Chapter 11: Jason

Monday morning found Jason under Bill McGowen's RV to remove the broken ball-nut assembly. The new part wouldn't arrive for a day or two, but he wanted to be ready to finish the work as soon as it arrived. He had gotten an early start to the day, only grabbing a protein bar and cup of coffee before heading to the shop. Di was still sleeping when he left.

The confusion he felt when he looked in on her stayed with him all morning. She had wormed her way into his heart somehow, tempting him to play a dangerous game with himself. Despite knowing she was too young to get serious about, his feelings towards her were anything but casual. The mix of paternal affection and illicit attraction had short-circuited his brain into taking risks he never would have attempted a month prior.

Holding her the night before while they watched the romantic comedy had felt so right. He put the age difference out of his mind, ignored the hollow fear in his guts if someone caught them, and just relaxed as she curled up against him. The scent of her shampoo had filled his nose at first, but by the end of the night he detected a more personal scent underneath it. A scent that followed him to his own bed and made sleep impossible until he allowed himself release.

His conscience was laced with guilt for imagining them together. It started with the image of her wearing the yellow bathing suit. Then the sight of her panties under the long nightshirt taunted him. The dark triangular shadow over the curving lips of her vulva brought him close. Imagining himself pushing the gusset aside to taste the source of that intoxicating scent threw him over the edge.

His weakness made him rage. I'm turnin' into a fuckin' creep!

The stubborn bolts of the ball-nut assembly gave him something to spend his anger against. He refused to use his impact driver to make it easier. Instead, he used a short-handled socket wrench and pulled until his muscles ached. By the time he had the part out he was sweating freely and had banged his knuckles hard enough to bleed.

Just as he walked up the steps from the pit with the broken part, he saw a car pull by the open bay door on the way to the house. Putting the part on the workbench, he grabbed a shop towel to wipe his hands as he walked out the bay door. He was approaching the house when he saw a familiar middle-aged woman step out and shut the car door.

"Mister Peters." Lola was from the social services office and had approved Jason becoming a foster parent. "I'm here to see how things are going with Diamond." Her brusk tone put Jason off.

"Hey," Jason said and avoided shaking her hand by continuing to wipe his hands on the dirty towel. His stomach knotted but he hoped the anxiety didn't show on his face. "Di's doing great as far as I'm concerned."

"Good," she said, but it didn't sound good. "I'd like to talk to her if she's available."

"Sure." Jason walked to the front door and unlocked it. "Hey, Di! Lola from social services is here."

Di walked out of the kitchen wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Her wrinkled brows posed a silent question as she looked at Jason. "Hey."

"Diamond, honey, can we have a little chat?" Lola asked, looking back at Jason with an expression that clearly communicated he wasn't welcome to stay.

"I'll be in the shop if you need me," Jason said.

Leaving Di there alone with Lola made his stomach twist even tighter. His guilt was now dwarfed by an irrational fear. There was no reason for Lola's hostility as far as he knew. If anything she had been overly friendly during the home study and interview process.

As he walked back to the garage he saw an ancient tandem flatbed truck pulling into the gravel yard in front of the garage. As it slowed he heard a grinding squeal that could only mean one thing on a truck like that. A middle-aged man climbed down out of the cab as Jason tucked the dirty towel in his back pocket.

"You Jason Peters?" the man asked as he pushed the stained bill cap back to scratch his head. When Jason nodded and extended his hand, the man took it and pumped it twice. "I'm Grady Terrel and I need a brake job."

"I can do that." He'd have to use the mobile hydraulic jack lift since the RV was taking up all the space in the garage. "When do you need it back?"