Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
“Oh my god!”
I’m still blinking at the tiny red car I just smashed when Evan leans into the window, reaches for the key, and turns Gingersnap’s engine off. “You okay?”
“I think. I mean, I wasn’t even going two miles an hour.”
He helps me out, which is good because my legs are shaking. Adrenaline is pumping in my veins. How many times this week has my body gotten shocked? I’m losing count.
“You’re sure you didn’t hit your injured leg?”
“Oh. I forgot about that. It’s fine. But the rest of me… I’m a mess.”
There’s a crowd gathering around the hood of my vehicle—staring and pointing at the disaster. Gingersnap really did a number on the little car.
I freeze. “Holy mother of God, is that Ms. Pelletier?”
Heart palpitating, I shrug off Evan’s hand and run-stumble around the car to find the town’s barber helping the ninety-nine-year-old woman out of the car. I nearly faint, until I realize she’s cackling. As in head thrown back, laughing hard.
Adjusting her blouse she takes in the carnage with a bright flush of color on her cheeks. “Oh my word, that was so exciting.”
“Exciting…” I grab her arms. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She shoos me off. “Honey, you don’t live to be this age without being able to take a hit. But my poor car. Your big old monster truck, well your grandfather’s big old monster truck sure did a number on Ruby.”
I cringe and take in the mess. Ruby got her nose mashed. The passenger side headlight is hanging out. The front bumper is sagging too. It looks like she went rounds with a wrecking ball.
“I’ll pay for it. All of it. Just send me the bill.” There’s a wobble in my voice you’d have to be deaf not to hear.
Ms. Pelletier smiles brightly, her eyes disappearing in her wrinkles. “That’s perfect. Now if someone will just drive me home, I can get to my card game on time.”
My heart sags as I rub Gingersnap’s hood, as if I need to comfort a machine. There’s a dent in the bumper, her grill is cracked. Something is dripping on the ground.
My stomach rolls over inside my abdomen as the barber offers to drive Ms. Pelletier home.
I’m furious at myself. Why didn’t I see her little car coming? Not only did I bang up my grandfather’s truck…now I have to pay for?—
“Hey. Look at me.”
“What?” I whisper as I look up at Evan. In all my misery, I almost forgot he was standing next to me. Not just standing next to me, he’s now holding me up with a warm, strong hand on my arm.
His eyes soften with understanding. “Let’s get this taken care of and get you where you need to go.”
Feeling utterly defeated, I lean against Gingersnap, tempted to put my head down and cry. “I have a tow truck number in my phone.”
Evan’s dark brows snap together with curiosity but he doesn’t ask why I have the wrecker company’s number saved.
“Where’s your phone?”
“On the floorboard. Front. Passenger side.”
He returns in a flash and he looks ticked. “Screen got broken.”
“Not in the crash. That happened the other day when I threw it.”
He passes me my phone and I can feel empathy coming off him in waves. When my hand is too shaky to get the number, he takes over for me. “What’s it saved under?”
“Towmater.”
He chuckles softly. “Of course it is.”
A second later he’s on the phone. Thankfully, he paces away as he relays the information.
Is this day ever going to end?
At least my father hasn’t shown up yet. Or Sylvester. That would be the icing on the worst day I’ve had in a long time. Maybe ever.
“Hey kiddo.” Peter steps off the curb and inspects the mess I made. “You okay?”
“Fine.”
“Your standard answer.”
I shrug tiredly. “What else can I say?”
“How about telling me the truth about what’s going on?”
I groan and close my eyes. “Not now, please.”
He squeezes my shoulder. “I didn’t mean now. How are you getting home?”
“I don’t know.”
He pulls a set of keys from his trouser pocket. “Take Matilda.”
I roll my eyes. “Worst name ever for a truck.”
The corners of his mouth pinch. He chuckles warmly. “You’re the one that named it.”
“I was five. What can I say?”
He hugs me, pulling me into a familiar embrace. When he steps back he nods toward Evan. “That one’s latched on to you.”
I groan as I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Please don’t say it like that.”
A slow grin takes over Peter’s entire face. “It’s a good thing.”
“It’s not.”
“In my book it is. ‘Bout time you had someone to look out for you.”
“He’s a tourist. He’s in town for like three days.”
He narrows his eyes, studying Evan. “Not so sure about him just being a tourist.”
A weird tingle buzzes inside my belly. “Why do you say that?”
“Just a feeling in my gut.”
Well, he’s right, but it’s not my business to say.
However, I don’t like this conversation at all now. Peter’s an excellent judge of character. He always warned my grandfather about my dad. Too bad my mother was fooled by his slick talk.
“Anyway.” He swings his gaze back to me. “I’m worried about you. Take that man’s help if he’s going to take some of the heat off you from your father. I’m not the only one around here concerned about you.”
God. Am I that much of a sad case?
“I’m really okay, Peter. I’m just trying to get my footing with the business. Once I get that loan from the bank, the product line Grandad was working on will launch. Everything will be good.”
“He’d be very proud of you.”
The sting fills my chest again. This time the weight of it all is almost too much. “Well, I haven’t succeeded yet.”
“You will.” He hugs me, but before he lets me go, he stiffens. “Well, damnit.”
“What?”
“You might not want to look right now.”
“I swear if it’s my father, I might lose my grip on my mouth…”
“It’s not your father, sweetheart, I wish it was. He’s a jackass, but he wouldn’t be waving a gun in the middle of the street.”