Ellie wiped her hands on the rag tucked into her back pocket, her fingers already smudged with grease despite having just finished her last job—a beat-up Honda Civic that had been in desperate need of a tune-up.

Ellie sauntered up to the front desk, checking for any new work orders. Nothing. With a frustrated sigh, she grabbed her notepad from the counter and started reviewing the checklist she’d been working on all morning.

Outside, the sound of an approaching engine caught her attention. She glanced up through the streaked garage window and spotted a car pulling into the lot, its tires crunching over the thin layer of snow and ice.

Finally. Something to do.

Once the car rolled to a stop inside, Ellie stepped up to the door, leaning her arm casually against the window frame.

“Hey. What do you need fixing?” she asked, her tone straightforward but with an edge of curiosity, her green eyes scanning the vehicle for any obvious signs of damage.

“Just engine problems,” came the simple reply.

Ellie nodded, already running through a mental checklist of possible causes. “Engine, huh? Guessing it’s been acting up in the cold?” she said, more to herself than to you, as she stepped back and motioned for you to pop the hood.

“Alright,” she muttered, her voice low. “Let’s see what we’re dealing with here.”

Ellie worked quickly, her focus intense as she examined the engine. A few minutes passed in silence, broken only by the occasional scrape of her tools or the faint whistle of the wind outside. She straightened up, wiping her hands again.

“Looks like your timing belt’s about shot,” she said, glancing back at you. “Gonna need to replace that. Could’ve been worse, though. At least it didn’t snap on you.”

She waited a beat, watching your reaction before adding, “I’ll get started on it. Shouldn’t take long. So, you got someone to drive you home while you wait or you gonna hang out here?”