The slow, jazzy beats of Tears Dry weaved its way throughout the cab of Santana's car as she turned into the familiar parking lot. She had heavily relied on Amy Winehouse's melodic voice to keep her nerves at bay the entire drive over, but even that was no longer enough to help keep her calm as she pulled into the nearest space and mentally prepared herself for the meeting she had with Pierce Automotive. More specifically, with the blonde that had continued to live rent-free in Santana's head ever since she last saw her a week prior. This time around, however, the topics of those thoughts tended to be a little more business-related than before their professional venture.
Brittany had thankfully agreed to all of the billboards Santana had proposed, and after a few phone calls, the brunette was able to start the process of getting those locations booked for the near future. All that was left to do was hone in on the exact direction they wanted to take with their marketing strategy so they could start brainstorming design ideas with the graphic designer her mother had on retainer and, if needed, schedule a photoshoot. Thankfully, Brittany and Santana both knew a freelance photographer who would be perfect for the job if one were needed, Tina Cohen-Chang. The brunette also preemptively reached out to Tina to check her availability just in case they needed to book her services.
In addition to the billboards, Santana had reached out to the nearby carwash and had arranged a meeting between the two parties to discuss the details of their prospective partnership. To her surprise, the owner was elated to be approached by a representative of Pierce Automotive, who his family had used to take care of all their car needs for generations. His excitement to work with the garage only helped to solidify her certainty that things were beginning to move in the right direction for the shop.
Brittany had seemed nothing short of impressed with the marketing associate's progress during their telephone conversation earlier that day. The brunette even swore that she could hear a hopeful tone in Brittany's voice after she explained all that she had accomplished in just a few days. Things were finally starting to look up for the young mechanic, and Santana was hellbent on keeping that upward trend going for as long as humanly possible, which is why she now found herself at the Pierce Automotive.
During their call, Santana mentioned that she would like to try spending a bit more time around the garage to gain a better understanding of the shop's culture and vibe. The idea was that comprehending the inner workings of Pierce Automotive would assist her ability to provide more personalized advertising and marketing opportunities. The thing that caught her off-guard, however, was Brittany's immediate acceptance of Santana's request to spend time at the shop, even going so far as to ask if the brunette was free to swing by that afternoon.
All of Santana's hard work over the past week had led her to that moment, sitting inside her car as she gave herself a quick peptalk about staying calm and playing it cool. It was just Brittany. Beautiful, kind, funny, and smart Brittany. Absolutely nothing to worry about. Unless-
No, Santana interjected before her thoughts could get away from her again. She could do this. She had to.
Using that momentum, Santana thrusted herself out of her car and in the direction of the establishment's front doors. Stepping into the sparsely populated waiting room, she made her way up to the front desk, where she found a girl in a Pierce Automotive polo that looked no older than nineteen.
Realizing the shop had a visitor, the young employee quickly shut the Auto Fundamentals textbook she had been studying and cheerfully greeted, "Hi, welcome to Pierce Automotive. What can we do for your today?"
Santana returned her polite smile, answering, "Hello. I'm supposed to be meeting with Brittany and-"
"Speak of the devil and she shall appear," a familiar voice called out from behind her, effectively cutting her off. "David and I were just talking about you."
Spinning in place, she felt the corner of her lips pull into a smirk, "Hello, Porcelain."
"You know, I thought we would finally move past all the name calling once we became friends," Kurt sighed out with an exaggerated eyeroll. "Silly me, I guess."
"Aw, come on. I've used that one for so long that it's basically become a term of endearment now."
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say. Anyway, Brittany is already up in her office if you want to follow me," the office manager informed as he turned to make his way down a hallway that led to a set of stairs. As they made their way up the steps, he continued, "I've got to hand it to you, Santana. Your assistance has really put a pep back in Brittany's step. We were all starting to get a little worried, if I'm being completely honest. None of us had ever seen her so down before, but I think your offer has delivered some much-needed wind to her sails."
"Well, my mother and I are glad we can help."
