I had been using the same mechanic and auto repair shop for the last twenty years.  Their work was the best, and they always went the extra mile to make sure you were satisfied.  In fact, ‘we go the extra mile’ was written below their name on the sign.Of course, all good things come to an end, and William’s retirement was inevitable.  He was a few years older than me and had been doing the job for forty years.  His body showed the wear and tear from years of doing it the right way and not shortcutting the customers.  He deserved his retirement as much or more than anyone else, and he would be sorely missed,The new buyer, Megan, was introduced to the customers during William’s last few months and slowly took control.  The first changes were generally cosmetic things like fresh paint and a strict policy of cleanliness, which were greatly needed.  She wisely decided to leave the name of the garage unchanged since everyone in three states knew of Willy’s Auto Clinic. She also updated some of their older equipment that was in disrepair.Megan, unlike William, did not do any work herself but did have the sense to keep on William’s two younger mechanics.  She also began advertising for a third mechanic to fill in William’s now empty service bay.  Also, unlike William, Megan was reserved and didn’t interact as much with the clientele as her main focus was financial managing of the business.  This detachment from the customers led many to believe that she was a bit stuck-up.Wednesday was William’s last day, so several customers stopped by to wish him well in his retirement since he and his wife, Jane had decided to move out of state.  Their decision was based on their desire to be closer to the grandkids and kids who’d moved a few years back.  I snuck over toward the end of the party since my office is just across the street and I could see the goings-on through my window. When I finally made my way across the street, there were only a few close friends left in the shop, and Megan had already gone home for the day.   I walked up to William and said, “Congratulations, you old fart.”Everyone laughed before William responded, “Takes one to know one,” as we shook hands.We all told our favorite car repair stories and laughed for about thirty minutes before I got up and said, “Alright folks, I’m hitting the road.  Some of us still have to work tomorrow.”I got a few more laughs as I headed for the front door when William spoke up, “Hey Dennis, can you spare a minute back in my office?”I did a quick U-turn and uttered, “Sure, I can.”I followed William back to his windowless office, and he offered me a seat before closing the door behind us.  Over the years, we had many of these closed-door meetings to discuss anything from our attractive new customers to how to help each other increase business in the world of larger competitors.  I was pretty sure that this meeting would be about something entirely different.William started with, “I’m sure you know what this is about, so I’ll get right to it.  Megan is going to need your help and advice if she is going to make this work, and I need it to work.  Not for me, because I already have my money, but for my guys out there that do damn good work.”“I’ll Anadolu yakası escort bayan do what I can, William, and you know that, but she is pretty standoffish.  In the two interactions that I had with her, she politely said hi and wouldn’t even shake my hand,” I answered.“I know, I know,” William said before continuing, “She’s scared.  Megan is a brilliant lady and came to me with a very inventive offer for my business, that’s why I sold it to her.  I know that she’s smart enough to make this place even more profitable than I did, but she needs help with her people skills.  She keeps trying to hide back in this office when more than half of the job is shaking hands and kissing ass.  You know that more than anyone, being in the insurance business.”“Have you talked to her about this?” I inquired.William answered, “Yes, I have, and she is willing to spend some time after hours listening to your ideas.”“Oh, how very gracious of her,” I smart-mouthed back.“No, you have to understand her.  She was an only child, and both of her parents died during her first year of college.  Her family was originally from the Midwest, so she has no other relatives here.  She was left a good amount of money and did finish college but became a complete introvert during that time.  She sold her parents’ home when she graduated and has her own place now. Megan is looking to set roots here to build her own family, and this business is a huge part of that,” William conveyed.“So you think that her willingness to talk to me is a big step for her?” I questioned.“Yes, yes, Yes.” William replied, then continued, “She knows her shortcomings but needs guidance on how to overcome them.  I have done all I can in the time I have here, but she needs more help, and you are the one I trust the most to bring her out of her shell.  Anyone else might try and steal the business from her, but I know you won’t.  I know that you’ll be patient with her because you know loss too.”William turned in his chair and opened his mini-fridge to withdraw two cold beers.  He placed one in front of me before popping the top on his own.  I opened mine as well, and we sat quietly, as we had so many times before while trying to solve problems in our little world.  When the beers were finished, I stood and calmly stated, “Okay, I’ll help her.   When does she want me to come by?”“How about tomorrow night at around six pm?” Wiliam responded.“Okay, should I call to make sure the time is good or just pop in?” I countered.William answered, “Maybe just a quick call as a courtesy until you two feel each other out and set up your own rapport.”“Alright, I’ll call and stop by tomorrow night, but Jane owes me one more Sunday dinner before you leave. I’ll expect that you’ll put a bug in her ear about making my favorite too,” I declared.“Alright, I’ll make sure that it’s pot-roast Sunday night,” William guaranteed as we both stood and headed out the door.  We shook hands before I headed across the street to close up my office for the night.My sleep was rather fitful that night as I tried to figure out how to start this new enterprise.  I knew from my years of collaboration with William Escort Kurtköy that it would greatly benefit us both to work together in friendship.  