From Prey to Precious

The Meeting

Rachel’s POV:

I can’t help the butterflies in my stomach as I leave Vinnie’s and head over to Black Widow.  I had received an email from the owner of Black Widow asking for a meeting tonight and I’ve had knots in my stomach ever since I read it.  I keep playing possible scenarios over and over again in my head and unfortunately none of them are helping with my anxiety.  I know that my performance at the garage has been good.  Hell, I’m even having customers come in and ask for me personally to work on their vehicles.  I haven’t missed any days from work and I’ve never been late (although to be honest it’s been a close thing a time or two).  I can’t imagine any customers that would have complained about my work or even any interaction with me.

Could there have been something wrong with his bike?  Did I misinterpret something? Oh Lord & Lady please tell me I didn’t misspell something in those Norse runes!  Did a weld not hold?  Did something else on it break?  Does he not like the LED light option that I added? I mean you don’t have to put those on, you can always just turn them off.

All these thoughts just keep rattling around in my brain as I ride my bike in the direction of the garage. I was so distracted that I nearly ran into the back of a stopped car at a traffic light!

After that incident I pulled over to the side of the road and unzipped my jacket pocket before fishing out my phone. Ok, if it’s 7:45pm now, and it’ll take me another 20-25 minutes (with bad traffic) to get to Black Widow. Then I should be able to take a few minutes to just sit here and regroup.  I need to calm down and focus before I end up causing an accident because I’m too busy in my head rather than watching what’s going on in front of me.

I turn off the bike and lower the kick stand before swinging my leg over the seat so I can just stand next to the bike. I put my hands on the seat and stretch my back out a bit while I take some deep breaths, just trying to center myself.  I know, logically, that I don’t have anything to worry about.  My performance has been great, I get along well with my coworkers and I don’t cause any trouble.  I’m not into gossip so that can’t be it either. 

I stand up and cross my arms over my chest as I continue to think. I mean, there’s always the possibility that there is some special project that the owner wants me to work on.  But that would be kind of weird since I’ve never even met him.  Most of the shop owners that I’ve ever worked with only give special projects to senior employees that have earned their reputation over years with a garage.

I uncross my arms and shake my head a bit before taking another deep breath as I begin to pace on the sidewalk next to my bike. None of this makes sense and it’s driving me crazy!  The only thing that I can think of that makes sense is maybe the owner’s decided to end my “probation period” and we have to have a meeting for that.  Nothing else that I can think of makes sense.

But then why did he specify how he wants me to come in?  I think to myself as I stop beside my bike and open my phone and reread the email for the umpteenth time.

“Rachel- I need to meet with you regarding a few things that have recently come to my attention. Please plan to meet with me in my office on Wednesday at 8:30pm. I know it’s your day off, but I don’t have any other available time to meet.

Thank you.

Brian Calloway

Black Widow Customs

P.S. When you arrive at the garage, just come straight through the back into my office.”

I shrug my shoulders and shake my head again as I lock my phone and slip it back inside of my jacket pocket.  As I zip the pocket closed, I mutter to myself “I still don’t know what this is about. But I guess it’s time to find out.”

I swing my leg back over the motorcycle and put the key back into the ignition, feeling the engine roar to life.  I then gently put up the kickstand and pull back out into traffic. Taking those few minutes did help my nerves a bit, even though I didn’t manage to figure out any real answers. But at least now I don’t have to worry about being so distracted that I cause an accident.

I navigate the traffic easily and I find myself pulling into the parking lot at Black Widow Customs with about 10 minutes to spare. Per the owner’s request I park my motorcycle out back and walk in through one of the open service doors. I glance through the shop to see who’s working and I manage to spot Wayne as he’s headed out of the bathroom and back to work.

When he spots me, his eyes go wide, and he stops in his tracks for a moment.  He looks around at the other mechanics currently working and he has a confused frown on his face before looking back at me.

“What are you doing here?” he mouths at me from across the shop.

I just give him a shrug and shake my head slightly as I continue to make my way back to the owner’s office. 

I can’t count the amount of times I’ve walked past this door, but I’ve never once been called inside.  I honestly can’t ever think of a time that I’ve been in the office when the owner has been here. The only time that comes to mind was the day that I dropped off his bike for Vinnie and even then, I ended up leaving early so I wouldn’t be here when he arrived. 

I know that Wayne said that he was protecting me, but maybe he really is threatened by my skills.  But I was never serious when I would joke with him about stealing his job.  I didn’t really want it.  I mean maybe eventually sure, but I was no where near ready for that right now.

My eyebrows furrowed with worry as I stood before the owner’s office door.  Honestly, it doesn’t matter what he wants with me.  As long as he’s not trying to get rid of me, I really don’t care. If he is trying to give me the boot, well I plan on fighting to keep this job with everything that I’ve got. I take a steadying breath and then gently rap on the door.

“Enter,” I hear a male voice call from the other side of the door.

“Enter? Who the hell says ‘Enter’?” I say under my breath as I turn the handle and open the door before walking inside.

