Desire & Denial (Southern Boys Book 3) Read online

  “Such as?”

  “Well, for one thing, does he have ASE certification?”

  Jon frowned. “What’s that?”

  “Automotive Service Excellence Certification.”

  Jon had no clue, but he doubted it. If Kendis had it, surely that would have gotten him a toe in the door of someplace by now. “What else do you look for?”

  Eric counted off on his fingers. “Working for one, two, or even three years as a repair technician. Two years’ experience in the automotive repair industry. Evidence of technical school training. Attendance at Community college classes. Even on-the-job training with an automotive dealer.” He straightened. “Now, I’m not saying he needs to have all of that—just some evidence that he’s got what it takes.”

  The more he heard, the more Jon’s heart sank. “All I know is, he hung around his uncle’s car repair shop a lot, back in Louisiana.” It wasn’t looking good.

  Eric regarded him in silence for a moment. “Why does finding this kid a job mean so much to you? Because it clearly does.”

  Jon sighed. “He’s not had it easy. He got brought here with his older brother to play ball for the high school, and since then, he’s—”

  Eric held up a hand. “Wait a sec. Are we talking Kendis Sesay?”

  Jon blinked. “Yeah. How did you—”

  Eric smiled. “My brother teaches high school here. He raved about Kendis, said the kid was a fantastic player.” His face darkened. “Has he had some trouble finding a job?” When Jon nodded, Eric pursed his lips. “Yeah, an’ I can bet I know why.” He fell silent for a moment, gazing thoughtfully at Jon. “And now he wants to work on cars?”

  “By the sound of it, he’s always wanted that. He just needs someone to give him a break.” Jon mentally crossed his fingers. Come on. Please. Give him a chance.

  Eric rubbed his chin again. “Okay, I can’t promise anything, but… bring him along. Let me have a talk with him. I’ll soon know if that trick was a flash in the pan or if he genuinely has what it takes.”

  Jon’s heart was doing a dance right then. “How soon can you see him?”

  Eric laughed. “How soon can you get him here?” When Jon got out his phone, he laughed even harder. “Okay, I get it. I’m seeing him today, aren’t I? This kid must really mean a lot to you.”

  It took a second or two for Jon to realize Eric spoke the truth. Kendis did mean a lot to him, but for the life of him, Jon couldn’t fathom why.

  The roar of a motorcycle had Jon looking out into the street. Chaz was pulling off Jacksboro Pike, Kendis riding pillion, his arms locked around Chaz’s waist. Jon went outside to meet them. Chaz came to a halt in front of him, and Kendis got off. He removed his crash helmet and handed it to Chaz, who grinned.

  “I’ll wait for ya. Go dazzle ’em.”

  Kendis smiled before turning to face Jon. He smoothed down his denim jacket. “Do I look okay?”

  “You look fine,” Jon assured him. “Besides, he’s interested in what you know, not how you look.” He ushered Kendis toward the door of the repair shop, but Kendis stopped dead at the threshold.

  “I just wanna say, even if nothing comes of this…” Kendis clasped Jon’s forearm. “I think what you’ve done is pretty awesome.”

  Jon smiled and patted Kendis’s hand. “I ain’t done a thing. You’ve got all the hard work to do. Now let’s get in there so you can impress the hell out of him.”

  Kendis widened his eyes. “You have a lot of faith in me, don’t you?”

  Jon nodded. “And you’re gonna do your best to prove me right, y’hear?”

  Kendis took a deep breath before releasing Jon’s arm. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  Jon led him into the repair shop, where the two guys working on the Corvette jerked their heads in Kendis’s direction.

  Eric cleared his throat. “Mr. Sanderson is coming at three, right? That means you’ve got four hours to get that engine purring like a kitten. And at the rate you’re going, you can forget a lunch break.” He bit back a smile. “You’d make more progress if Chance did more working, and less talking about what he did with a certain girl last night.” His eyes twinkled.

  One of the guys paled. “Oh Lord.”

  Eric nodded slowly. “I may be a damn sight older than you, Chance, but my hearing is top notch.” Then he gave Kendis a smile. “Step into my office, Kendis, and we’ll talk.” He peered at Jon. “You coming too?”