My concern was how to reach her since I knew how hard it was for William to help me through my loss.William and I had already been friends for years before Diane died, and it still took a lot of closed-door meetings to bring me out of my despair.  How would I reach this person that I didn’t even know and bring her out of hers?  Our only link was the businesses, so I had to use that to build a relationship.  That was my last thought before sleep finally took me away for the night.Thursday was a busy one, and before I knew it, the clock read five-thirty.  I did some finish up work and closed the office before giving Megan a call.  Our conversation over the phone was short, with her expressing her appreciation for the call and saying that it was a good time to talk.  I locked up the office and headed over with the feeling that I was getting ready to climb Mt. Everest.I spoke briefly with the guys as they were cleaning up their bays, and they all whispered their thanks for what I was doing.  Making my way back to her office, I saw that the door was open and she was printing the totals for the day’s work off of the computer.  Megan glanced up as I approached and said, “Hi Dennis, please come in and sit down.”I took a seat and jumped right into the fray with, “I want to say that my only motive for coming here tonight is to help you any way I can.  I know that filling William’s shoes will be a herculean task for anyone, although I know he has great faith in your abilities.”“Thank you for saying that,” Megan blurted out quickly.Her face reddened as she realized that she lost her composure for a moment.  I attempted to assure her that it was okay by saying, “You don’t ever have to feel embarrassed in front of me.  When I lost my wife a few years back, I would come to this office and cry like a baby while trying to figure out how I was going to survive without her. I’m here to tell you that these walls don’t talk and neither do I.”Megan bent her head and began to sob softly.  I stood and closed the door before returning to my seat.  She continued for about ten minutes before she grabbed some tissues and lifted her head to mouth, ‘Thank you’ before heading to the bathroom.   I waited patiently for her to return, and when she did, she walked over to me.  Grabbing my hand, she pulled me to my feet before wrapping her arms around me in a very warm hug.  I reciprocated as we stood in that position, and she started to cry quietly once again.We stood for quite a while as I felt her tears soaking my shirt.  In all that time her grip never loosened so I didn’t let mine either.  When she finally started to ease her grip, I let mine slack as well.  Her hands slid up my back and gently grasped the back of my head, pulling me down for a kiss.  It all felt very natural, so I returned her affection.  As she broke away, Megan whispered, “Come home with me, please.”My head reeled for a moment as we commenced kissing again, which was good because it gave me some time to think without her staring at me.  I was sure Maltepe escort that she just wanted to be close to someone.  I hoped that it wouldn’t involve sex since she was fifteen years my junior, and it had been years since I’d been with anyone.  What if we did and I became attached to her, could I handle another loss?  But I was overthinking, so I just continued the kiss and let her lead.The kiss ended, and our mouths separated when Megan said, “I want you to come over, but we don’t have to do anything other than cuddle.  I feel at ease with you and desperately want to be close right now, is that okay?”“Yes,” I answered.She entangled the fingers of her right hand into the fingers of my left and pulled me with her behind her desk while she grabbed her purse and keys.  She led the way out and locked up the shop before heading to her car.  As she stopped at the passenger door, she asked, “Do you want to take your car, or are you okay with riding with me?”“I’m comfortable with whatever you are, Megan,” I answered before she reached up to kiss me again.  The kiss lingered as she didn’t seem to care at all if anyone saw us.  She pulled open my door and let me in while she went around to the driver’s side and hopped in herself.  She pulled out, and we headed down the road with her right hand intertwined in my left once again.About fifteen minutes later, we pulled up to her condo building and entered the underground garage where she parked.  Our hands separated just long enough to get out of the car and then she was right there wrapping hers around mine.  We rode the elevator to the top floor and made our way into her spacious and beautifully decorated two-bedroom condo.  After locking the front door, she kissed me again while holding me tight as I reciprocated.  The kiss was more need than passion, just like the others so I would follow her lead going forward.Megan slowly pulled away and said, “Let’s get more comfortable, couch or bed?”I answered her question with my own, “Do you want to talk or be held or both?”Her answer was to lead me to her bedroom, where she removed her shoes and lay on her side, facing away from me.  I followed suit, removing my shoes, and slid up to her back while enveloping her in my arms.  She wrapped her arms around mine, and we both fell fast asleep.I woke at three a.m. and had to pee, so I slowly loosened my grip, and she stirred and mumbled, “Please don’t leave?”I quickly whispered back, “I have to pee.  Where is the bathroom?”Megan raised her arm and pointed to the open door on her side of the bed and in a hushed voice, answered, “Right in there but don’t be long or I’ll get cold.”I quietly laughed as I said, “I can’t guarantee the speed with a full bladder, but I’ll try to be quick.”Megan laughed too as I rolled off the bed and made my way to the bathroom.  Once inside, I closed the door and commenced draining my bladder.  I flushed, washed my hands, and opened the door just in time to see Megan slipping under the covers in only her panties.  She smiled as our eyes locked for a moment, and she knew that I had seen her state of undress.  As I headed for my side of the bed, she quietly stated, “I wasn’t comfortable wearing my clothes to bed, and I’m sure you aren’t either so, please remove whatever you want.”I followed her lead, stripping down to my briefs and then sliding under the covers.  I slid to her side and wrapped my arms around her again while trying to keep my hands away from her breasts.  She again wrapped her arms around mine as we spooned tightly.