A Little Visit

"You want lunch?" Jesseye asked the crew over her shoulder.

Jazza nodded, thankful the ginger was back to her cheery self. "I'll take some," Her black friend answered, smiling lightly as she leaned back against the wall.

"I know it's kinda late..." she mumbled, already taking out a pan as even if he said no; she still wanted something for herself and Jazzebella. "I can cook anything though." she assured them, her eyes fixed in one of her cookbooks for a good lunch option.

Shane nodded from the mechanic's table, jotting down notes for their next heist. "Lunch sounds good to me." He said with a smile before leaning back and running a hand through his messy dark brown hair. "Maybe some BLTs?" He suggested an option. "You somehow manage to make 'em so much better than normal."

She snickered lightly at the compliment. He'd only had her BLT once or twice. "Thanks!" her smile brightened as she pulled the bacon out of their fridge.

Jazzebella studied her pointed nails a second before challenging his statement, "I dunno. Tony makes some good ones." Jesseye shook her head as she switched on her rusted stove and buttered the pan.

He shook his head, "Naahh."

How glad Jesseye was now. Shane wasn't in the right position to witness her grin, but Jazzebella was, "Hm, suddenly so bright." she observed with a sly curve of her lips, giving a shrug when Shane looked her way.

After grabbing the tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese, Jesseye tossed her first strip of bacon on the pan. She fished out an empty jar from the fridge and shrugged. "It's cuz I make the dressing from scratch," she said humbly before looking back at him and winking, "Speeeaaakkinnngg of whicchhh," she drawled, walking around the counter to him at the mechanic's table. Shane scoffed. She was just taunting him with the secret recipe again. He knew she wasn't going to ask if he wanted to learn it, "Wanna watch the bacon while I make some more?" she asked with a grin before poking his shoulder, "Cuz someone used it all."

"Wonder who that was." their black friend said in passing, deciding to check her ancient, blocky, computer for any new emails in the other room.

Shane stood with a huff, "Yeah yeah. It's good, okay?" He defended with an unamused look. She giggled then turned away to return to her kitchen and clean out the old jar.

"Oh, I know," she snickered as she found all the ingredients: some white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt, pepper, and olive oil.

He shook his head then reluctantly joined her by the stove to watch the bacon. "You know I heard bacon is better if you make it in the oven." He told her with a small smirk, placing a hand on his hip. "Not sure if it's true, but hey." He shrugged and he flipped the thin strips of meat.

Jesseye scoffed, looking up from adding the right amount of spices to her jar, "No, that's not true." she retorted with an adamantly swish of her hair. She mixed while she talked,"Cooking bacon in an oven is a disgrace."

"Oh." He said with a nervous laugh.

She pat his back on her way around him to assess the few cubbards. "But it's okay. I'll forgive you this time, hotstuff." she snickered while pulled out a cutting board.

Shane looked up to her in surprise. In order to comprehend the truth, he had to glance back to the bacon then her, then the bacon. "What?!" he had to blurted out.

She just snickered more. He'd called her that before so why couldn't she? She placed a plate to his left. There was no point in hiding it anymore, was there? "Put it on this when it's done please." she ordered kindly before beginning to chop some tomatoes.

He looked back to the bacon and gulped. "U-I'm— ok." With one hand he flipped it and rubbed the back of his neck with the other. Had he heard her right? Did she mean that?

"Thanks~~," she sang over her shoulder, finely dicing her tomatoes with quick, precise strokes. Or was she playing with him? He wasn't sure.

He glanced over at her, his cheeks a little red before looking back to the pan."You're um, "He cleared his throat before placing it on the glass plate with orange edges like she'd asked. "Welcome."

"Now get out of my kitchen," she joked, elbowing him lightly. There honestly wasn't enough room to work with two people because it was so small.

He put his hands up and chuckled before backing out of her special space. "Alright, alright."

"Play nice you two,"Jazzebella mothered jokingly from her work table, her arms crossed.

