Free A Restored Man by Jaime Reese

wrapper in his lap. He didn't feel like continuing the conversation. He replayed what he had said and couldn't understand why the techs were looking at him as if he had sprouted a third head.
    "Whatever you did…with Ty, keep doing it," Jeff said quietly.
    Cole looked up and cocked his head. "I didn't do anything. We were sanding and priming."
    Jeff placed his hand on Cole's shoulder. "I've known Ty for years, ever since he was this high," he said, holding his hand up flat, palm down, about three feet off the ground. "I worked for his father in this same shop before I started working for him."
    "So this was his dad's shop?" Cole asked, taking another bite, listening attentively.
    Jeff nodded. "Most of Ty's work was in customization and restoration. He did a lot of shows, worked the PR part of things, always great with the customers."
    Cole swallowed the last bit of his sandwich. "Did he ever do SEMA?"
    Jeff laughed. "Every year and he'd showcase a custom project there. He has tons that have won awards," he said, pointing to the row of plaques along the wall. "It always seemed to nail us a few extra projects. He has worked his ass off to build a strong reputation."
    Cole emptied his trash in the garbage and Jeff led him off to the other end of the bay, away from the other techs.
    "He hasn't done a show in almost two years. He said he won't do any more of them."
    "Why not?" Cole asked, not even trying to hide his curiosity.
    Jeff sighed and looked over to the other techs. "It's not my place to say."
    Cole pursed his lips. "You're the one who brought up the shows."
    Jeff smiled. "No, you did."
    Cole crossed his arms. "So, you're trying to tell me something but you don't want to tell me anything. And people say I'm twisted."
    Jeff laughed. "The point I was trying to make is, I know Ty. Whatever you're doing with him, just keep doing it."
    Cole uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on his waist. He wasn't going to deny Ty was hot as hell but he didn't want anyone thinking there was something going on when nothing had happened. "We're just working. Me sanding, him painting. It's really not that tough to understand."
    Jeff smiled smugly. "And you defending him this much has absolutely everything to do with sanding and painting only?" He crossed his arms and peered down at Cole.
    There were times when Cole hated not having the height advantage. He scrutinized Jeff. He had that whole father figure thing going on that seemed more protective than intimidating. "We were working. Period."
    "You said he cracked a couple of jokes?"
    "Yeah, so?" Cole said, crossing his arms and firmly holding Jeff's stare.
    "Did he laugh?"
    Cole scrunched his brow. "Yeah, he thinks he's funny. So?"
    A slow smile spread across Jeff's face. "Like I said, keep doing what you're doing," he said then walked away.
    Cole stood there, replaying the conversation again and again. Absolutely nothing made sense. Someone had obviously spiked the secret sauce in the sandwiches with something. He shrugged it off and went back to work.
    He was placing the second fender panel on the stand when Ty joined him in the booth.
    "Hey there, you were supposed to take an hour," Ty said.
    "So were you," Cole said, steadying the fender on the stand. "The fenders are set up and ready for primer."
    "I could have set up the fenders," Ty said quietly. His shoulders were a little slumped and Cole hoped he hadn't done anything wrong. He just couldn't stand thinking about the wince of discomfort he saw earlier when Ty tried to shift the door panel.
    "I know, and you could have sanded and primed everything on your own. We're working together here. I figured I'd set these up for you so we can finish all the primer work today and work on the painting tomorrow."
    Ty was smiling and it looked as if he was holding back a laugh.
    "What did I say?" Cole asked, realizing he'd repeated the phrase entirely too many times lately. These guys were all going to have him developing a major