Out of Alignment — Chapter Two: The Second Time (James’s POV)

She came back for her suitcase. He noticed more than he should have.

James expects Day Two to be simple: get the warranty approved, order the correct parts, fix the MINI and move on with his work.

Then Elise comes back to the garage.

What starts with paperwork and a broken printer turns into coffee, personal questions, an unexpected discovery in her boot and a road test that gives James far more time with her than he planned.

He learns she is older than him. Educated. Far more competent around cars than she pretended to be. And increasingly difficult to keep filed away as just another customer.

James knows exactly where the professional line is.

The problem is that by the end of the day, he has already started wondering what happens once the MINI leaves his workshop.

17 pages — James’s full Chapter Two POV.

Includes his private thoughts, reactions and scenes not shown in the cinematic Reels.

Read Elise’s POV separately to experience the same day from her side.