Daryl was sitting outside the auto shop with Merle, smoking in the afternoon sun. Merle was telling a vulgar story about this new woman he met down at the bar and Daryl was trying hard to ignore him. Merle's stories stopped impressing Daryl at the age of sixteen, when he actually started taking Daryl out with him and he got a look at the "vixens" his brother bragged about.
They'd spent most of their time outside smoking through a pack and polishing off bottles of beer. All while Merle said crude things, and Daryl snorted gruffly in response. His brother wasn't looking for a specific reaction, just a reaction in general to keep him entertained. It was a slow day. Most of the week had been slow really.
But that all changed when the old Ford pickup pulled hastily up in a cloud of smoke.
The brothers watched in amusement as, what could only be describe as Country Barbie – in her cut off shorts, plaid vest and cowgirl boots – cut the engine and got out of the truck, slamming the door behind her. There was a string of words coming from her mouth that didn't seem to quite belong in the little blonde's vocabulary as she kicked the front tire and looked up at the sky, sarcastically thanking someone it looked like.
"What is that?" Daryl continued to watch her as she whipped out her phone and attempted to make a call, completely oblivious to their presence, even though they were only about six yards away.
Merle let out a howl of laughter. "That, little brother, is a girl."
Daryl rolled his eyes. "I know that, but what is she doing here?"
Even though it said auto shop on the sign, they mostly specialized in motorcycles. The passing bike gangs were what really kept their business alive, the rest of the town (with a few exceptions) avoided the Dixon brothers the best they could, mostly on account of Merle and his jail record. They went to the mechanic two towns over if they could. It was unusual to see someone, especially a girl, pull in willingly.
"Well, judging by the state of that pick up, I'm guessing she needs a mechanic," Merle looked over the girl — who seemed to still be attempting to make a call — hungrily, "We'd best accommodate."
Merle got up, took a drag of his cigarette and then placed it in the plastic ashtray sitting in the middle of the table. Daryl remained sitting, but he followed his brother with worried eyes as he made his way over to the girl. Daryl had seen Merle's attempts at charming girls like her far too often.
"Excuse me," Merle was getting close to the blonde now and was trying to catch her attention.
The girls head turned in Merle's direction and she lowered the phone. She smiled sheepishly and responded to Merle. "Hi, I'm sorry, do you own this place?"
Daryl listened to the draw in her voice and tried to figure where in hell's name Country Barbie came from. But she spoke to nervously and too quickly for him to place it exactly.
"I sure do sweetheart," Merle wiped his greasy hand onto his once white wife beater and held it out to her. "Name's Merle."
The blonde hesitated for a moment before taking his hand, probably considering where it had been, then introduced herself. "Beth."
Merle didn't release her hand, even well after the handshake reached its limit, and pulled Beth towards him a little bit. "I like that name, got a nice ring to it."
Daryl waited to see if she'd react and tell him to back off or brush it off. But she just stood there with wide eyes, looking extremely uncomfortable. Daryl pushed himself out of his chair, knowing he had to step in now. Merle might have said he owned the auto shop, but Daryl was the one that built it from the ground up. He let his brother have co-ownership to help keep him distracted and off the pipe. He wasn't about to lose a customer to his brother's harassing.
"Merle, leave her alone," Daryl strode over to them and watched his brother drop her hand, but it wasn't the end of it.
"Awh Daryl, she knows I was just joking 'round. Don't you Blondie?"
"Beth," she clearly didn't like Merle's attempt to nickname her.
Merle was opening his mouth, to say something stupid no doubt, but Daryl spoke before he could. "What brings you to the shop, Beth?"
"Uhm," Beth raised her eyebrows at him and looked over at the truck, which was still slightly smoking.
"Well, what exactly did you do to it to make this happen?" Daryl hoped she knew even a little bit about what was happening to the vehicle so he could have a place to start from.
"I drove it…" Beth had a blank look in her eyes and blinked.
Daryl stifled a laugh, he had his views on woman drivers and Beth was making them all the more true to him. "What happened while you were driving it, before the smoke."
Beth shrugged told him what happened, "Well, before it started smoking there was a clanking noise coming from the engine…it went on for about an hour, if that helps any."
Beth stared at him as Daryl processed the information she gave him. He went over the pickup and popped the hood. Smoke came pouring out into his face and sent him into a coughing spree.
There was a low whistle from Merle and he laughed. "You sure did a number on this one, Blondie."
She ignored Merle and continued looking at Daryl, who was in the middle of spitting into the dust, with her giant blue eyes, "You'll be able to fix it won't you? I'm supposed to be in Orlando by tomorrow."
"Orlando? You going to Disney World? I love sweet, sweet Disney World. Best place to take a chick if you wanna get laid," Merle hooted and Daryl stared him down, hoping he'd keep his mouth shut for five minutes.
There was no ignoring the shock on Beth's face at Merle's remarks as her cheeks turned bright pink though. Daryl tried to salvage the situation. "I'm not too sure yet. I'll need to take a closer look at the engine. Do you need to call someone?"
"Yes actually, I can't seem to get service out here," Beth glanced down at her phone to check it and shook her head. The place wasn't such a cell phone populated area and it didn't surprise Daryl that her phone wasn't working.
"If you head inside and wait for just a second I can take you to the office and you can make a call from there. I just need to talk to Merle quickly," Daryl pointed at the shop attached to the garage and Beth didn't have to be told twice. As soon as she was in the shop and out of earshot Daryl went in on Merle, "Man what the hell?! Are you deliberately tryin' to lose customers?"
"Y'know I actually thought she found me charmin', Darylina. I think I found me a keeper," Merle set his teeth right over his front lip and smiled while making crude motions with his hips.
"Merle, she is all of seventeen, can you please try not to get yourself arrested," Daryl's hand found his temples and he rubbed them. "Plus, we both know you have 'bout as much of a chance with her as I do becoming governor."
"You don't got to be mean 'bout it. Take a joke little brother. 'Sides I like ladies with a little more... experience," Merle's arm came up and whacked Daryl on the shoulder. "Now let's go give Blondie her phone call."
Daryl stopped his brother from heading toward the shop, "Merle, stay out here. Try to get the truck into the garage or something," he didn't trust his brother not say something inappropriate to Beth and wanted to keep him as far away from as possible for now.
"Now just wait a sec," Merle glared at him, not liking that Daryl was ordering him around. "What makes you think you can tell me what to do?"
"Merle can we not do this right now," Merle was going to send him into an early grave with all his arguments and antics. "The girl wants to make a call."
"And I just said let's give it to her, so what's the problem?"
"The problem is, within the first five seconds of her being here, I can guarantee more than a few disgusting thoughts went through your head."
"Now see, the only way you'd know I was thinking that is if you were thinking the same things about the princess," Merle smirked at Daryl. "We're family after all."
Daryl had basically already said that the girl wasn't too hard on the eyes to Merle, but he would not admit to being on the same level as his brother. "Shut up, Merle."
He turned and started heading to the shop, trying to tune out Merle's laughter, but he couldn't ignore his brother's last comment. "I'll go put the truck in the garage. You try not to get arrested Darylina."