Fabricating Jada Read online

  Fabricating Jada

  Vanessa Marie

  Contents

  Title Page

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Epilogue

  1. Fostered

  Also by Vanessa Marie

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

  All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Copyright © 2016 Vanessa Marie; All rights reserved.

  Publisher: House of Attitude

  Content Editing: It’s Your Story Content Editing

  Editing: Daniela Prima

  Final Proof: Finishing Touch Editing

  Cover Design: Amy Queau

  Cover Photo: BigStockPhoto ®

  ASIN: B01JS888FS

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  For Jess.

  I miss you.

  The only things I've ever really cared about were cars and motorcycles. No one in my family worked on them or even knew how to ride. They all thought I was being silly when I told them I wanted to learn to fabricate. No one understood the insatiable need I had to create. To take things from nothing and make them beautiful. It gave me purpose and made me thrive when I was stuck in a perpetual world of wanting. The only person who really believed in me was my mom. She put up a small shed in our backyard, so I could have a workshop to play and learn in. Everything I knew was self-taught, and there was only one person I really wanted to learn from.

  Jesse Valentine.

  My mom burst through my bedroom door, waving a magazine in the air. "Jada, have you seen this?"

  I scrunched my face. "Seen what, Ma?”

  She thrust the magazine at my face. "This."

  After laughing at the way she was flipping out, I finally glanced down at the page she had turned to. My heart stopped and my breath caught.

  Jesse Valentine, in all his beautiful, tattooed glory, was staring back at me beneath a black beanie.

  Oh, man he was something to look at.

  "Did you read it?" she asked, pulling me back to reality.

  I shook my head at her and scanned the rest of the page.

  Open to the public: One-time only class (Limited Space)

  My eyes darted up to hers as I smacked my hand across the page. "Mom, do you know what this means?" Now I was the one flipping out.

  "Yes. You need to get online right now and fill out that form." She bounced with excitement and handed me my laptop.

  Skepticism and self-doubt warred with each other deep inside me as I chewed on the inside of my cheek. It was a chance of a lifetime. "It's probably already full. When did this magazine come out?" I flipped it over to look at the month of publication.

  "They were just putting them on the shelves when I was at the grocery store. It's brand new, Jada. If this is what you want, my love, go get it."

  I tried to ignore the insistency and determination in her voice over the thumping in my chest.

  "But what about dad and everyone else?"

  She sat down on the edge of my bed where I was anxiously sitting on my knees. "Is this your dream?"

  I nodded. "You know it is."

  Her gaze softened. "Then I don't want you to even think about anyone else or their opinions. I believe in you, love. If you want anything in this life, you have to go after it with everything you have. Push away the doubt and tell yourself 'I can do this' because you can, and I know in my heart you will."

  Practically knocking her over, I squeezed her tight. "Thanks, Mom."

  She kissed the top of my head and then pushed me away. "Now, hurry up and fill it out."

  I sat up and opened my laptop. Following the directions on the magazine, I pulled up a registration form that didn't seem to be connected to his website or any form of social media. It was kind of strange. I would have thought he would have blasted this class all over the internet already, but this was the first I'd seen anything about it.

  "Mom, it says the class is fifteen hundred dollars. We don't have that kind of money." The hope I had a moment before shattered—being this close to something I'd always wanted—and like everything else in my life, money got in the way.

  "I've got it covered, love."

  I watched her with skepticism. "How?"

  Her smile was a devious one. "I've been putting a little away every paycheck for you. I know I couldn't afford to send you to college, but I wanted to be able to do something for you. Let me do this, Jada."

  Tears welled in the corners of my eyes. My mom worked so hard so I could have a better life than she had, and I would be forever grateful for her sacrifices.

  "Are you sure?"

  "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

  My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest as I hit send with a shaky hand.

  Your application has been sent and will be reviewed by the team at Valentine Street Rods and Fabrication. If chosen, you will receive an email giving you further instructions.

  I layback on my bed and stared at the ceiling. The chances of me being chosen out of the millions of applicants he was sure to get, was slim to none. But at least I tried. That counted for something.

  Every time my email pinged, I jumped and scrambled to open it. Junk mail. It was always junk mail. It had been almost three weeks since I filled out that stupid application and still no word. I should have known better than to get my hopes up, but what's the point of having dreams if you didn't dream big?

  I tossed my phone on my bed and finished getting dressed for work. I worked at the local auto parts store even though no one there took me seriously either. At twenty-three, you'd think my life would be more together. I wouldn't be living with my parents still, and I would have a car. But life had a funny way of throwing roadblocks in your way when all you wanted to do was drive.

