Previously:

"Try the Boysenberry Pie while you're there. Even for breakfast, it really hits the spot."

Taking a few steps backward, you gave him a smile, "I'll do that," then turning to walk away."Oh, Y/N!" you heard him call after you and you whirled in place, surprised.

"Keys. I need your keys."

You laughed, shaking your head, "Right. Sorry." Digging into your purse followed by a toss of the keys, he caught them out of the air before you headed in the direction of the diner once again.

________________

A bell above the door jangled lightly as you entered the diner, the smell of hot grease hitting your nose. Straight ahead there was a counter with barstools, a view of the kitchen behind it. To both your left and right along the wall lined with windows, there were built-in booths with splitting vinyl cushions and spotted formica-covered tables.

The waitress behind the counter spoke, drawing your attention. "Hey, sweetie. Take a seat wherever you like, I'll be with you in a jiffy."

"Okay," you responded with a tight smile.

Choosing a booth, you dropped your bag and sat down. You looked around, seeing only 2 other customers currently sitting at the counter with coffee mugs in their hands. Moments later, a pretty redhead approached, wearing a sleeveless button-up flowered shirt and jeans under the apron around her waist. Bright red lipstick painted her lips as she talked to what looked like a regular customer. Probably a local.

"Sorry about the wait, hun. You just roll into town?" she asked you while handing you a menu, then pulling a small notebook and a pen out of her apron pocket.

"Yeah. Just passing through. I hope," you replied, a nag of doubt in your voice.

"You hope?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It's my car. I don't know how long it'll take to fix it," you huffed out in a sigh.

"I see," she nodded. "Well, don't fret, Bucky'll take care of you, no problem."

Your own eyebrow raised at the mention of his name, but you should have known that everyone knew everyone here. The blessing and curse of small towns.

"I"m Nattie. Can I get ya something to drink to start? Coffee?"

You jumped at the offering. "Yes! Coffee, please," then offering your own name.

"Nice to meet you, Y/N. Welcome. Coffee, you got it. I'll give you a minute with the menu," she said with a smile before walking around the counter for the coffee pot.

After ordering breakfast and a slice of the recommended Boysenberry pie, you sipped your coffee and pulled out your planning materials and laid them on the table. You had hoped to be 8 hours further into your journey, even having planned out where you would stop and either sleep in your car if it seemed safe or a cheap motel if needed. This pit stop wasn't ideal, but you could adjust.

A few hours later, you waved goodbye to Nattie and left the diner. Breakfast was delicious and the pie was every bit as amazing as Bucky had promised. It was mid-afternoon as you strolled down the main road past the elementary school grounds full of screaming children out for recess, the small public library, a barber shop, and the post office.

Approaching the auto body shop, you could hear classic rock blasting from the radio, then following the sound into the open garage. You didn't see anyone at first glance, but after looking in between cars, you finally spotted a pair of long legs poking out from underneath a jacked-up car.

"Hello?" you announced yourself.

"Just a minute," came the muffled response.

A few seconds later he rolled out from underneath the car and got to his feet, wiping his hands on a rag.

"Hey," he greeted you with a smile. "How was the diner?"

"Really good. The pie was okay," you shrugged, then sneaking in a smile.

He crossed muscular arms over his chest. "Is that so? Well, there's something wrong with your tastebuds then," he grinned a you.

You let the moment linger, a crackle of electricity in your veins as you held his gaze. He then cleared his throat and walked over to your car, hood already raised.

"So," he began, "I was right. It's the radiator. Looks like there's a crack that was sloppily patched so it was only temporary. How long have you had the car?"

You shook your head in disbelief. "About a week. That sneaky weasel! I can't believe Brock sold it to me like that!" you exclaimed, gesturing to your broken vehicle.

"Guy sounds like a piece of work. Should've had it looked over by a mechanic before buying."

"I did!" you explained. "Except..."

Bucky waited for you to finish.

"...he's also the mechanic."

The brunet burst out in laughter. "Well, that's one way to keep business going. There's a reason why doctors can't be pharmacists, too," he winked at you.

You let out a slow groan. "So what does that mean? You can fix it, right?"

"Oh, yeah. It's an easy fix. Only problem is, I don't have the part."

"What?" you nearly shouted.

"I called and ordered it, luckily caught the guy before the truck left, but it won't get here until Monday," he said with an apologetic shrug.

You deflated, shoulders hunching as the news hit you. "Monday? That's three days from now! Dammit," you cursed as you slumped onto a stool next to Bucky's work table.

"I know. I'm sorry, but I can only order if the truck is already passing by. They don't make special trips to this small town. As far as cost goes, a new radiator runs about $250, plus labor it's close to $500."

Your mouth gaped open. "$500?" you exclaimed, then groaning as your head fell to your hands.

"It sucks, I know. These unexpected but necessary repairs aren't cheap, but..."

"It's fine," you cut him off, taking a deep breath. "I can handle it. I budgeted for car repairs, but didn't expect it to be this much so soon. And I'm not willing to dip into my emergency fund quite yet. There's too much to take care of once I get there. I'll just...I'll sleep in my car more and avoid getting a hotel a few more nights. I'll figure it out."

Bucky pursed his lips, stuffing both hands in his jeans pockets. "You know...the labor charge isn't a big deal, I could probably shave a few hundred dollars off. I don't have a lot going on right now, so—"

You shook your head vigorously, resisting. "No. I can't ask you to do that. You can't just work for free on my behalf, that's not fair to you. Mama didn't raise no freeloader."

He chuckled at that. "You didn't ask. I'm offering. Really, I don't mind. Doesn't feel right to have you sleeping on the side of the road in exchange for a few dollars. Please, just let me," he spoke, sincerity shining out of his bright blue eyes.

