11. Tyler
ELEVEN
TYLER
I text customers every day to tell them their cars are ready. I don’t give it a second thought.
I have given this a second, third, and perhaps ninth thought, typing and deleting several things to Becca.
And why is that? Am I afraid she’ll tease me into oblivion? Worse, that I’ll like it? I realize I’ve been tugging the collar of the jacket she borrowed up to my nose. It still smells like her.
I shake my head at myself and get back to the text. I settle on the basics.
TYLER
Truck’s ready
BECCA
Who is this?
TYLER
Funny
BECCA
What is the truck ready for, Funny? A comedy act?
TYLER
Please just tell me if you need a ride to come get it
BECCA
From where? Big Daddy Auto?
Big Daddy Auto’s the only man I trust with my needs
TYLER
So you do or don’t need a ride?
BECCA
I thought you said I couldn’t ride you to pay for my truck repair
Which is it?
That tow truck driver told me “cash is good but ass is better”
TYLER
Wait what
Which tow truck driver? The guy who brought you here?
BECCA
The very same
TYLER
You should have told me
BECCA
Why? Do you still have your emergency home run derby baseball bat?
I’ll be down when Dusty can pick me up :)
The garage bay’s doors are open to let in that perfect sixty-something degree weather.
It’s the season when Dad adds a sprinkle of cinnamon to the coffee pot to give it that extra autumn scent.
I can hear the town’s natural bullhorns coming from down the block: Dusty and Becca breathlessly rehashing some joke they’ve probably told each other four hundred times.
I’ve always been jealous of how close they are.
I’m an only child, and though I couldn’t ask for more out of Dusty’s friendship, I admire how they have a built-in best friend.
Makes me want to give that to Ellie someday, but in my current situation, I can’t even imagine what that would look like.
What if I had another baby with someone, and it ended the same way?
By the time they stumble into the garage, Becca is fanning herself and Dusty is wiping under his eyes. They’re both red in the face and humming off their laughing jag.
“Never gets old,” Dusty says.
“Never once,” Becca agrees. “Hey, Big Daddy.”
Dusty snaps to look at Becca. “Big Daddy?”
Becca winks at me. “Yeah, that’s what his girlfriend calls him.”
“And are you his girlfriend now?” Dusty asks, face brightening.
Becca shimmies her shoulders. “He wishes. It’s ol’ Kristen from the preschool.
She can’t get enough of him. But hey, actually, I can piss on the Tyler fire hydrant.
” She holds up a finger before reaching into her pocket and flourishing a handful of ticket vouchers.
“Can you make sure Miss Kristen gets these tomorrow? The school was already closed when I tried to drop by.”
I go to rub my temples but stop myself since I have grease on my hands. Hooray. More interactions with Kristen. “I guess.”
“Uncle Dusty!” Ellie comes charging around the counter, finally looking up from the cartoons I caved to letting her watch while I finish up. “Miss Becca!”
They crouch to receive Ellie’s hugs, answering her questions about how they’re brother and sister and how T-Bone couldn’t make it today.
I prepare Becca’s ticket, hesitating above the discount line.
Dad would have already knocked off ten percent and considered dropping the labor cost altogether, but I know we need the money.
But now I know Becca’s not exactly rich either. My stomach turns thinking of her going without, of taking food off her plate. I glance up to find her wiggling Ellie’s hand in her own, and I’m reminded of the priority.
Ellie’s plate is the one to fill, and while we’re doing okay in that department, it’s not always easy. But look how much Becca lights Ellie up.
Fuck it. Ten percent won’t make or break me.
I subtract it from the bill and write the total at the bottom, circling it until you almost can’t see the discounted amount.
“Easy, bub, you’ll kill that ticket,” Dusty says.
Becca’s still talking to Ellie while she pulls out her wallet, absently handing me her credit card. “What do I owe ya?”
She does a double-take when she sees the bottom. She points to my aggressive circle around the total. “What is that? Why’d you discount me?”
I mumble something about family and Dusty slaps his hand on the counter. “That’s it. Call the mayor. The great Tyler-Rebeccian War has come to a close.”
Becca’s eyes are glassy when they meet mine. “You don’t have to—I’ve got it. And don’t forget about my tractor part.” She studies the paper closer. “Go ahead and put it on here. You were supposed to charge me up front.”
I type around on the computer like that’s actually doing anything other than giving me something else to look at. “I know you’re good for it.”
Dusty presses a hand to his chest. “Wait, what’s going on here? Are you two actually together? Is this the greatest secret ever kept?”
“No,” Becca and I snap at the same time.
“Wouldn’t that be something?” Dad chimes in from the next bay over.
Becca’s eyes plead with me. “Charge me, Tyler. I know you had to put the cash up for it.”
“I got it,” I insist. “I know where you sleep if you don’t pay.”
“You hear that, Mr. Davis?” Dusty shouts. “Tyler knows where she sleeps. He said it himself.”
“My god,” I sigh.
“Ty,” Becca says again. “I’ve got the money. Just do it.”
I close my eyes. “You won’t let me pay at your pumpkin patch—”
“We’re going to the pumpkin patch?” Ellie asks, jumping up and down.
Cool fingers meet my forehead, and I flinch away from Dusty’s hand. “He doesn’t even have a fever. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Tyler Davis is a changed man.”
My eyes sting and threaten to cross as I look over the ledger again. I compare the bank balance to what I have on the sheet.
Sadly, it’s right. I toss down my pencil, because I never bothered to upgrade to a digital bookkeeping system. Still good old pencil and paper, but it hasn’t failed me yet. It just tells me things I don’t want to hear.
The shop’s finances are in dire straits. If I don’t find some way out of this hole, I’m going to be working at somebody else’s garage, and I’ll have to find childcare for Ellie.
I’ll be forcing my dad into retirement. I’ll probably have to find someplace to live that isn’t this shop.
Worst of all, every single person in this town will watch me fail, just like they expect me to do.
I’ve got to come up with something if I want to save this garage, and fast.
My heartburn flares when I consider my conversation with Becca, and how I felt like I wasn’t as alone as I thought. I guess failure wouldn’t smart as bad if somebody else failed every once in a while.
I reach for the bottle of Tums on my desk and pop the lid, because the thought of Becca going through this makes my heart hurt even more.
It’s been years since I felt any kind of empathy for Becca and I don’t know what to do with the thought of laying down my sword with her. I’m surprised to find my text chain with her open on my phone screen. When did I get here?
I don’t know if there’s any coming back from the way she led to CJ’s downfall, but I can’t help but be charmed every time I see her.
Maybe if Ellie wasn’t in the picture—which is not something I’d ever wish for—I could enjoy Becca’s chaotic joy more. But I have to hold it together. Ellie’s counting on me, and I’d rather disappoint every single person in this town than ever let her down.