Embry's POV
"I miss this thing." When she thinks no one is watching, Winnie lowly mutters to herself while her hand runs across the hood of her car. Jacob and I exchange quick grins, but pretend like we hadn't heard her with our werewolf hearing.
"One more week, it'll be up and running soon enough." Jacob promises Winnie, playing with his radio to lower his music. After Winnie's shift, I brought her over to Jacob's garage so she could check on her buggie.
"I told you Jake is a good mechanic." Winnie gives me a knowing look that silently says I was right. Knowing Winnie's going to be safe and secure driving her car is reliving, even better that she's content with Jacob's work puts me a good mood. She seems a bit more at ease around Jacob. Less tense and paranoid.
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, man." Jacob smugly grins at me.
"Thanks again for fixing it." Winnie comes around her car, giving it one last look.
"Hey, not everyday I get to personally rebuild a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle punch buggy. These are the kind of cars you only really see at car shows now."
"Jacob's dad Billy was thrilled having it in the garage." I add, which makes Winnie grin back at her car.
"He's sad to see it go. He told me to keep 'such a pretty thing' in here as long as I could." Jacob laughs. "Winnie, how did you end up with such an antique?"
"I got it after I moved out." Is all Winnie explains, shrugging vaguely at the two of us. I shake my head at Jacob, signaling him not to ask any follow ups. Winnie doesn't like talking about herself or the past. If she doesn't want to talk about something, it's best to move on or she'll shut down.
"Jacob was sixteen when he built his own car." I change the subject and it works. Winnie turns to Jacob for confirmation, a look of surprise on her face.
"He's making me sound cool." Jacob rolls his eyes with a scoff.
"But you did build your car, Jacob."
"I started rebuilding an engine at fifteen. Just the engine, not the entire vehicle. Plus it took me a year of going to scrap yards for parts and most of my weekends to finish." Jacob explains, waving it off.
"He's shy," I joke, loving the grin on Winnie's face.
"An engine at sixteen? Most people don't even know how to check their oil. I have to admit, that's impressive." Winnie nods, slowly and cautiously lowering down on a nearby stool.
"I can change your oil too, just stop by whenever you want and leave it with my dad. He would do anything to see it again." Jacob adds. Winnie's face slacks in your surprise by Jacob's offer. She's not to use to locals being nice with her. So taken off guard, she turns to me with a hesitant soft look which I answer with a nod and an encouraging grin.
"If it I won't bother you, then yeah, could I?" Winnie carefully asks, folding her hands together in her lap.
"Of course."
"If it's okay with you, you might have another week bumming me around." Winnie sighs as we walk back to my van. We can still hear Jacob's music softly behind us, fading dimmer and dimmer with every step. Last time the two of us came up, it was pouring. Rained too hard for even an average La Push day. Instead, today is a good spring day. Still a bit chilly, but bright out.
"It would be my pleasure," I say to her, holding the passenger side door open for her. A week ago, she would have rolled her eyes at me, but she tries to hide her as she climbs in.
Just as I'm reversing out, my phone rings. I answer without looking as Winnie hands it to me. One hand busy behind Winnie's seat, my eyes focused on the rear windows.
"Hello?" I say into the phone, pinching it in between my shoulder and cheek. I hit hard on the breaks when I hear my mom's phone.
"Shit, sorry, sorry," I mouth at Winnie as she slumps against the seat after being slammed back by her seatbelt. She just nods, motioning for me to continue on as she readjusts in her seat.
"Yeah ma, I'm listening." I put the car in park. Winnie makes a face, an amused look in her eyes.
"No, you don't have to worry about me and dinner. I'm good. Yes, I'm good. Did you eat?" After a bit more back and fourth, I hangup.
"Your mom?" Winnie asks, looking like she wants to smirk.
"Yeah." I put the van back in reverse and pull out. "She's coming home early from her second job. If I knew, I would have tried having dinner ready for her. Or have cleaned the house, I haven't done laundry. Damn, I should at least get some groceries for her." I sign, trying to think of something quick. I almost hit the brakes again when I catch Winnie beaming at me. She's smiling up at me, a genuine smile that makes my chest ache so good.
"I know, I'm a mama's boy." I say nervously, rubbing my hand over my face. It's hard to drive with her looking at me like that.