Chewing on your lip in consideration, you paused a moment until a lightbulb went off above your head. "What if...." you began, shifting from one foot to another. "What if I traded you labor?"

His brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"I mean, I could trade services with you somehow."

Bucky's eyes shot open at that.

"No! I mean....not..." you felt heat rising in your face, then clearing your throat. "What I meant was, I could...I don't know, cut your hair for free or something. Even your whole family, I have my kit with me and I'm actually pretty good—"

The man straightened up at that, a hand flying up to his scalp. "Uh uh, no one touches my hair. You got a thing against long hair?" he accused you with a small smile, almost teasing.

"Wha—no, I mean, it doesn't look good on some people, but it works for you, I kinda like the bun and with your face shape I just...I didn't mean to criticize, I was thinking of what I could do..."

He grinned at your flustered demeanor, leaning against your car casually.

Clearing your throat, you looked around the garage. "Okay, well...do you need help around here?"

He eyed you carefully. "Can you do an oil change?"

You crossed your arms over your chest, slightly defensive. "No, but I can check my car's oil and change a tire. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. I could also organize tools or do filing, answer the phone, help customers...whatever you need. I'll be here til Monday regardless, so," you shrugged, leaving the choice up to him.

Rubbing a hand over his scruff-covered jaw, he considered your proposal. "Okay. You can help with any projects you can find. It's basically just me, so I could use another pair of hands sometimes. Tomorrow, though. You could probably use a few winks after sleeping in your car last night, right?"

You sighed, then nodding in resignation.

"There's a motel about 3 blocks West that's cheap and pretty clean. I can drive you there if you need to unload from your car," he offered as he opened your rear driver's side door.

"No, that's okay," you answered, only grabbing a medium-sized duffle bag from the back seat and slinging it over your shoulder. "I've packed pretty light. The rest can stay in the car, if that's okay with you?"

"Sure. I lock up at night. So just head down this street then hang a left, it'll be on your right. Maximoff Palace Motel," he had pointed out each turn as he had spoken them, then punctuating his last statement with a firm nod.

"Got it," you replied with a nod of your own. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then? 9am?"

"Sounds good. Have a good night, Y/N."

"You, too, James," you teased, earning an eye roll and a smile from him.

You found the motel easily enough. Stepping through the glass door into the front office you were met with a girl a few years younger than you with long brown hair that fell in waves down to her waist and wide-set hazel eyes, giving her a doe-like appearance.

"Hi! Welcome to the Maximoff Palace. I'm Wanda. Room for one?" she chirped cheerfully with a smile.

"Yeah. Um..three nights I think?" you said, figuring you'd be leaving town Monday afternoon.

"Of course!" she replied, her fingers flying over the keyboard of an out-of-date computer. "What brings you into town?"

"Car trouble," you explained with a sigh.

Wanda paused in her typing, then taking a good look at you. "Oh. So...you've met Bucky?"

"Yeah. I'm actually helping him out for the next few days. Just until my car is fixed," you explained, no longer surprised when his name popped up.

"I see," she said quietly, her cheerful demeanor losing its warmth somewhat. "Name, contact information, and credit card number?"

"Um...sure. Can I just pay cash, though?" you asked, fishing your wallet out of your bag.

"You can pay in cash when you check out but we need a credit card on file in case of damages or some other incident," she said matter-of-factly. Probably in case you ran out on the bill, you assumed.

"Okay," you agreed, giving her all the necessary information which she copied, then sliding a key across the counter to you.

"Room 17. Enjoy your stay," Wanda offered with a tight smile.

"Thanks..." you responded hesitantly as you took the key. You wondered why the sudden chill in her mannerisms while exiting the office, but shrugged it off.

Finding your room up a flight of outdoor stairs, you lugged your bags through the doorway and dropped them on the floor beside the queen-sized bed. You slipped off your sandals and crawled under the covers, springs squeaking under your weight. The bed wasn't the most comfortable, but exhaustion quickly took over and within minutes you were fast asleep.

_________________

You awoke in the early evening, squinting blearily at the bedside digital clock. Your mouth tasted like something died in it, so you sluggishly rolled over to the side of the bed and rummaged through a bag for your toothbrush, but then noticed you had forgotten to pack toothpaste. Figures. You shuffled to the bathroom and made do with just water and brushing your tongue, then popping in a mint you found in your purse. Stomach growling, you decided it was time to venture out for dinner anyway.

You headed toward the center of town and ducked into the corner store for toothpaste, some snacks, and a few other items before heading back to the diner. Nattie greeted you with a wave as you entered and selected a booth. The diner was busier than that morning with a few couples and a family or two adding to the chaotic noise.

"Hey, sweetie. It's good to see you again. Another minute with the menu?" the redheaded waitress asked when she reached your table.

Plucking a menu that was stashed behind the napkin dispenser, you perused it quickly before selecting a random entree. You weren't feeling picky and the faster you ordered, the less waiting time on a busy night like tonight. You'd brought a book this time, one of your favorite often-read paperbacks with folded pages and a broken spine.

You took your time with dinner, eating while you read and occasionally people-watched unobtrusively. After paying your bill, you waved goodbye to Nattie and strolled down Main Street toward your motel. The day had finally cooled off and you found yourself enjoying the walk, peering into store windows and smiling at people you passed on the sidewalk.

Reaching your room, you flicked on the tv mostly for background noise and took a hard look at the detailed budget you had written up for your trip. Paying for 3 days in a motel and adding the car repairs, your wallet was taking a hit, but Bucky's willingness to lower the bill would definitely help. You were grateful to this kind stranger and the thought of spending the whole day with him tomorrow was strangely exciting. Surprised to feel a few butterflies flutter in your stomach, you shook your head to clear away the feeling and got ready for bed.

I'll be gone in a few days, you told yourself as you drifted off to sleep.