  Jon wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “Well…” One look at Kendis brought him to a decision. “He’s got this,” Jon replied confidently.

  “Fine.” Eric stood to one side and let Kendis enter the office before following him inside and closing the door.

  Jon expelled a long breath. It’s up to him now. He debated going outside to talk to Chaz, but one glance through the window put paid to that idea: Chaz was on his phone. Instead, Jon took a look around the repair shop, taking in the safety posters and racks of wrenches and other tools. The guys working on the Corvette were talking quietly, giving glances now and then toward the office.

  Jon reckoned they’d been in there about thirty minutes when the door opened and they both stepped out. Eric led Kendis out of the repair shop, and Jon followed. Eric pointed to a Toyota van parked in front of the shop.

  “Okay. Pop quiz. Here’s what the vehicle owner told us. When starting from a stop, this van jerked for a bit, then drove fine until the next stop light. When he started moving again, there was more jerking, then it drove normally for several miles before making a strange noise. It then smoothed out for a few blocks before getting rough and noisy again. By the time he got it to us, it was shaking and it smelled real bad, worse than burning oil.” He peered at Kendis. “Diagnosis?”

  Kendis was smiling, and the sight took away Jon’s tension. He’s so got this.

  “Sounds like it’s the oil control valve for the variable valve timing. They used that part a lot on vehicles made after 1998.”

  Eric cocked his head to one side. “What makes you think it’s that part?”

  “What clinched it was you saying it would act up then drive normally for a while before getting rough again.”

  “So what would you do?” Eric’s expression was neutral.

  “Well, I’d first check the engine light comes on, then I’d hook it up to a diagnostic computer. It would likely have variable valve timing codes, possible misfire codes, and even fuel trim codes.”

  Jon didn’t know about Eric, but he sure was impressed.

  “So you’d replace the valve,” Eric concluded. “How long a job are we talking?”

  Kendis shrugged. “On most Toyotas it can take less than a half hour, but sometimes you need to remove the wiper cowl or the intake.”

  Eric beamed. “Okay, I think I’ve heard all I need to.” He held out his hand. “You’ve got a job, young man.”

  Kendis’s mouth fell open, and he brought his fingers to his parted lips. “Seriously?” Then he pulled himself together enough to shake Eric’s hand.

  Eric nodded. “Those questions I asked you back in the office were straight from the ASE certification tests. Now granted, you didn’t have all the answers—especially when it came to electrical systems—but what impressed me was that you were honest about the ones you didn’t know.” He gave Kendis a warm smile. “I think you’ll make a great mechanic. Come see me Monday morning, and I’ll make time to go through all the paperwork with you, and to talk about on-the-job training. When you’re ready, we’ll put you in for the tests for real.” He glanced at Jon. “You were right to come see me.”

  Jon was almost shaking with relief. “Thank you for taking the time to see him.”

  Eric nodded, shook Kendis’s hand once more, then went back into the repair shop. Jon didn’t have time to draw breath before an exuberant Kendis flung his arms around Jon and seized him in such a tight hug that Jon couldn’t breathe.

  “Thank you,” Kendis whispered before releasing him. His eyes shone. “You rock.” />
  “What he said,” Chaz added, coming over to them, smiling broadly.

  “Thanks for getting him here so fast.” Chaz had been the first person Jon had thought to call.

  “When you said you wanted him here ASAP, the bike was the first thing that came to mind.” Chaz grinned. “His first motorcycle ride.”

  Kendis rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and I’m still shakin’ from it.” He gaped at Jon. “Man, he drives that thing fast.” He breathed in deeply a couple of times.

  “You okay there?” Jon asked him anxiously.

  “Adrenaline rush, I think.” Kendis shook his head. “It’s a combination of Chaz’s bike and getting a job.”

  “You think you’ll like it here?” Chaz asked.

  Kendis nodded. “Mr. Temple seems like a really cool guy.”

  “Temple?” Chaz frowned for a moment, then his brow smoothed out. “Is he related to Mr. Temple the Math teacher?”

  Jon coughed. “Can we talk about this someplace warmer? Maybe with coffee and pastries?”

