Weathering the Storm Ch. 03

*** Many thanks to everyone that has voted for the first two chapters of 'Weathering the Storm'; here's the next instalment. Chapter four is already being written and should be ready for submission shortly. As long as you all keep enjoying my stories, I'll keep them coming! ***

Scarlett and I lay naked on the picnic blanket for an indeterminate amount of time, enjoying the feeling of the unseasonably warm late October sun on our bodies. After a while, we decided to clean ourselves up, braving the cold water in the rock pool; being the mature young adults we were, we also took full advantage of the opportunity to splash each other, swim and generally frolic about.

Once we were dry and dressed we tucked in to the remainder of the enormous picnic that Susan had packed before getting back in the car and heading the shorter way home via Duddon Bridge, Foxfield and the A590. We were back on the main road when Scarlett's phone rang.

"It's my mum," she said. I pulled the car into a lay-by to ensure she could hear the call - driving was certainly noisy in the little Frogeye Sprite! "Hi mum!" she said brightly. "Yeah, we are on our way back. Best date ever!" she added, beaming at me and playfully squeezing my thigh. "Yeah, I'm sure we can do," I heard her say. "Sure, hang on." She handed me the phone. "Mum's got a problem with the car and she wants to talk to you."

"Hi Susan!"

"Hi Joe! I'm sorry to interrupt your date," Susan apologised.

"That's okay, we were on our way back anyway. Scarlett said you had a problem with the car?" I asked.

"Well, yes. I went to the shops this afternoon and I managed to hit a pothole on the way back; ever since then the car has been pulling to one side and there's a strange knocking sound. I wondered if you could maybe pop in and have a look on your way home, and see if there's anything that can be done to fix it."

That didn't sound good. "Sure thing. I can come and pick it up and take it to my workshop? I doubt it will be a side-of-the-road fix," I suggested.

"Ah, right. I really need it to get to work tomorrow, you see, and it doesn't feel very safe to drive at the moment," she explained.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you stuck," I promised, looking at my watch. "We'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Thanks, Joe. I can't thank you enough, and I hope this doesn't spoil any plans for your evening."

"Susan, stop. We'll see you soon!" I ended the call and passed Scarlett the phone. "Okay, mission of mercy to rescue your Mini!" I grinned.

"That car's nothing but trouble these days," she frowned. "Maybe it's time it went to the scrapyard."

"Hey, I've got a lot of fondness for that little car," I objected. "I mean, if it hadn't been for it breaking down, we'd never have met. Don't worry, I'll get it in my workshop and it'll soon be as good as new."

"You have a workshop?" she asked.

"Of course! Where do you think I restored this?" I responded, waving my hand over the little Frogeye before starting the engine again.

"In your garage?" she suggested.

"I should give you the rest of the tour, I guess," I chuckled. "Let's get home quick!"

We were back at my place in under an hour, the sun beginning to set as I reversed the little Frogeye into its usual parking spot under the carport and helped Scarlett out. "So where's this workshop?" she asked.

"Come on then," I smiled, leading her up the side of the house to the end of the driveway, to the old barn that I had spent much of the last two years converting into a well-equipped restoration workshop. I pulled open one of the oak doors and led her inside, flicking on the lights as we stepped in.

"Oh this is cool!" she said, taking in the ramp, machine tools and chests that were arranged neatly around the first bay. My 50-year-old Land Rover was parked in the next bay along, having just been given a service in preparation for more regular use this winter. "Does that thing still go?" she asked.

"Cheeky!" I responded with a chuckle. "Of course it does; in fact, we'll need it in a minute."

"What for?"

"All in good time. And at the end there, in the spray booth, is my latest project," I added. Flicking on the extra lights at the end of the barn, I opened the door into my home made, basic but still functional painting area, where my freshly painted 1956 Jensen 541 sat, almost complete and ready for the last few fittings to be put back in their proper places.

"That thing is cool! What is it?" she asked, and I explained that I'd bought it very cheap as a present to myself after the divorce, and had spent a lot of time rebuilding it.

"So, basically, before you met me, you worked pretty much all the time - either at your job, on your house or on cars?"

"More or less," I admitted. "I mean, I didn't think I was ready to be social or start dating, until I met a beautiful, interesting young woman the other night!"

She blushed and giggled. "So, what's this plan you've made?"