Throwing a brief glance over his shoulder, Kurt teased, "Don't act like you aren't the driving force behind all this. Yes, I'm sure your mother is more than happy to lend her assistance, but Brittany also told me about you funding this whole endeavor. That was very generous of you, by the way."
"Kurt-" Santana growled out in a warning tone as she leveled a glare at the back of the man's head, who had already returned to making his way up the stairs.
"Calm down. Your secret crush is safe with me. Also, I know you don't have any ulterior motives and only want to help her with the shop, so don't worry about anyone getting the wrong idea about all this either," he assured with a knowing smirk as he reached to open the door at the top of their path. Pushing the barrier open, he motioned for the brunette to head in first.
Walking into the room, it did not take long for Santana to find Brittany looking over a large book with a pencil in hand, the woman's blonde hair practically glowing as the sunlight shined in through the large window that overlooked the southwestern outskirts of Lima. Santana nearly tripped at the sight of the ethereal appearance that the lighting gave Brittany. Thankfully, she was able to correct her footing and continued her path through the office, intentionally choosing to ignore the stifled snort of laughter coming from the man behind her.
The mechanic seated at the desk seemed none-the-wiser to pair's shenanigans as she continued to pour over the paperwork in front of her, which appeared to be a business ledger.
"Hey, Britt," Kurt called out to the blonde once he realized she had not noticed their appearance. After not receiving a response, he moved past Santana and tapped his fingertips on the desktop, successfully gaining the woman's attention.
Giving a brief look of surprise, Brittany glanced over to the old analog clock hanging on the wall as she fished out the earphones hiding beneath her hair. "Sorry about that. I guess I lost track of time," she lightly chucked as she placed the devices back into their charging case. Shifting her gaze to Santana, she greeted, "Hi, San. How are you today?"
"Not bad. What about you?"
"Same. Just looking over our inventory and transactions," Brittany informed as she moved to close the book. Crossing her arms on top of the desk in front of her, she glanced between the pair and asked, "So, has Kurt updated you about the contract yet?"
"No, I haven't had a chance yet," Kurt answered for her as he turned to address the marketing associate. "I looked over the paperwork you dropped off, and everything seems solid. I've sent it over to our lawyer for a final review before we sign off on it."
"Okay, good to hear. If any changes need to be made, just let me know and I'll have Quinn make the necessary adjustments."
The office manager began to nod his head in agreeance before recognizing the name. Shooting the woman a curious look, he inquired, "Wait, as in Quinn Fabray?"
"Yeah, she does some underwriting for us while finishing up her law degree."
"Ah, so no wonder there weren't any issues with the contract. I expect nothing less from our ex-head cheerleader."
"Co-ex-head cheerleader, thank you very much," Santana teased as she turned to address Brittany. "So, are you ready to show me the ropes, or do you want me to give you a little more time to finish up?"
Watching the brunette motion toward the large book still sat on her desk, Brittany was quick to give a light shake of her head, assuring, "Nah, we can get started. I've been combing over the numbers for a while now, so this would actually be a welcomed break." Glancing over the office manager, Brittany requested, "Kurt, can review our parts inventory? Mike said he went to grab a cabin filter for a truck earlier and saw we were running low."
"On it. Do you want me to go ahead and place an order for anything we're running low on?"
"I, um- No. Please just shoot me an email with anything we're running low on, and I'll review it before placing an order tonight."
A soft, sad expression involuntarily crossed Kurt's face before he could stop it, knowing the woman's slight hesitations was due to their business funds. He quickly tried to play it off, however, with a small smile, assuring, "You got it, Britt. Let me know if you need anything else."
"Thanks, Kurt," Brittany responded as she watched him turn to leave. Keeping her eyes trained on the open office door, the mechanic quietly informed Santana, "He'll never admit this out loud, but Kurt has really played a crucial role in helping me keep this place afloat."
