Arise
Strums

After breakfast, Caleb had told Valerie to take us to the town auto shop to check out the damages on the car. Shaw, another one of Caleb’s wonderful associates, took us to his shop where he and his father work.

The building was a small car garage, painted blue with a sign that read Hank and Shaw. The moment I stepped into the building all the strong fumes hit me at once. I scrunched my nose at the smell of gas and sweat. The shop was buzzing from all the employees moving around and working on different cars, old and new. Unfortunately, the shop had no heat system so I could feel the cool breeze sweep in through the open garage.

Shaw wasn’t big like Caleb and Logan but he wasn’t small either. He was of average height and size, with blonde hair and blue eyes. When he wasn’t working here with his dad, he was helping Caleb with his construction company. An all around solid guy.

Shaw went around back to fetch the keys while Dylan and I saw the car. It was rough to say the least. The sunroof had no glass and most of the windows were shattered. There were some scratches here and there, as well as one giant dent on the front right side where the car hit the guardrail. I shivered at the flash of memory. I am never driving in the snow again.

It didn’t seem possible to get the car fixed by the end of the week. Dylan felt the same as well. “Are you sure you can get this fixed by the end of the week?” Dylan asked with doubt on her face.

“Of course, we can! Pa and I have been working hard, especially since, uh, Caleb put us to the task. It’ll be done by Friday morning or my name isn’t Shaw Harp.” he said rather proudly.

I stifled a laugh. “Alright, mind if we can get our stuff?”

He nodded and led us into the break room. “We actually took the liberty of getting what could be salvaged.” He unlocked the door and opened it for us to enter. “Unfortunately, not all things can be recovered. Sorry about your guitar.”

At those words, my eyes widened as they zeroed in on what used to look like my guitar. The instrument was broken in half and the strings had snapped and coiled out.

“It was hard to take it out of the car without doing any damage,” he admitted quietly.

Tears burned my eyes as I slowly approached it. I knew I shouldn’t have left it in the backseat without the case. I reached for it carefully and put it back in its case. I zipped it closed and sniffled. When I got back home, I would get it fixed immediately. I felt an arm on my shoulder.

It was Dylan. “Do you need a minute?” I shook my head and sighed.

From there on, I didn’t pay attention to what Shaw was saying. My mood had instantly gone down from the moment I had seen my tattered guitar. It was the one thing that had been by my side since I was a kid. I didn’t usually bring it with me anywhere. I didn’t trust that it would be safe anywhere but my room. Valerie had always wanted me to play her a song, and I was going to surprise her but it was too late now. The damage had already been done.

We returned to the mansion, and I told them I was in no mood to hang out with them, so I went straight to the suite. I just needed a minute and thankfully, they understood.

Turning down the hallway, I saw someone pacing back and forth in front of the room. As I walked closer, I realized that it was Logan and he was pacing. My eyes rounded as I slowed my steps. He stopped, shook his head, and went back to pacing.

“Do you need something?” I asked with a smile.

Startled, he faced me. “Oh hey, I was just…uh…um.” He scratched the back of his head and looked at me with pleading eyes. Shaking his head, he took a seat on the floor and leaned against the wall. “I can’t exactly think of a good excuse. I just wanted to talk to you again,” he explained running a hand nervously through his beautiful hair.

I smiled and sat down next to him and put the case in front of me, to which he noticed and asked about it. I opened it with a sigh to reveal the broken thing. “It broke from the accident.”

“You look pretty down about it.”

No dip, Sherlock. I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them before resting my head on them. “It’s been with me through a lot.”

His fingers slid against the edge of the guitar’s tan body. “How did you get it?”

I lifted my shoulders and dropped them. “Story for another day.”

His fingers stilled before he looked at me. “Maybe by the time it’s fixed, you can play me something.”

That entailed that I would see him again. “I’d like that.”

“Listen, I know it’s bad timing, but I was really wondering if you would go out with me,” he asked nervously scratching the back of his neck.

I smiled and raised my head. “Second time today. Is there a reason you keep insisting?”

He returned with a grin and sighed. His cute dimple present and gray eyes vibrant. “I don’t know. There’s just something about you that intrigues me. I think we could have a lot of chemistry, doll.”

“I failed chemistry,” I retorted, causing a chuckled to come out of him. “I just met you this morning and I’m leaving in a couple days.”

“What’s the harm in going on one date?” His playful eyes were pleading now. He did have a point. It was only one date, nothing harmless about that.

“You are a very determined man, Logan.” I stretched out my legs and raised one finger at him. “One date, but that is as far as I will go with you.”

His eyes flashed, turning gold for a second. I did a double take. Did I imagine that?

“Maybe I can change your mind.” And somehow, in the back of my mind, I knew that would be the case.

We both stood up at the same time. I stood in front of my door leaning against it while he stared back at me. “I’ll come by the mansion tomorrow at six. See you then.” He waved goodbye, put his hands in his front jeans pockets and walked away. I couldn’t stop the smile from forming on my face. I opened the door and got side, suppressing my excitement.

“Well, you must be excited.”

I shrieked from the sound coming from the bathroom. Leaning against the doorway was a woman with her arms crossed over her chest. She had straight dark purple hair that reached just past her chest. Whoever this person was, she was scrutinizing me.

“Who are you?”

She stepped away from the bathroom and walked up to me. She was a couple inches taller than me, wearing a leather jacket with studs on the shoulder, jeans and combat boots. Everything about her screamed motorcycle club. Her eyes were dark and calculating. My eyes widened when I noticed the scar marring her face from the end of her eyebrow to her cheekbone.

She stuck her hand out for me to shake and I noticed a hint of a tattoo on her wrist. “I’m Cecilia, but everyone calls me CeCe. You met my friend...Shaw today. Caleb gave me some things to drop off, so I thought I would sit and wait for you guys.” Something about the way she said friend, made it seem like there was more to it. Her eyes were dark and calculating. My eyes widened when I noticed the scar marring her face from the end of her eyebrow to her cheekbone.

Shaking my head, I shook her hand. “Sorry, you just stunned me. Thank you for dropping them off.”

“I would leave, but I’m very curious as to why you didn’t want to date Logan.” She smirked and took a seat on the bed. “You’ve peaked my interests.” Her eyes held amusement.

With narrowed eyes, I said, “By the way you said friend, you’ve peaked my interest.”

“Answer for an answer.” She continued, “I see Shaw as more than just a friend. Unfortunately, the bastard’s not looking for a relationship.”

I nodded at her frankness and said, “I like Logan, but I don’t even know him.”

She snorted and cracked her neck. “That’s the whole point of going on a date.”

“What if it goes really well? I’m leaving in a couple days.”

“You don’t want to start something because you think nothing will come out of it. You’re afraid of a long-distance relationship.” She stood up and before heading out she patted my back and said, “You won’t know how you unless you try. Good luck.”

“You too, Cece. Nice meeting you.”

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