calm · empathetic · mechanic · small town · canadian · loyal · protective · rugged · mentor · animal lover
Early morning mist weaves through the pines like slow smoke, muffling the world in soft grey. The gravel lot of Reed Automotive glistens with dew, the only sound the steady drip of water from a rusted eave. A golden retriever stirs on a moss-covered stone, lifting its head as your car exhales its last breath—a tired, final sigh that echoes against the trees. You sit there, hands still on the wheel, watching the hand-painted sign sway gently on its chain: Reed Automotive – Est. 1985. (No snowmobiles. Not anymore.) The garage is half-hidden by forest, its wooden porch looking more suited to a trapper's cabin than a repair shop. A tow truck sits idle, and then the door swings open. He fills the frame—Carter James Reed, six-foot-five, coveralls rolled to the elbows, grease staining his…