"I'm glad you have someone like him in your corner. He's a good one to have," the brunette affirmed before adding, "You know, I have to admit that I was initially surprised when I first found out he was the shop's accountant. I half expected you to be one running all the numbers. I mean, Kurt is great and all, but I never exactly pegged him as a mathematician." Suddenly, she watched the blonde quirk her head to the side with a small smile and questioning look in her eyes. Playing back what she had just said in her mind, Santana rolled her eyes in exasperation and sighed out, "Yeah, yeah. Wanky. I know."
"Don't act like you wouldn't have said anything if the tables had been turned."
"You're probably right," Santana returns before receiving a challenging look from Brittany. "Okay, you're definitely right."
Suppressing a giggle, the mechanic decided to move past Santana's choice of words as she pushed herself up from her desk and started making her way toward the other woman, answering, "Just to clarify, I do double-check everything, like I was just now. Plus, he uses spreadsheets that have been programmed with all the necessary formulas, which also helps remove some of the possibility for human error."
"If he uses a spreadsheet, then why were you reviewing a handwritten ledger?"
Leaning in close as if she had a secret, Brittany whispered out with a confident smirk, "Because I'm better at math than any computer could ever dream to be." She then continued to make her way past Santana, unknowingly having made the other woman go a little weak in the knees. Without turning back, she cheerfully instructed, "Now, come on. Let's officially give you a tour of this place."
Making their way back down the stairs, Brittany stopped in front of the receptionist the brunette had previously spoke to, informing Santana, "This is Allie, our receptionist. She is currently studying Automotive Technology at the University of Northwestern Ohio and works here part-time in between classes." Glancing over at the younger woman, she introduced, "Al, this is Santana. She'll be helping the shop out for the next little while, so please be extra, extra nice to her."
"Will do. It's nice to meet you, Santana."
"You, too, Allie."
"Alright, now let's show you around the garage," Brittany cheered as she began leading Santana away from the main lobby. Once they were out of earshot, she whispered to the brunette, "Allie is actually a super promising mechanic. She is smart as a whip. I've been giving her some hands-on training in the evenings after work, and she just picks everything up as soon as I explain it."
"I'm sure it also helps to have a super knowledgeable teacher."
Giving the woman a shy smile, Brittany admits, "Truthfully, I've been getting a lot of enjoyment with getting to teach someone something for a change. I'm not super used to being looked at as a subject matter expert, so it's really refreshing to see Allie enjoying and engaging in our lessons. I'm just hoping that we will still be able to find time after the summer ends and she returns to a full workload, but only time will tell."
The rest of the tour passed quickly, and once Brittany finished showing her around the shop, Santana found herself not quite ready to leave. Looking for a way to prolong her visit, she requested, "So, do you think you can maybe show me around a car now?"
"Sure thing!" Brittany exclaimed as she motions toward a nearby Honda coupe. Quickly moving to pop the hood, the blonde propped it open and placed her hands on her hips, asking, "So, what would you like to know?"
"I'm not really sure where to start. All I really know is that the big thing is the motor and this container thing holds the windshield washer fluid," Santana admitted as she pointed toward the washer fluid reservoir.
"Ah, I see. Then, let's just start from the very beginning. Like you said, this big thing is the engine, and this here in the upper right-hand corner is the master cylinder and brake fluid reservoir. Now, these little tubes coming out of the master cylinder run under the vehicle and connect to the brake assemblies for each wheel. When you press on the brake pedal in the cab, it causes the hydraulic unit to send brake fluid through these brake lines and to those brake assemblies, which in turn puts pressure on the caliper pistons inside these assemblies. This pressure forces the calipers to push the brake pads onto the brake discs, which slows down the car." Seeing the brunette getting a little lost, Brittany added, "We can go over brake assemblies after we're done in the engine bay if you'd like. I promise it will make more sense once you see it."
"Alright," Santana agreed without a second thought, bound and determined to understand the woman's lesson. As time went on, she did start to somewhat understand the explanations provided by the mechanic. It was not hard to see why Allie would enjoy learning automotive work from Brittany. The blonde was clearly very passionate about vehicles, and she was a natural at putting the terminology easily digestible bits of information. This realization suddenly got the gears turning in her head, but before she could mention anything further, she noticed Kurt and Dave making their way over toward them.