"Well," I explained, "from what your mum said about your car, it will at least need parts that I won't have here, and it's definitely not safe to drive. We'll have to go and pick it up on a trailer and bring it back here, where I can get the bits and work on it properly."

"But how will she get to work?" Scarlett asked. "She starts at nine in the morning."

"I'll lend you guys the Frogeye," I said simply. "I'll get you added to my insurance. It's very similar to a Mini, so it won't be too much of a change. The only downside is that it only has two seats, but I hope that will be okay?"

"Really? That'll be brilliant!" she squealed.

"Okay, that's settled. If you pop in and get your stuff, I'll get everything organised and we'll head back to your place." I gave Scarlett the house key before closing the end door of the barn and opening the middle bay. Starting the Land Rover, I put a powerful torch and a box of tools in the back before driving it around the opposite side of the house and backing it up to the car trailer, which was under a lean-to at the side of the barn. Dragging the outfit to the front of the house, I loaded up the Frogeye, adding the detachable hardtop roof at the same time. After securing it onto the trailer with ratchet straps, I headed inside to find Scarlett.

She had changed into jeans and a sweater and was waiting for me in the kitchen. "What kept you?" she asked cheekily.

I stuck out my tongue, and she giggled. "Just getting things ready," I replied, "but I'm all sorted. I'll just get changed and we'll be on our way!" I headed into the adjacent utility room, rooting out my old work jeans and sweater, along with a freshly-washed pair of overalls. I stripped down ready to change when a wolf-whistle from behind startled me and I turned, banging my head on the front of a cupboard.

"Shit, sorry!" Scarlett said. "I didn't mean to startle you. I was just enjoying watching you undress!"

I chuckled, rubbing my head. "Hey, I'm not complaining - but maybe it'll work better when my jeans aren't tangled around my ankles!" I finished dressing, throwing on my overalls while Scarlett continued to watch. "My most debonair ensemble," I said with a wink, giving her a twirl.

"I actually think a man that's good with his hands is very sexy," she responded flirtily as I walked over. "And you," she whispered, "are very good with your hands... and your tongue... and especially with your cock." She gave my package a quick squeeze for emphasis.

"Not now, Scarlett," I groaned. "We'll never get out of here otherwise!"

"Okay," she pouted, "but maybe when we get back?"

Wow. "Of course, if you want to!" What guy could say no to that?

The Land Rover growled its way noisily back to Scarlett's, the trailer rattling along behind, and we pulled up outside right on the limit of the two-hour window that I'd given Susan in our phone call.

Susan was once again waiting at the window as we pulled up. "Your mum must be telepathic!" I laughed.

"Nah," Scarlett answered dismissively. "She's probably been waiting there ever since we spoke. I know she's worried about the car - it was her mum's and she loves it, plus we don't have a lot of money for repairs, and certainly none for a replacement."

"Let me worry about that, okay?" I said. "I'm sure I can sort it." I climbed down from the Land Rover and walked around to open Scarlett's door for her as Susan came down the path.

"Thanks for cutting short your date," Susan smiled gratefully. "I wasn't sure what else to do."

"Honestly, Susan, it's fine. Let's take a look," I said, opening the back door of the Land Rover to retrieve my torch. Crawling beneath the tired blue Mini, my worst fears were soon confirmed as I found that the entire floor was a network of patches covering a blanket of rust, and the rear subframe had torn away from the chassis at one side. I sucked in my breath and muttered, "Shit!"

"That bad?" Susan asked worriedly.

"It's pretty rough, I'm afraid," I replied, crawling out from beneath it. "There's not a lot of strength there and the chassis is coming apart."

"Oh," she sighed. "I guess that's it for the old girl then."

"Susan, I can fix it," I reassured her. "I've restored a few myself already, and virtually every part and panel for these things can be found on the shelf."

"Even if that's the case, it sounds really expensive and time consuming, and we can't manage without the car. We may as well let it go," she said sadly.

"I'll do the work as quick as I can," I promised, "and in the meantime, I don't know if you've noticed the Frogeye on the trailer..."

"You're going to lend me your car?" Susan asked in astonishment.

"Well, I may know my way around a Mini but even I can't do repairs like that overnight!" I chuckled. "You need something to get around in, and as long as you can cope with only having two seats, you can use it until I'm done. I'll just give my insurer a quick call and get you added, and then we'll load the old girl up and be on our way!"

