Under the Hood: An Under the Hood Novella (Entangled Bliss) by Sally Clements

Chapter One
    Some things you do for others and some things just for yourself.
    Alice Starr smoothed down her pink silk teddy before slipping into her jeans. She loved the smooth slide of silk across her body. The sensuous fabric made her feel beautiful, even when her uniform was smeared with grease.
    No one had to know.
    When she’d left the family business three months ago to start a new venture, they’d tried hard to talk her out of it. “Running a garage is hard work,” her father had warned, with decades of experience on his side. And her brothers had told her she didn’t have anything to prove.
    But when the opportunity to buy into an equal partnership with two of her best friends had come up, she would have been crazy not to go for it. There was no garage out there that provided the service Under the Hood had to offer. Starting fresh in a new town, far away from New York had its attractions, too. Here, no one knew her history. Her friends back home were supportive, but she was sick to death of being pitied, of the unsettled feeling that filled her chest every time she got together with friends and hoped she wouldn’t bump into Joel and his new squeeze.
    She pulled on a thin, black jersey sweater, then stepped into her navy overalls. Thick socks and steel-toed boots next, and she was ready to face the day. She snagged the keys to her pickup off the table and pushed open the door. There was a full day of repairs ahead and she needed to get on the road. The sky was bright with early morning sun, but a chill lingered in the spring air, so she strode quickly around the side of the building to the parking lot, half-wondering, full-on hoping that the racing green MG would be there. She’d barely had a chance to look it over when she pulled in late last night, and with exhaustion and the need for a late dinner hastening her steps, had only stroked a hand over its hood, which gleamed in the moonlight.
    It must belong to Mark Jameson .
    Mrs. White, the widow in 1B, told her all about him the other day. She had leaned close and whispered, “Mark is a lovely young man,” as if he had ears like a bat and might somehow hear. “He’s a blond too, but not as light as you, dear. The Jamesons are one of Meadowsweet’s oldest families, and Mark is the…” She counted off on her fingers. “…third child. I reckon he must be about thirty now.” She crossed her arms atop her generous bosom and smiled as though imparting valuable information. “He’s a definite catch.”
    A mental image of a fat haddock hanging from a line had instantly flashed through Alice’s mind, and she’d smothered her smile with a cough.
    Why on earth she thought I’d be interested…
    Rounding the corner, Alice stopped dead. The MG sat exactly where it had been last night. A man was bent over, peering into the engine beneath the raised hood. It was rare to find a British classic in her little piece of Virginia. Rarer still to find a man wearing a sharp suit and dark, shiny, what must be Italian, shoes.
    This must be the haddock . Slowly, Alice walked closer. “Hi.”
    “What—” He jerked, banging his head on the hood, then straightened, showcasing an awesome pair of broad shoulders. His dark blond hair was businessman short, his white shirt accessorized with a red tie.
    Hazel eyes gazed into hers, and Alice’s heart raced.
    He grinned and rubbed the top of his head. “I didn’t hear you.”
    His deep tenor set a flurry of tingles racing up her spine. She flushed with warmth, despite the weather. He was as far from a fish as you could get. And in that suit? Maybe he was a shark. Alice stepped forward and peered into the engine. “Car trouble?”
    He hesitated, and then his gaze dropped to the image on her breast. “Are you…”
    He was only checking out Under The Hood’s logo, but her body responded to his gaze as if he’d reached out and stroked her.
    She swallowed. “A mechanic, yes. Your lucky day.” And mine.
    “I’m Mark