  Kendis beamed. “A celebration! Sounds good to me.” He glanced at Chaz. “If you don’t mind, I’ll go in Jon’s truck.”

  Chaz blinked. “I think I’ve just been insulted.” The pair of them burst into laughter. Chaz got out his phone. “Let me call Del and tell him what’s happening.”

  Jon pulled his keys from his pocket. “You pick the coffee shop, an’ I’ll get us there.” Right then he felt so light, he could have flown there.

  Kendis had a job. And Jon had been the one to help him.

  Fucking perfect.

  Chapter Eight

  Saturday Dec 16

  Chaz had to admit, riding with Kendis sitting snug up against him was something he could get used to. Kendis clung to him, his arms around Chaz’s waist, and no way was Chaz gonna complain about that. He was so glad Kendis had agreed to taking a trip to Knoxville to do a little shopping. Kendis wanted to buy something for his momma, and had run out of ideas.

  Chaz on the other hand was going to ignore Jon’s remarks about presents, and look for something suitable for his roommate. After all he’d done to help Kendis find a job, that was the least Chaz could do. Chaz had always known Jon was one of the good guys—this put him in a league of his own. Besides, Del had invited Jon and Chaz to spend Christmas Day at his house, along with Taylor, and no way was Chaz gonna turn up empty handed. So that meant he had at least three gifts to find at the West Town mall.

  Four. He wanted to find something for Kendis too.

  “You okay back there?” he yelled.

  Kendis leaned in closer, if that was possible. “I ain’t fallen off yet.”

  Chaz cackled. “Then I’m obviously not tryin’ hard enough.” He might have been mistaken, but what with Kendis sitting so close, Chaz could’ve sworn Kendis had a hard-on. It could’ve been due to the vibrations—Lord knew, Chaz got hard sometimes when he rode the bike—or Chaz could have imagined it. Either way, feeling Kendis wrapped around him like that was all kinds of sexy.

  “I’m still buzzing about the job,” Kendis said loudly.

  Chaz laughed. “That’s an improvement on yesterday, then. We had to drag you down from the ceiling, you were so hyped.”

  Kendis laughed, and it was such a happy sound, it did Chaz’s heart good to hear it. “Do you blame me? I’m never gonna be able to stop thanking Jon. He was awesome.”

  Yes, he was. Chaz knew that from personal experience.

  He made the turn onto Kingston Pike, then inclined his head toward Kendis. “That’s where we’re going, up ahead. West Town Mall. You ever been there?”

  “Nope. Momma stays pretty much close to home. It looks big.”

  “One of the biggest in Knoxville. This was how I used to spend my Saturdays when I was fourteen or fifteen. Momma would come here to shop, and I got to spend time at the mall.” Chaz figured he knew every store in there.

  Then he caught sight of the Regal Cinebarre, and an idea crept into his head. “When’s the last time you caught a movie?”

  “You mean, like in a theater? Lord, I have no idea. Not since Marcus left, at any rate.”

  That did it. “Then how about we check out what’s showing, and go see a movie? Can you stay a little later?”

  “As long as I let Momma know.”

  Chaz’s Saturday was looking better and better.

  He pulled into the parking lot and found a spot for the motorcycle. He switched off the engine and they climbed off. “You had any thoughts on what you wanna get for your momma?”

  Kendis sighed as he removed his helmet and handed it to Chaz to be locked away. “Nothing yet. She is so difficult to buy for.”

  “Does she knit?” Chaz’s momma was always knitting something, and his daddy used to swear every time she came home with yet more yarn.

  “Yeah, but I haven’t seen her do it for a while.”

  “Well, why don’t we check out a yarn store? Maybe if you buy her some yarn, it might inspire her to start knitting again.” Chaz was all for activities that kept parents occupied.

  “I wanna find a gift for Marcus too, but he’s easy. Just find me a store full of funny T-shirts, and we’re gold.”

  Chaz knew just the place to take him to. Funnily enough, he’d been planning on visiting it himself. He had an idea for a present for Jon.