  As I made my way to the living room, my phone rang. Letting out a frustrated sigh for forgetting it, I turned on my heel and stomped back to my room to get it.

  I picked up on the fifth ring. "Hello?"

  "Hi. Is this Jada Carmen?"

  I pulled the phone away from my ear and glanced at the caller ID. It was from an unknown number.

  "Uh, yes. Can I help you?"

  "Jada, my name is DeAnna and I'm calling from Valentine SRF. You've been chosen to go on to the next round of interviews for the fabrication class."

  I dropped my phone in shock. Scr
ambling to pick it back up, I could hear DeAnna saying "Hello?"

  "Sorry. Um, yeah. When is the interview?" My hands shook with nervousness and excitement.

  Interview for a class? That's strange.

  "I know this is late notice, but can you get here by noon today?"

  Crapzilla. My eyes darted to my alarm clock. It was almost eight o'clock. His shop was an hour from us by car, and that meant over two hours on a bus. I'd have to call in sick, too. My mind raced as she said my name again. "Jada? Can you make it or not?"

  "Ye-yes, I'll be there," I stuttered, trying to process what had just happened.

  "Great. I will email you the address. We will see you soon."

  "Thanks. Okay, see you soon."

  We hung up, and I bunny hopped around my room, fist pumping the air.

  "Jada, what the hell are you doing back there? It feels like an earthquake!" my dad shouted from the living room. I took off in a full sprint toward him.

  "Dad! You'll never guess who I just got a call from!"

  "The Easter bunny?" He laughed at his own lame joke, but I was too excited to care.

  "No. Jesse Valentine. Well, not him exactly, but his shop. I got another interview for the class," I squealed and ran in place.

  He held his hand up to me. "Wait. What class? Jesse Valentine, as in that jerk from TV that builds cars?"

  Oh, crap. Did mom not tell him about it?

  My mom walked into the room just as I was about to spill the beans. "What's going on? Oh, gosh, did they email you?"

  "No, not email. They called!" I ran in place again as my grin overtook my face.

  "Oh, love, that's fantastic." She pulled me into a hug and then released me. "What's the next step?"

  I scraped my bottom lip through my teeth. "I have to go for an interview today at noon."

  "Interview where? What class? Why is the biggest jerk-off on the planet calling my daughter?" my dad demanded from his chair.

  My mom squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. "Jesse Valentine is hosting a fabrication class for a select group of people. Jada submitted an application and she was chosen. She is going to do this, Roy."

  He let out an exaggerated huff. "Why didn't anyone tell me about this sooner?"

  "Because you think me wanting to learn how to fabricate and build cars is silly."

  His hard glare softened. "No, baby doll. I really don't. I just want you to have a good life and that kind of work is a lot harder than you think. There are so many hot rod shops out there already and you just don't have the skills to do it."

  The way he delivered the blow made my chest ache. I wanted him to believe in me. My mom wrapped her arm around my shoulders and pulled me into a side hug. "She may not have the skill set yet, but she will. No one has the drive our girl does."

  "What about work?" my dad asked.

  Oh, crap. I forgot I needed to call them.

  I shrugged. "I'll have to call in sick today."

  My dad shook his head in disappointment. "Work is important. When you make a commitment, you have to follow through with it. You can't be one of those people who call in sick all the time."

  I knew his frustration wasn't with me. It was with himself. He used to be the main breadwinner and worked in a factory until his diabetes got really out of control. He never took care of himself like he was supposed to, and because of that, he lost part of his right leg. Due to his neglect, he was also on dialysis three times a week. It left him bitter about a lot of things.

  "Honey, I love you, but I will push you out of your chair if you keep riding her. It is not her job to pay for your medications or to help us with bills. She does this because she wants to and we're lucky because of the kind of woman she is. I think it's past time she deserves to have something of her own."

  My mom turned to me and squeezed my hand. "Call your boss and tell him you're sick. I know you have a ton of sick time saved up you never use any. No point in telling them what's going on until you know for sure."

  "Thanks, Mom."

  I darted into the other room and made my call. My boss, Brad, wasn't happy but he'd get over it. This was the first time I'd ever called in, unlike my co-workers who never wanted to show up.

  When I returned to the living room, my parents were talking in hushed voices. Once my mom looked up, she plastered a smile on her face. "I can come home on my lunch break and drive you there."

  I shook my head. "It's in Anaheim."

  Her smile faltered for a moment. "Well, how about you take my car and I can take the bus to work?" she offered.

  "No," my dad and I said simultaneously.

  "Well, how are you going to get there?" she huffed.