"Hey, we're leaving for the day. I got that inventory email sent over to you, Britt. Let me know if you need anything else."
"Will do, Kurt. I hope you two have a good evening."
"You, too. See you tomorrow, Britt," Kurt replied before turning to the other woman. "By the way, Santana, I forgot to elaborate when you first got here, but David and I wanted to invite you to join us at the bar Friday night for karaoke if you're free. Rachel is already planning to join, and I think Britt also plans to be there," he explained as he looked over to the blonde in question, "right?"
"Yeah, I'll be there. Mike and Tina will be joining, as well."
"Awesome," he responded before shifting his gaze back to Santana. "No need to decide now. I just wanted to let you know."
"Okay, I think I should be free. I'll double-check my calendar, and let you know for sure tomorrow."
"Sounds good. Have a good night, you two, and don't stay too late, Brittany," Kurt stated, pointing a finger at the woman in mock-warning.
"Okay, Dad. I'll try," the blonde sarcastically drawled out as the couple exited the garage, both having a loud bout of laughter at her antics as the side door to the garage closed behind them.
The two women decided to stay back a little while, pitching ideas and gaining a better understanding of their marketing endeavors. While discussing the topic of their next steps, Santana asked, "So, is there someone internally that you would like running the shop's social media accounts, or would you rather me take care of it?"
Giving a moment to think it over, Brittany tentatively answered, "I'm not really sure. I don't want to adding anything else to your plate, but there isn't anyone here that I would trust more to run them effectively."
"Then, consider it done. I'll set them up tomorrow and grab some photos at lunch time to use as a profile picture until we can get a more concrete direction with our marketing. Also, a thought hit me earlier while you were discussing how much you enjoyed teaching mechanics to Allie."
Suddenly, Brittany squared her shoulders and took a brief glance around the room, "You got hit? How did I not notice?"
"Oh! No, no, Britt. Not like physically hit me. I meant that the thought just came to me."
"Ah, okay, good," Brittany sighed out as her body physically relaxed. "Just let me know if anyone ever tries to lay a finger on you, okay? We don't stand for violence here."
"You will be the first to know if that ever happens. I promise," Santana swore with a warm smile before shifting her train of thought back to their previous discussion. "So, I was curious to know if you might be open to doing video tutorials for the garage's socials that would help make automotive maintenance more accessible to people who have never had access to that type of knowledge?"
"Like, how to do oil changes?"
"Yeah, that and any other vehicle-related basics you feel would be helpful for car owners to know. It took me a second to catch on earlier since I have never known much of anything about cars, but I was really able to start picking up how certain parts work after you reframed it into layman's terms. I think you would be able to help a lot of people find confidence in understanding basic car maintenance, and it'd be even better to see a badass female automotive shop owner providing this type of information, especially since it is such a male dominated field."
Giving a moment to think everything over, Brittany gave a nod of her head in agreeance, "Okay, yeah. I think I would be up for that as long as it is done during our down time. I don't want anything to distract from our normal business. That will always be our primary focus."
"Of course, Britt, and we can also always take a hiatus or stop altogether if it ever becomes too much to handle."
"Thank you for understanding, and thanks for also pitching this idea. I feel like there could be a lot of potential there."
"Hey, this is just as much because of you than it is me. You talking about your love of teaching Allie and your ability to easily explain everything were really the driving force behind this. I just have a marketing mind and brought it to your attention once the thought crossed my mind."
"Well, it was only able to happen because you are such an attentive listener, so thank you. I really do think this is a great idea."
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Santana agreed before looking down at her phone. "Oh, wow. It's really gotten late. I better head out so I can go find dinner and prep for work tomorrow.
"Here, I'll walk you out. It's probably about time I head home myself. Kurt will never let me hear the end of it if he finds out I stayed so late," Brittany joked as she locked her computer and grabbed her keys and wallet.
