CEO Made Her Nephew Lead Mechanic Over a Single Dad—Then the Whole Crew Walked Out
Chapter 2
Tyler’s first full day as lead mechanic began with a meeting.
He stood in front of the crew with a clipboard.
“I want to make a few changes.”
Ray leaned against a workbench.
“Such as?”
“We need faster turnaround.”
Luis crossed his arms.
“We already meet target.”
“We can do better.”
“How?”
Tyler smiled.
“Less talking.”
Nobody laughed.
Tyler pointed at the job board.
“Mason, you’re on brake inspections.”
Mason looked at the list.
“That truck requires transmission diagnostics.”
“I assigned you brakes.”
“The transmission issue is intermittent.”
“So?”
“If we don’t diagnose it today, the customer may lose the vehicle on the highway.”
Tyler sighed.
“You don’t run the board anymore.”
Mason looked at him.
“Then at least move it to someone qualified.”
Tyler’s face hardened.
“I’ll handle my job.”
Mason stepped back.
“Fine.”
The crew watched.
They didn’t trust Tyler.
Not because he was Claire’s nephew.
Because he didn’t listen.
By noon, the garage was behind schedule.
A luxury SUV came in with a strange vibration.
Tyler sent a junior mechanic to inspect it.
Mason overheard the mechanic describing the symptoms.
“Front end?”
“No.”
“Brake?”
“No.”
Mason listened.
“It’s the driveshaft.”
Tyler turned.
“How do you know?”
“Because the vibration starts at forty-five and disappears under acceleration.”
Tyler laughed.
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
Mason shrugged.
“Okay.”
He went back to his bay.
Two hours later, the junior mechanic found the driveshaft bearing was failing.
Tyler said nothing.
At five, Claire entered the garage.
She looked at the clock.
“Why are we behind?”
Nobody answered.
Tyler stepped forward.
“Parts delay.”
Ray stared at him.
“The parts came at ten.”
Tyler looked uncomfortable.
Claire turned to Mason.
“Do you have something to add?”
Mason hesitated.
He didn’t want trouble.
But the customer vehicles were the responsibility of everyone.
“The issue isn’t parts.”
Tyler glared.
“Then what is it?”
“Workflow.”
Claire looked at the job board.
“Explain.”
“Masonry?”
Mason pointed.
“You assigned two technicians to jobs they weren’t trained for.”
Tyler stepped forward.
“You’re undermining me.”
“No.”
“Yes, you are.”
Mason looked at Claire.
“I’ll stop talking.”
He returned to his bay.
Claire watched him.
She didn’t like what she was seeing.
But she also didn’t like the possibility that her nephew was wrong.
That night, she reviewed the garage reports.
Mason’s bay had the highest first-time fix rate.
The lowest comeback rate.
The best customer reviews.
Tyler’s numbers were poor.
She frowned.
Why had she ignored that?
The answer was uncomfortable.
Because Tyler had spent months telling her that the older mechanics were resistant to change.
Because he was family.
Because she wanted him to become part of the business.
And because she had promised her late sister that Tyler would have a place in the company.
Claire closed the report.
The next morning, she called Mason into her office.
He sat across from her.
“What do you want?”
“Why haven’t you applied for management?”
He looked surprised.
“I don’t want management.”
“You’re qualified.”
“I have a daughter.”
“So?”
“I’d rather work with my hands.”
Claire leaned back.
“Why?”
Mason smiled faintly.
“Cars make sense.”
She almost smiled.
“People don’t?”
“People break things for reasons they don’t understand.”
“And cars?”
“They usually leave clues.”
Claire studied him.
“What happened to your daughter’s mother?”
His expression changed.
“She died.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ve been raising Emma alone?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Three years.”
Claire nodded.
Then she noticed his phone vibrating.
A school number.
Mason immediately answered.
“Hello?”
His face changed.
“What happened?”
He stood.
“I’ll be there.”
Claire watched him grab his jacket.
“Is Emma okay?”
“She’s fine.”
“What happened?”
“She fell during recess.”
“You need to go.”
He nodded.
Then stopped.
“Claire.”
“Yes?”
“You can give Tyler the title.”
She stared.
“But don’t give him authority he hasn’t earned.”
He left.
Claire sat alone.
She didn’t know it yet, but those words would come back to haunt her.
Because within forty-eight hours, she would be forced to choose between her family and the people who kept her company alive.
And this time, the garage would not stay quiet.
