Christmas with the Shy Mechanic

Christmas in Dos Fuentes is all about love.

Heaven Lee has exactly the life she always wanted—her own dental clinic tucked in the hillside of her tiny town off Highway 1. Her sister and niece live close by and she has plenty of friends—and it's Christmas time. What else could she want? Certainly not the cute, quiet mechanic who damaged her car. Men are a nice diversion now and then, but she's been burned too many times and has no intention of relying on them for anything long term.

Jayden Lewis has only lived in Dos Fuentes for six months, but he's found it to be a peaceful place where he can live life at his own speed and avoid the public events that cause his anxiety attacks to kick in. He can't help but be glad when a little Christmas magic brings Heaven into his life. Seeing that she's heading up the Chamber of Commerce's gift wrapping booth, he impulsively signs up to help—never mind the fact that he's never wrapped a decent-looking package in his life.

Jayden can't help but fall for Heaven from the start, but can he convince her that love doesn't have to end with a broken heart?

Heaven double-checked the dental office to make sure it was ready to lock up. When she’d bought the practice three years earlier, her upgrades had all been software related.

Maybe it was time to give the inside a facelift. A little paint wouldn’t hurt. She added that to the mental list of expenses she needed to juggle into her budget.

Sunny met her at the back door. “Everything looks good. See you on Monday.”

“Great, have a good weekend!” Heaven said.

She locked up and they headed for their cars. What little light made it through the cloud cover was fading in the drizzle. Heaven headed to the daycare for her seven-year-old niece, Kay. Thanksgiving was the following week and Heaven smiled at the holiday decor going up in the small town. The discovery of two hot springs with legendary medicinal properties two hundred years earlier had fueled the town’s settlement in what had been Mexican territory—a legacy that was reflected in the architecture in many buildings.

Even today, the springs drew hordes of tourists, but Dos Fuentes had managed to maintain the old-time feel.
She drove up one of many steep, twisting roads that defined the coastal northern California town. A light rain fell, and her windshield wipers squeaked. At least it wasn’t icy.

She turned onto Main Street and prepared for the next right turn when a white truck shifted into her lane. She laid on the horn and hit the brakes, but the metal pipes sticking beyond his lowered tail gate smashed into the front of her car.
Heaven used a few words she would have squelched in front of her niece. Since there was no street parking on the narrow road, when the driver drove around the corner, she followed into the parking lot for Tubman’s Bistro.

A lanky man with an angular face and well-tended beard emerged from the truck and approached, wide eyed. “I’m so sorry! You were in my blind spot, and I didn’t see you. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Heaven took stock of herself to verify that it was true. “You damaged my car. I have to call this in.” She sighed and pulled out her phone.

He turned to look at the front of her old Honda Accord, pushing an unruly shock of hair back from his forehead. “It looks like it’s just the front headlight. I don’t see any other damage around it, well below the reporting minimum. I’d need my tools and a few minutes to make sure there isn’t any more damage.”

His tools? What did he know about cars? “I don’t think that’s necessary, and my insurance will want a police report.”

“I’m a mechanic. I’ll repair it for you, no charge since it’s my fault.” He pulled a few business cards from his pocket, handing one to her. “I’m Jayden Lewis.”

She thought of her errands: grocery shopping, picking up gift-wrapping supplies from the Chamber closet, and running Kay to activities. It would be much harder if her car was in the shop. “I don’t have time for this.”
Heaven looked at the business card: Jayden Lewis, Dos Fuentes Car Repair. She’d heard of this mechanic’s shop—it sold recently to someone new in town. She eyed him again, not sure what to think. The patient who had mentioned him—the wife of the previous owner—said he was good. She glanced at the company logo on his truck, which matched the card. She’d spent too many years living in the city to take the card as proof on its own. Anyone could have claimed to be a mechanic if they had one of his cards.

“I’m really sorry. If you can bring it to my shop, I’ll fix it. I’ll put you first. It won’t take long to replace.”

Heaven looked at the damage, water droplets slowly soaking her hair and clothes. Was it really under the reporting limit? There didn’t appear to be any body damage. She let out a breath, calming herself, and pulled one of her cards from her purse. “Here’s my business number. You’re sure it’s under the minimum to report the accident?”

“Well under. You’re really not hurt? You didn’t bump your head or anything?” His concern seemed genuine, reassuring her even more.

“I’m fine, really. I have to pick up my niece, but we can talk tomorrow. I’ll call you.”

“No problem. Again, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. Good night.” Grumpy and more stressed than before, she headed to pick up Kay. Heaven glanced at the clock. Great, now she was late. Again.