara’s voice dripped with fake sympathy. “He needs drugs to get it up. It’s going to be a very short, very soft ride for you, sweetie. Ta-ta for now!” She flicked her fingers in a wave of goodbye and hurried to the exit.

“Goddamn it, Kara!”

I startled as I heard Cameron speak. He rose, sliding out from his seat and racing past me after Kara. “Kar! Get back here!”

By the time I caught up to them outside, I was surprised at the sight before me. Cameron was gripping her arms, his lips on hers. I watched as she kneed him in the balls and he crumpled to the ground, his face twisting in agony.

“Kara, you—” Cameron wheezed.

She kicked him in the stomach before he could finish.

“What the hell, Kar?” I yelled, pulling her back from the poor guy.

She sneered down at him. “Don’t you ever, ever touch me again with those filthy phalanges, you motherfucking dickless baboon!”