The insurance duly sorted over the inevitable cup of tea, the cars were soon swapped over on the trailer and Scarlett and I drove back to my place, rolling the Mini into the workshop. I was tempted to make a start right then and there, but we were getting hungry and there was plenty of leftover pizza to eat!

"So," Scarlett yawned as we laid back on the sofa after gorging ourselves, "could I maybe stay for the rest of the week and give you a hand with the Mini? I don't have a clue what I'm doing, but I'm sure you can teach me."

A week of Scarlett's company was definitely something I wasn't going to pass up! "Of course you can! I'll call my manager in the morning and book the week off work. I don't know if we'll get it all done before you have to go back to college, but we can give it our best shot!"

She smiled at me with bleary eyes. "Great, this is gonna be fun!"

"Wait until we get started," I chuckled. "You might soon change your mind!"

"Well, really I just want to hang around and watch you be all manly and stuff," she giggled.

"Well, it'll probably be an anti-climax on that score, but I'll enjoy your company all the same. Now, ready for bed?" I asked.

"I think so. I feel really sleepy after all that food," she said apologetically.

"Then let's go snuggle and fall asleep!"

"You mean you don't mind if we don't do anything sexy tonight?" she said in surprise. "Even after I teased you earlier?"

"Believe it or not, guys get tired too," I said, pulling her against me and giving her a warm smile. "And even if I wasn't, I still wouldn't mind. I'm looking forward to curling up with you, and spending the whole week with you."

I took her by the hand and led her upstairs. "Your turn first in the bathroom?" I offered.

She giggled. "Joe, you've seen everything I've got. I think we can get changed in front of each other now! Or even... just undressed?" she added, peeling off her sweater.

"Erm... sure," I gulped, entranced by the vision of Scarlett getting naked and captivated at the thought of laying next to her like this all night. Even my ex and I had never done that!

We were soon in bed, and Scarlett was so tired that she was asleep within minutes of her head hitting the pillow. I found considerable difficulties in doing the same - as every guy knows, the only difference between 'light' and 'hard' is that you can fall asleep with a light on! In dire need of a distraction, I got out my Macbook and ordered all the parts I thought we'd need to get the Mini sorted. It would probably have been less expensive to buy another car, I reflected, but I knew how important the family connection was to both Scarlett and her mum. I also texted my friend, Brendan, to see if he was free to help with the car repairs, and was pleased to receive an almost instant reply saying he would be round first thing on Tuesday morning. By the time I set my phone down and closed the laptop, my sexual thoughts about the beautiful girl that was lying naked next to me were mostly purged, and I was able to sleep.

My alarm roused me from my slumber at 6 a.m. and I prised myself from my warm bed and my adorable companion and headed for the shower. Clean, dry and dressed once more in my scruffiest clothes, I padded quietly downstairs and made coffee, making the necessary call to my boss (who was an early riser like me, thankfully!) to book the week off work before heading out to the barn to take a look at the Mini. I figured I may as well make a start before waking Scarlett, and by eight o'clock I had the doors and bumpers off, bracing pieces welded into the door apertures and the car on the dismantling jig.

I put more coffee on and carried a cup upstairs to Scarlett. "Good morning, beautiful," I said softly.

"Mmmm. Hi baby," she mumbled, rolling onto her back and rubbing her eyes. "Is that coffee I smell?"

"Yep. Freshly brewed," I smiled.

"The juice of the gods," she chuckled, stretching and sitting up. I was momentarily distracted by the sight of the duvet falling away from her breasts, but recovered myself and passed her coffee over. "Dressed already?" she asked. "And a bit grubby too! Don't tell me you started without me?"

"Only a bit," I said apologetically. "I was awake early, and you needed more sleep - plus there's an awful lot to do if we're going to try and get the car sorted inside a week! I think we'll need help, so I'm going to get one of my friends over to give us a hand tomorrow."

"Oh yeah. I'd better get moving then!" She took a gulp of her coffee and climbed out of bed, her delectable butt on display to my eager gaze. She looked over her shoulder at me and giggled. "Are you gonna look like that every time you see me naked?"

"Damn, busted!" I chuckled. "And probably... but I'll try and fight the instinct in future."

"Oh, don't do that on my account! I like the effect I have on you - and if it's any consolation, you do the same to me; I'm just better at hiding it. But if we're going to get anything done on the car today, we'd better not get distracted just yet."