The shop owner ended up escorting Santana all the way out to the car, all the while ignoring Santana's protests regarding her not needing to do so. After ensuring that Santana safely made it to her vehicle, the pair said their goodbyes, and Brittany began making her way over to her truck located across the parking lot. Little did she know that Santana was also keeping an eye on her through her rearview mirror to make sure that the blonde successfully made it to her vehicle, as well. After hearing the sound of the truck's engine roaring to life, Santana pulled out of her spot and started heading over toward the exit with Brittany following closely behind. After she confirmed that the roads were clear, Santana turned left before catching a glimpse of Brittany's taillights through the driver side mirror as the other woman turned right.
Santana arrived home approximately twenty minutes later. Stepping past the threshold of her home, the woman was just able to place her things down on her countertop and kick off her shoes when her cellphone suddenly began to ring. Picking up the device, she instantly recognized the caller's name and answered as she greeted, "Hi, Q. What's up?"
"Hey, San. You busy?"
"No, I actually just got home from work."
"At seven-thirty in the evening? Isn't that a little late for you to be working?"
"Usually it would be, but I had a meeting with Pierce Automotive and got caught up in talking shop. Literally."
"Ah, I see," Quinn hummed out in understanding. "Is everything okay with the contract so far?"
"Yeah, they didn't have any immediate objections. Kurt gave it to their lawyer to review, and he's going to let me know if they find any issues."
"Perfect," the other woman affirmed before continuing, "So, there was an actual reason why I was calling you. I'm sorry for the late notice, but I was hoping to see if I might be able to crash in your guest bedroom this weekend."
"Yeah, that's fine," Santana answered without a second guess. "What's the occasion?"
"Well, it's Beth's birthday weekend, and Shelby invited me to attend. I know I could just ask my parents to stay, but I was honestly just hoping to fly under the radar and have them hopefully not even know I was in Lima."
"Hey, don't worry about it. You will always have a place at my house if you ever need it."
"Thanks, S. I really owe you one."
Rolling her eyes, Santana assured, "You don't own me anything. It's been a while, so it'd actually be a good excuse for us to finally catch up. How is everything going with the Beth situation, by the way?"
"It's as good as it can be. I'm just thankful Shelby was still receptive to the idea of an open adoption after all the shenanigans we got up to during our McKinnley days. Obviously, we are years and years away from even addressing the situation with Beth, but for now, I am happy with playing the part of a former student who is just a bystander in their lives."
"Yeah, it's at least a start."
"It is," Quinn hummed out. "Anyway, that's all I was calling about. I know you must be tired, so I'll let you get back to your evening. Thanks again, by the way. It really means a lot."
"You're welcome, Quinn. I hope you have a good night."
"You, too. Talk to you later," the law student replied before both women ended the call.
Finally feeling as if all her tasks had been completed for the day, Santana quickly ate her dinner and hopped into the shower before getting for bed. She had just crawled onto her mattress and was about to fall asleep when she noticed her phone light up, signaling that she had a new notification. Rolling onto her side, Santana reached to retrieve the device and couldn't stop the wide grin that pulled at her lips once she saw that it was a text message from the blonde she had just seen a few hours before.
From Brittany: thank u seriously so much again for everything you have done to help us, it has rly meant the world to me, and i promise ill find a way to pay you back someday (don't bother refusing. its gonna happen so just accept it) anyway, hope you have a good night and the sweetest dreams!
Sending the mechanic back a reply message, Santana placed the phone back down and flopped onto her back, staring up at the dark ceiling of her room with the biggest grin she could muster as she thought about how much her life had changed in just two short months.
For the first time in a long time, it felt let things where finally starting to look up for her, as well.
Hi, everyone! Thank you all so, so much for taking the time to read this chapter of Wild Hope! I really hope you are enjoying the story so far. Also, special thanks to everyone who has left a review. It seriously means the world to me, so thank you all so much for sharing your kind words and excitement regarding this fic. Hope you all have a great day!
Until next time.