  "Like I do everything else—take the bus. I need to go change and get going if I'm going to make it on time."

  Both of my parents looked at me warily. I knew they thought I was naïve and couldn't take care of myself, but I could and I was going to prove it.

  The bus stopped in front of Valentine SRF. There was a large crowd around the iron gates that surrounded the building, and it made me nervous. I checked my email again for the instructions once I got there.

  As I got off the bus, I walked around the edge of the building to the back like I was told. The crowd was thinner back here, but there were still a lot of people. I wondered if they were all there for interviews too or if they were just fans of Jesse's.

  I called DeAnna once I was in front of the iron spiderwebbed door.

  "This is DeAnna."

  "Hi, DeAnna, this is Jada Carmen. I'm outside."

  I heard papers being shuffled and a door shut. "Great. I'll be right down."

  My nerves went into overdrive as we hung up. I tried to remind myself to breathe as I saw a petite blonde with big boobs in a tight pencil skirt, a low-cut blouse, and pumps that were sky high make her way toward me. Everyone else went crazy and started yelling at her. It was complete chaos. My heart thumped harder with every step she took until she was standing directly in front of me. "You Jada?"

  I nodded, suddenly feeling very insecure about how I'd dressed. My go-to outfit for everything didn't seem like the wisest choice. I'd pulled my long dark tresses up into a rockabilly updo with victory rolls in the front and a red bandana tied around it all. The white tank top I wore pulled tight over my small breasts and trim waist. My favorite pair of ripped-up jeans hugged my short legs as a pair of black and white flamed work boots topped off my look. For most interviews it probably wasn't appropriate, but this was a shot. I wasn't going to wear a dress.

  She unlocked the gate and opened it far enough for me to squeeze through. "You're not at all what I expected. This should be interesting. Follow me."

  What did she expect?

  My stomach roiled with anticipation and nerves as I followed her into the building. Once we were through the doors, I had to stop for a second and allow my eyes to adjust. It was so bright outside, but the lighting in the hallway we'd just entered was dim at best.

  "Did you have any trouble finding it?" DeAnna asked with a glance over her shoulder.

  "No."

  "Good."

  We walked down a long hallway and into an office in the back corner. "Please have a seat."

  I sat down across from her desk as my eyes wandered around the room. There were framed magazine spreads of hot rods and bikes from Valentine all over the walls. I wondered who DeAnna was to Jesse.

  "I have to say, I was surprised and impressed with your application. It stood out from all the rest and it was one of the first ones we received."

  I had no idea what would have impressed her. Nothing about my knowledge was impressive. "It stood out how?"

  A small smile tugged at the corner of her ruby red lips. "You seem to want to be here for the right reasons."

  My brows furrowed at her statement. What were the wrong reasons?

  "Can I be frank here?"

  I nodded. "Please do, because I'm a little confused." I wrung my hands together as heat crept up my face.


  DeAnna folded her hands together and looked me straight in the eyes. "Do you want to have sex with Jesse?"

  Scoffing in horror at her question, I recoiled in my seat. "What? Gosh, no. What kind of question is that? Why would you ask me that?" My cheeks burned hot. Between the anger and frustration, I wasn't sure which one was worse. "This is not what I thought this class was about. I'm out." I shoved my chair back.

  This was a new low. Using the idea of learning from him just to get laid was disgusting.

  I stormed out the door and down the hallway toward the exit. The sound of clicking heels echoed behind me on the polished concrete floor, but I didn't care.

  "Jada, wait."

  I whipped around and glared at her with my arms folded over my chest. "What?" I snapped.

  "Please come back to my office so we can talk."

  "I have no interest in talking to you anymore. This really is a new low for him. And to think I admired him? Guess the joke's on me."

  As I turned away she grabbed my elbow. "Look, I didn't mean to upset you. I have to ask that question because every one of the women who signed up seem to only be interested in Jesse sexually and not the class," she rattled off.

  That information made my stomach roil. "Why would anyone do that?"

  "Because girls can be skanky. Will you please come back and talk to me?"

  Letting out a deep breath, I nodded and followed her back to her office. We sat down and stared at each other for a moment before she burst out laughing.

  "I've never seen someone have that kind of disgusted reaction to Jesse and sex before."

  I shrugged. There was nothing about this that was funny. "Well, that's not what I'm here for."

  "Do you not find him attractive?" she asked with an arch of her perfectly manicured brow.

  My cheeks flushed scarlet. "I'm not dead. What woman wouldn't? But I have no interest in him in that way."

  DeAnna leaned back in her chair and tapped her red fingernails on her desk. "Okay, so what is your interest? Why did you sign up? Why are you here?"