Bugger. "Okay," I sighed reluctantly. "Feel free to jump in the shower - I put towels ready for you earlier."

"Awww, poor baby," she crooned. "I promise you faithfully that I'll make it up to you later! Why don't I see you out there when I'm ready?"

"Sure," I said, masking my disappointment. "There's more coffee in the pot if you need it, too!" She blew me a kiss before retreating into the en suite.

By the time she appeared in the workshop forty-five minutes later, the bonnet and wheels were off and I was in the process of craning out the diminutive engine and gearbox. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "You've got a lot done! Sorry I was so long; I got a call from my friend Nicola and we got talking about stuff. When I told her I had a new boyfriend she started asking a lot of questions - I was wondering if it might be okay if she came over to say hi and hang out for a bit?"

"Of course. Mi workshop es su workshop, et cetera!"

"Thanks! She only lives up the road anyway, so I'll drop her a text and let her know."

As Scarlett messed with her phone, I hooked up the iPod to the workshop sound system and put some music on before finishing removing the Mini's engine and gearbox and lowering it onto my workbench.

"Nic says she will be over at lunchtime and bring us a McDonald's if we want one," Scarlett grinned happily. "Now, where the hell do I start?"

I handed her a spare pair of overalls and some gloves and showed her how to drill out the welds on the bodywork, leaving her to do that while I finished removing the mechanical components from the body. As lunchtime rolled around, the car was pretty much a bare shell.

"Nic just texted; she asked what she should get us all for lunch," Scarlett said as I slid out from under the car, wiping my hands on a rag.

"She doesn't have to do that! I can make us something, or buy McDonald's if that's what you fancy!"

"She won't hear of it - I think she wants to make a good impression on you!" she giggled. "Quarter pounder meal? Coke?" she suggested. "That's what I'm going to have!"

"Sounds good to me!" I smiled, grabbing a knife from my toolbox and starting to cut the rubber seal on the windscreen.

Half an hour later there came a "Yoo-hoo! Where are you guys?" from the driveway. Scarlett ran out, squealing, and came back arm-in-arm with Nicola.

"Nic, this is Joe, my boyfriend. Joe, this is Nic, my friend from college," Scarlett beamed.

Nicola was maybe an inch taller than Scarlett, with a slim but slightly more curvaceous figure and rich chestnut hair that was plaited neatly down her back.

"Nice to meet you!" I smiled. "I would shake your hand, but I'm a bit grubby," I added apologetically.

"A bit? You're more covered in oil than a couple of strippers at a stag party!" Nicola snorted. "But then again, so is Scarlett - what have you two been up to?" She gave Scarlett a knowing wink, receiving a playful slap in return.

"Will you behave?" Scarlett blushed. "Sorry Joe, Nic is the most full-on of all of my friends, but I'm sure you'll get used to her."

"Nice!" Nicola said, sticking out her tongue. "A pleasure to meet you, Joe... I guess I should have said that first, but there you go. Scarlett has told me all about you! Anyway, shouldn't you two grease monkeys get washed up for lunch?"

"Smooth talker!" I laughed, and went to the attached washroom to get the grease off my hands and face, Scarlett following me in.

"Hope you two aren't fucking in there!" Nicola cackled. "Food's getting cold here!"

I emerged, wiping my hands on a towel. "It takes some of us a bit more than a minute to have sex," I answered wryly.

"Ninety seconds?" she shot back, holding out my burger and fries to me.

"More like ninety minutes!" Scarlett giggled, coming back into the workshop at the most opportune moment.

"Oh... my God," Nicola squealed. "You two have fucked already? You've only been together a few days! Joe, have you been leading my poor innocent friend astray?"

"Okay, girls; unless you want me to die of embarrassment, could we maybe change the subject for a bit?" I interjected.

"I'm sorry, Joe," Nicola apologised. "I guess I'm just a bit excited to meet you. It's not often you find out that your friend has finally ditched a total douchebag and met a new guy in the space of a weekend."

"It's fine," I reassured her with a smile. "Now, let's eat, and then, as you're here I'm going to put you to work!" I unfolded three deckchairs for us to sit on, and the girls gossiped about college as we ate.

"So," Nicola said, wiping her face on a napkin, "what is it you want us to do?"

I pointed to the stripped down car. "Well, if you don't mind, the Mini needs all the paint taking off so that I can see what sort of state the body is in. If you two could do that, I can roll it onto its side and cut the floor out."