  They walked into the mall and strolled as best they could. It was only ten in the morning, but already the place was becoming packed. They made their way to the yarn store first, and spent a half hour going from shelf to shelf, looking at all kinds of yarn. There were patterns too, and when Kendis caught sight of one portraying a long cardigan done in a delicate lace design, he came to a halt in front of it.

  “This would really suit Momma.”

  Chaz plucked a pattern card from a sheaf of them in the stand, and peered at the back. “Okay then. Let’s find a yarn in a color she’d like.”

  They spent another twenty minutes looking at yarns specific to the pattern. Kendis smiled when he picked up a skein of copper-colored yarn with a shimmer to it. “This is it. It’s her color, and it would look beautiful.” Then his smile brightened. “Hey, it’s on sale too.”

  “Even better.” Chaz peered at a wall display of needles. “She got knitting needles at home?”

  Kendis snorted. “Hell yeah. That’s one thing she definitely doesn’t need more of.”

  It occurred to Chaz that their mommas might get along really well. Shame it’s not gonna happen. His chest tightened at the thought. This would be his first Christmas away from the home he’d known all his life. Then he pushed down on the brief surge of pain. I’m gonna spend the holidays with Jon and Del, and Taylor.

  He had a new family, one that accepted him as he was.

  Kendis picked out several skeins, then went to the cash desk to pay for it. The lady behind the counter gave him an odd glance. Chaz stiffened, until he realized he was getting the same perplexed look. I guess they don’t get many guys coming in here. That was probably nearer the mark.

  “Excuse me, ma’am?” Kendis cleared his throat. “D’you think I have enough yarn for my momma to make this?”

  She smiled, and the warm glance obliterated her previous look. “Well, you need to have an idea of your momma’s size. This pattern caters for ladies of all sizes.”

  Kendis nodded. “Okay. She’s kinda slim and ladylike. A lot like you, ma’am.”

  Chaz knew instinctively it wasn’t a line. Kendis was charming.

  Her eyes lit up. “Oh.” She peered at the card, then at the skeins he’d laid on the counter. “Then you have enough.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “Is there anything else you need?” When Kendis shook his head, she picked up a small clear bag filled with colorful tiny plastic circles. “Here. You can have these stitch markers for free.”

  Kendis gazed at her in surprise. “Why, thank you, ma’am.” He handed over his money.

  “Happy holidays,” she said with that same warm sm
ile, handing him his change. Then another customer claimed her attention.

  Kendis’s purchases safely tucked away in a large paper bag, they left the yarn store and Chaz navigated them through the mall’s increasingly busy walkways to get to the T-shirt place. Kendis was delighted to see so much choice, and soon found a shirt for Marcus. Meanwhile, Chaz found exactly what he was looking for.

  “What do you think about this for Jon?” He held up a shirt, on which was the image of a large brown bear looking suitably fierce. Below it were the words Don’t Poke The Bear.

  Kendis burst out laughing. “Are you sure? I thought Del was more the bear.”

  Chaz chuckled. “Trust me. Jon’s got that whole bear thing goin’ on too. Besides, I found this for Del.” He held up another shirt, with eight different bears on it, each one looking extremely cute, with the species of bear written below. The slogan was Know Your Bears.

  Kendis bit his lip. “They all look way too cute ‘n’ cuddly for any of ’em to be Del.”

  Chaz nodded gleefully. “Which is why it’s perfect.” He couldn’t wait to see Del’s face when he opened it.

  He took the two T-shirts to the cash desk, still pondering what to get Taylor.

  As they left the store, Kendis pointed to one on the other side of the mall. It looked like one of those stores that always opened during the holidays, its windows full of joke items and kitschy stuff. Chaz frowned. “What do you think we’ll find in there?”

  Kendis grinned. “Something perfect for Taylor.”

  Once inside, Kendis walked up and down the aisles, clearly searching for something in particular. He gave a low cry of triumph and grabbed an item from a shelf. “There. What do you think?”

  Chaz took one look at the handcuffs covered in pink fur, and knew Kendis had nailed it. “You’re a genius.” He was still chuckling as he paid for them.

  Chaz was all finished up as far as shopping for presents was concerned. At least, he thought he was, until they passed a store window, and something caught his eye. He stopped in front of it.

  Kendis peered at the display. “What’s got your interest?”