"You're a good son." Winnie settles back in her seat, looking ahead with a satisfied grin.
"You know we could just get that errand done now, right Embry?" She offers.
"Like together?" I ask, "You gotta be tired. You just finished work." She's not even out of her uniform yet.
"I have no where to be."
"You wouldn't want to do something as boring as watching me grocery shop when you can be home." I counter, but she gives me a small shake of her head.
"I've gone grocery before, Embry. I'm sure I can handle myself for thirty minutes."
"You're just being nice."
"No, you are, Embry. You've been driving me for a week." She tilts her head at me, her brown eyes giving me a knowing look. "Come on, let's go. We're closer to the store right now than my place anyway."
"You sure you want to come?" I sound confuse by her offer.
"Yeah," She shrugs.
"Okay, if you don't' mind." I start, turning into the street that takes us to the Rez market.
"Of course I don't,"
"Please let me help you with a bag." Winnie follows me up the front steps of my house, in disbelief how my arms can hold all the bags.
"I told you I got it." I chuckle, gently kicking the door open with my foot after unlocking it.
"Just one bag. Let me carry one bag for you." She tries, but I just smile at her through the brown paper bags.
"This is easy for me. Don't worry," I reach out and pat her head, which makes her concerned look soften up, especially around her brown eyes. Waving her past the door, I tell her "Make yourself at home,"
She slows down behind me, letting me go ahead into the kitchen while she cautiously looks around. She slowly makes her way through the hall to the kitchen to watch me put away groceries. I can tell she wants to help, but she doesn't know where anything is. She also knows if she asks too I'd just turn her offer down.
"Would you like anything, Winnie? Water? Juice? A snack?" I offer but she shakes her head. There's an air of nerves between us all of sudden. Despite seeing each other everyday this week, in addition to being alone together most of the time, we're both aware of how we're alone in the house.
Of course we've been alone at Winnie's. Somehow that's different. Maybe because I sit on one side of her cabin, and wait for her to get comfortable enough to inch towards me. Now, it looks like it's Winnie's turn to be wait for me to inch.
"Um," I stall, not sure what to even say. "I gotta be honest, I'm not sure what to do because I've never had a girl come over my house before."
"Really?" She's so shocked her eyebrows jump to her hairline, while the rest of her face moves in the opposite direction with her mouth forming a silent O.
"You've never had a girl over before?" Winnie rasps in disbelief.
"I mean besides my mom? Sue and Leah Clearwater, but those don't really count."
"That's hard to believe that Embry Call never brought a girl over." Her hand lands in her hair, raking through it till she messes up her braid.
"I would never sneak in a girl." I shrug, trying not to be nervous. I don't really know what to do with my hands or say. How have I ever acted around Winnie before?
If it was one of the guys we would be half way through a bag of chips already, and starting a video game. Or we'd be on our way to patrol.
"You never brought a girl over to introduce to your mom?" She questions.
"No."
"So I'm the first girl over?" She looks shocked, like she's struggling to wrap her mind around it. I feel my cheeks go warm, but I try my best at a friendly expression.
"Yeah, you're the first." I chuckle, but it comes out nervously.
"If it makes you feel better you're the first guy I ever had over at the cabin." As she talks, my ears suddenly land on the uneven sound of her heart. It's beating fast like a hummingbird. She's flustered and nervous as me.
"Do you want to meet my mom?" I ask, the sound of brakes squeaking hits my ears. "She just pulled in." I almost laugh at the worried look on her face. Winnie's hands reach up for her braid without thinking, maybe to smooth it out, but it flies down to where she usually knots her apron, before she realizes she left it in my van.
"In my uniform?" Winnie mumbles. I didn't even know when I had crossed the room, my feet moved on their own accord. I was just dying to be closer to her. My hand pats Winnie on the head affectionally, probably making her braid messier.
"Nah, you don't have to meet her today." I assure her. Regardless if Winnie just had a shift or not, my mom would love her. But if Winnie is not up to then I would never push into something you wasn't feeling her best for.
"I don't want to be rude." She glances worriedly at the door.
"You're not being rude." I nude her playfully towards the back door in the kitchen. "If you want, you can go wait in the car and I'll tell her it's running."
"This feels rude." She points out.
"It's not rude." I hand her the car keys, which she reluctantly takes.