Chapter 7 - The Restoration of the 2011 Sedan
Three weeks after the corporate takeover of Brightwell Systems, the historic garage bay at the Vance restoration facility in King of Prussia was bathed in clean, white halogen light.
The shop smelled of fresh motor oil, high-grade solvent, polished steel, and sweet cedar sawdust.
In the center of the hydraulic lift bay sat Hannah’s 2011 silver sedan.
The car was spotless, but not altered.
The famous scratch along the passenger door remained, buffed and clear-coated to preserve the memory of the winter morning she had bought it; the factory dashboard had been carefully restored with soft, new leather trim; and beneath the hood, the four-cylinder engine looked like an aerospace sculpture.
Every bolt had been replaced with titanium; the wiring harness was encased in military-grade braided shielding; a brand-new, high-output polished alternator sat firmly in a custom billet bracket; and the four cylinders hummed with a quiet, purring precision that sounded like an expensive Swiss chronograph.
Paul, the master mechanic who had overseen the restoration, handed the original silver key to Hannah.
"Compression is ninety-nine percent across all four chambers, Miss Reed," Paul smiled proudly, wiping his hands on a clean shop rag. "She’ll run another two hundred thousand miles without a cough."
Hannah took the key, feeling the worn metal that had accompanied her through four years of survival.
Standing behind her, leaning against a stainless-steel workbench with his arms crossed over his black sweater, was Evan.
He was watching her with that quiet, infinite pride that always made her chest ache with warmth.
"Well?" Evan asked, his gray eyes sparkling with amusement. "Does it meet your engineering specifications, Madam Chairwoman?"
Hannah turned around, stepping close to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, looking up into his handsome, scarred face.
"It’s perfect, Evan," she whispered. "Every single piece."
May you like
Evan smiled, leaning down to press his lips against hers in a slow, deep kiss that tasted of mint and complete, unshakeable devotion.
"Good," he murmured against her mouth. "Because your board meeting in Center City starts in forty minutes. And your parking space is waiting."