Jesseye smiled at him then pushed the tomatoes into a bowl she'd gotten."We are!" She shouted innocently.

After a few minutes everything was prepped and wrapped. "Jazz! It's readdyy~!" she handed Shane one then bounced around the counter, nearly falling on her freckled face as she tripped over her own feet. He looked over to her in a bit of concern, but the lanky ginger laughed loudly and shook her head. "I'm okay!" she assured them, holding her hands out to her sides for balance.

Jazza chuckled heartily before regaining herself enough to raise an eyebrow at her,"You sure?" she asked through a laugh.

"Yes! Just taakkke it!" she threw it at her then ran back to the counter for hers.

Shane laughed and shook his head. "You're awfully spunky today, Jess." He said through a bite of his sandwich.

She shrugged,"I'm always spunky, what are you talking about?" she asked with a brow raised. She wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but his tone suggested it wasn't.

"Well yeah." Shane couldn't keep from moaning lightly as the flavors of her wrap blended together in his mouth, "But today you seem, very upbeat." She laughed lightly. When wasn't she? He gobbled another bite and *had* to compliment her, "Mmm, this is SO good. Thanks Jess!"

She grinned at him wildly and nodded, swallowing before answering,"Thanks, I had a little help," she said modestly as she felt her face heat a little. She looked up to him and sighed before moving to sit by Jazzebella. 'This isn't a big deal, Jess. Stop it.'

She watched him longingly from across the shop, but averted her gaze when he took notice. "You okay, Jess?" her best friend asked quietly. She couldn't believe she had forgotten how gut wrenching it was to have a crush.

Jesseye gave a nod,"Yeah," she sighed deeply and ate quietly, "Just nervous." He clearly wasn't interested in her, yet her mind was always looking hopelessly for signs that he did.

Shane shrugged as he now sat alone. He wasn't sure why she had moved, but didn't object. It didn't matter that much. Her and Jazz had been friends for much longer. He glanced over every once in a while to them, and Jesseye would smile. She shouted for him to move over here, but he shook his head. He was used to being alone.

"Cya later," Jazzebella waved as he retreated to his van. He climbed inside and laid down on his bed with a sigh. Was this because of the other day? Was this her giving him space or protecting herself because she knew he was bad news?

Jesseye sighed and glanced over to the notepad Shane left on the table. 'He's here for the money, not you. Can't get attached, remember?'

*&^%$*&^%$*&^%$*

To both the girls surprise, Tony walked in the shop only an hour later. At least it was already three, but this waiting business was dreadful. Jesseye's shift at work didn't start for another couple hours!

So of course Jesseye tackled the tall man into a hug,"Hey!" she squeezed him tight then leaned back. Any entertainment was better than nothing! "Here for Jazz?" she asked with a small snicker.

Tony looked down at the smaller woman and smiled. She was like another little sibling to him. Her amount of energy always amazed him. "I was here for all of you but sure." He said with a light chuckle.

"Oh," Jesseye giggled and nodded,"Cool! Shane's hiding away in his van, but we're here!" She smiled wide, glad to have a distraction from both her boredom and cause of anxiety.

Tony glanced at the dark vehicle outside and nodded. It had been a few weeks since he'd heard about their living arrangement, but he still couldn't figure out what Shane was doing here. Was he just laying up till he could figure what to do? Hiding from the gang? He wasn't sure.

He waved to Jazz when he saw her crawling out from under a car and sat down at their table. The woman lit up, "Hey, thought I'd stop in an hang out a bit." He explained with a smile, clearly happy to see her back in overalls. "What have you guys been up to?" he asked curiously.

"Yas!" Jazzebella chuckled, wiped her forehead with her black stained rag, and crossed her legs where she sat,"The usual. It's nice ta see you outside of work," she mentioned with a smile.

The other woman nodded,"I made lunch a bit ago." Jesseye reported with a grin.