I make sure to gently close the door behind me as I enter the office. When I turn back around and face the man behind the desk, I can feel my eyes go slightly wide and I forget to breath for a moment. I’m not a believer in love at first sight.  Lust at first sight, sure, definitely.  But not love.  It’s just nonsense.  You can’t truly fall in love with someone just by looking at them. But I can definitely appreciate a fine piece of eye candy.

It’s about that time that I remember this is my BOSS and I shouldn’t be having any of those thoughts about my boss.  I give me head a small shake and plaster my best customer service smile on my face as I make my way over to the desk. 

As I get closer to the desk, the owner stands and offers me a small smile but doesn’t extend his hand.  I know that the owner isn’t a huge fan of other people, so it doesn’t really surprise me that he would prefer not to shake hands with a stranger.

I take my place across the desk from him, in front of one of the two empty chairs and incline my head slightly. “Good evening Mr. Calloway. I hope I’m not late.”

He inclines his head in response and gestures to the empty chair behind me, “No not at all. Please Ms. Langston, have a seat. We have much to discuss this evening so you might as make yourself comfortable.”

‘And just what about this whole situation is supposed to be comfortable?’ I think as I take off my backpack and place it on the floor next to the chair before taking a seat.

“Thank you, sir,” I say aloud as I settle myself into the chair. “But I have to be honest, I’m at a loss as to why you wanted to meet with me this evening.”

Mr. Calloway waits until I’m seated before sitting down himself. “I’m sorry for the confusion. As I said, there are several things that I wanted to discuss with you this evening Ms. Langston,” he says before pausing, his face screwing up as if he’s taken a bite out of a lemon. “Would you mind if I call you Rachel?”

I blink a few times before replying, “Not at all” as I feel a more genuine smile spread across my lips.

He seems to relax slightly as he rests his elbows on the arms of his chair and lets his hands fall into his lap. “Good. Thank you for that. Now, as I was about to say, part of the reason that I wanted to meet with you tonight is to get to know a little more about you. I know that you came over to my shop on a referral from one of my part time mechanics, uh Manny, I think the name was. Is that right?”

I nod my head slightly, “Yes, that’s correct. Manny has been a friend of mine for a few years now and he was the one that suggested that I see if you could use an extra set of hands from time to time.”

He nods a little bit as he starts to drum his fingers on his thighs, almost as if he’s bored or nervous about something. But shortly after I notice the drumming his fingers suddenly stop. “I’ll have to remember to thank him for the referral later. How are you enjoying working here?”

I don’t even need to fake my enthusiasm as I reply, “I love working here. It’s challenging and I’ve been able to learn a lot. I’ve gotten a chance to work on machines that I never would have been able to touch otherwise.”

He nods slightly as he listens to me. “I’m glad to hear it because I’d like to offer you the opportunity to do more around here.”

I can’t help keeping the skeptical look from my face, “What do you mean?”

He gives me a small smirk as he leans back and laces his fingers behind his head. “I’d like to offer you a full-time position here. At least 40 hours a week, paid time off, benefits, the whole package. If you’re up for it of course,” he says with a small smile and a look in his eye that I can’t quite place.

I look down at my hands as I rub my palms nervously against my legs. “I appreciate the offer, really I do, but I’m going to have to think about it. I owe a lot to Vinnie, the boss at my other job, and I don’t feel right about accepting another full-time position without talking to him first.”

Surprisingly, this answer really seems to please Mr. Calloway as he leans forward and places his hands on the desk. “Alright. That’s understandable. You have one week to make your decision.”

I’m a little taken aback with the order that I’ve just been issued. “What if I decide that I don’t want to leave Vinnie’s? Will I be fired from Black Widow?”

Mr. Calloway chuckles slightly and shakes his head, “No, absolutely not. I’m not stupid enough to throw away someone with your talents. I’m happy to take you however I can get you,” he says with a smirk.

I can’t help but hold back a snort of derision as I give him a ‘look’.  It’s about that time that he realizes what he’s just said and proceeds to laugh at himself.

“I’m sorry,” he says as he wipes a hand over his face, “That really came out wrong. I hope you understand what I meant.”

I give a small laugh as I nod my head, “Yeah I understood what you meant, and I appreciate the compliment. I’ll give you my answer in one week,” I say as I lean over to grab my backpack off the ground.

“Good. Now that the business portion of the meeting is over, how about we celebrate your pending full-time position and go grab a drink?” he says as he stands and stretches for a moment before moving out from behind the desk.

“Someone sure doesn’t take no for an answer,” I mumble to myself as I stand from the chair. “Sorry boss, but one, I haven’t said yes yet and two, even if I had, I make it a point not to go out with my boss.  People would get the wrong idea.”

I give him a small smile as I make my way over towards the door, but somehow, he manages to beat me to it and places his hand on the handle. “Technically we’re both off the clock so I’m not your boss right now. Come on, there’s something that I really want to show you.”

I want to go, I really want to go, but deep down I know that this isn’t a good idea. I’ve never given anyone any reason to think that I’ve slept my way through the garage and it’s not a rumor that I’m about to start now. But as I continue to stare into his sea foam green eyes, I can feel my resolve start to crumble.

I give a small sight, “Alright, but it’s against my better judgement.”

He gives me a wide smile before opening the door for me, “Most excellent. You’ve made me a very happy man Rachel.”