“There’s the mountain man.” Amos says as he steps through the back door of the garage wiping his thick hands with a rag that turns from pure white to being streaked with brown-bck grease before my eyes.

  “H-Hey Amos.” I say as I cross the st dozen or so feet to stand near him.

  “Someone was starting to get worried.” He winks.

  “Is that Avery?” There is a cnk of metal of concrete from inside the garage and in a blink there is suddenly a smiling Winona framed within the door. She was wearing blue coveralls that matched her dad’s except for the name on the tag that read ‘Winnie’. Unlike her dad she wore it with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She looked so rough and rugged and sexy! Of course, I always thought she looked sexy. When she sees me she breaks into a bright smile, as do I. Though her grin gave away her excitement she pys it cool. “Hey Sprout.”

  “Hey.” I bashfully tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. The way she looked at me made me feel all happy inside.

  Slowly she looks me up and down, the nibble to her bottom lip telling me that she was liking what she was seeing. “You’re a bit early.”

  “Yeah.” I say. “Th-Thought I might come back and m-make us some lunch. Is s-soup and sandwiches okay?”

  Amos’ thick eyebrows shoot up. “He’s making you lunches now? You got yourself a keeper there kid.” He nudges his daughter.

  She is BEAMING. “I sure do Pops.”

  I giggle. “It’s n-no bother, really. Are you st-sticking around Amos or…?”

  “Nah!” Winona cuts in before he can answer. “He’s heading back to town to eat.”

  “I’m…heading back into town to eat with Cher.” He says with a knowing smirk. “Or so I’m told.”

  “Cher?”

  “Mom.” Winona answers. “Her name’s Cheryl but everyone calls her Cher. Like the singer.”

  “Yeah. I know her.” I say as happy images of Grandpa in Halloween drag fsh through my mind. “W-Wait a second. Cheryl? Her n-name is Cheryl Crow?”

  “Don’t start that again.” Winona gives me a warning point. “Don’t!”

  “Cheryl and Russell Crow!? He he he. I didn’t even know they were reted!”

  “You brat!”

  I giggle despite myself. “Pfft! He he he he!”

  Amos chortles and shakes his head at our silliness. “The boy likes to live dangerously I see.”

  “Indeed.” Winona’s eyes narrow. Even as she scowls though she reaches out her hand. I take it and we squeeze hands tightly before letting go again.

  “So did you find what you were looking for up there Avery?” Amos looks up the slope.

  “Unfortunately no. Not really.” I say. “B-But I do know of another pce where you can see the whole peninsu and town. C-Can’t quite see the garage from there but it wouldn’t be too hard to c-composite it in. Or I-I could get a shot from the approach from town up at the garage. With the sunrise shining over the m-mountain behind it it might be p-pretty cool.”

  “Yeah sure Avery.” Amos says. “I’ll leave it to the pro. I’m sure whatever you come up with will be amazing.”

  “I-I’ll do my b-b-best.” I say softly. “H-How about I do up a few things and see wh-which you like?”

  “Great.” He looks at his daughter and stuffs the rag into a pocket. “Another half hour and we’ll break for grub?”

  “Sounds good.” Winona watches her dad walk back into the garage then reaches for me again, this time with both hands.

  I take her hands and get pulled right up against her. Gazing up into her rich hazel eyes I whisper. “Miss me?”

  “You know it.” She kisses me softly once, twice, three times. “Feel better?”

  “Yeah. I needed that.” I take a breath and y my head on her shoulder. “Tired, but better.”

  “I’m draggin too.” She hugs me and kisses my head. “Those long nights’ll catch up with ya.”

  “Worth it though.” I look back up at her. “I wouldn’t trade st night for a thousand good night sleeps.”

  “Damn right!” She pys with one of my bangs for a few seconds then sighs a happy sigh. “You should check out the sign. It looks awesome. I still can’t believe it.”

  “I will.”

  “I’ll be a bit.” She runs her hand down my smooth cheek. “Okay? Just make yourself at home.”

  “I will.”

  One st kiss and then together we walk into the garage. As Winona peels off to help her dad with whatever they were doing with the main vehicle lift I walk right through and out one of the open bays. Taking a few strides away from the building I turn around to see ‘Win’s Garage’ proudly embzoned along the top of the building. The big, bold letters alone gave the pce a much need shot of life. With a coat of paint and little sweeping and weeding around the front and this pce was going to look new again.

  I head back in, pause to say how good I thought it looked and give Brutus a little fist bump, then carry on into Winona’s suite. With a look around I decide to do as I was told, make myself at home. For me this means tidying up. The pce wasn’t messy, just a few errant clothes and a sprawl of books and papers across the table, but I set myself to get the pce looking perfect without being too disruptive. As I work I hum one of the more upbeat country songs I’d heard recently. Country had never been my genre but I was definitely developing an appreciation for it now. After tidying I give the pce a quick clean and open the window so the pce would smell great for Winona’s lunch break. And after the sweaty work of traipsing up the mountain I also take a very swift rinse off in the shower. If everything else was clean I’d only look dirtier by comparison if I hadn’t. And then at st I head back to the kitchen area to begin rummaging around for the fixings of a meal.

  In a small pot I get a can of beef and barley stew warming on the hotpte. Certainly not my favorite soup but I knew from our shopping trip that Winona liked it. I wash a few vegetables to chop and set them on the counter then bring out some bread, tomatoes, cheese, sliced turkey, mayo and mustard. Looking at the yellow mustard then looking at my spotless shirt I decide to py it safe and grab an apron and tie it around my slender waist.

  As I smooth it out over me I smile. She liked me in an apron. ‘I do love a man in an apron.’ She’d once said to me. ‘Very sexy.’

  I titter. Me in my apron, sexy? I found that funny. My new nylons, my clit-cage, a nice suit, sure. But an apron? Funny. But who was I to judge? I thought she looked absolutely smokin hot in those sturdy coveralls. It lifted me knowing that I would be looking good for her when she walked in. I untie it then cinch it a little bit tighter around my svelte physique. If I was going to funt what I got I might as well funt it right. And it was then than an idea strikes me. A silly, sexy, pyful idea. Should I? What if Amos came in? After a moment’s pause I ugh. What the heck. The reward outweighed the risk.

  “He he he!”

  Again I loosen the waist ties not believing I was doing this even as I was doing it. Winona would find me in an apron alright. An apron…and nothing else!