Tony dipped his head in a knowing gesture. "Nioce." Though they tended to cook completely different types of food, she was a good cook in her own right.

Her oblivious friend smiled wide,"Oo, what about your dog?! How big is he? Isn't he almost a year?!" Jesseye asked excitedly.

Tony chuckled at her barrage of questions but nodded. Jazza's heart hummed with affection as she watched him from beside her car,"He's good. Getting pretty big. And yeah he's 10 months." He reported with a smile.

"Awwee, I bet he's so cutee," Jesseye whined, wishing she could play with his speckled pitbull puppy right now.

Tony shrugged while the woman of his interest flicked her wrist for the time. Three oh nine, wasn't it time for a break? Jazz lugged herself from the ground and smiled. She waited for him to finish his little conversation with Jess about Charlie before complimenting,"You look well."

Her words didn't quite strike how she wanted. "Thanks." Tony glanced over to Jesseye and laughed lightly. She nodded, sitting herself close to his side. "You do too."

Jazzebella thought for a moment. Was she really ready for this? Honestly, she still wasn't sure; but she couldn't let Jesseye see her hesitation. Years had passed since Gramp's death and her last relationship. The mechanic was supposed to be strong now.

Tony's voice broke her thoughts, "What have you guys been up to? Got anything exciting going on?" He asked with a small laugh.

The dark skinned woman shrugged with her shoulders,"Not much." She smiled down at his larger hand then glanced back up to met his chocolate eyes. Oh her stomach fluttered with butterflies. Why didn't this ever get easier? "I've been restoring another Cadillac from the seventies. Gorgeous car. Getting paid for it this time," she chuckled lightly.

He smiled widely at the news. "That's great!" Her business had been growing steadily for years, and now some clients were beginning to trust her with restorations!

Strangely enough, his kind grin eased her nerves, "What about you, Cadillac?" He laughed nervously at the flattering nickname and rubbed his neck. She smirked lightly then glanced to Jesseye. Her sister cocked her head, not understand the situation. She sighed as the ginger wouldn't leave unless she was rather obvious with it. So, Jazza took a chance, reached over, and placed her free hand on his,"How've ya been?" She asked softly, her gaze a tad too steady to be casual.

Surprised, Tony glanced down at her palm over his hand and blushed lightly. Did this for sure mean that she was ready? Their last visit to the restaurant had thrown him for a loop. First she'd left him on a cliffhanger, then she'd barely looked at him? Perhaps she had still been making up her mind? "Tones?" She prompted his answer, his action.

"Y-yeah," He cleared his throat and turned his hand so he could hold hers properly. "I've uh. I've been good." He replied, looking back up to her. Now her cheeks were also a bit darker and warmer. She had expected him to remove his hand. He didn't. Instead he rubbed her hand with his thumb and nodded encouragement for them both. "Just um. Work, Charlie, the kids," He explained, trying desperately to hide his anxiety.

Jazza squeezed his palm,"Ahh," she cooed, simply staring at him a moment. There was no going back now, "That's all?" She asked, her brow raised in confident interest.

Tony looked mischievously over to Jesseye and shrugged, "Had to get rid of some drunks from the restaurant the other night." she snickered lightly, glancing sheepishly away, "That's about the only thing that's been out of the ordinary." He explained as he looked to their hands and smiled before meeting her gentle gaze. "Thank you, Jazzebella."

How Jazza's heart beat. "Course," it was an effort to keep her voice steady. What if this ruined their friendship? What if she made a mistake? Tony was such a nice guy, a great friend, but what if he didn't want to take it to the next step?

She shook her head. If he didn't, he wouldn't be holding her hand. He wouldn't be staring at her. He wouldn't have put up with her bothering him at the restaurant all the time. "Wanna take a walk?" Jazza asked softly, hoping Jesseye would take the hint and make herself scarce,"Been cooped up in this shop all day," she gave a ginger excuse.