Chapter 7 #2
I crouch beside him, looking to where he indicates. “That’s the brake. All four wheels have them. They help you stop.”
He looks at it carefully, inspecting everything without touching. For a young child, that’s pretty good. All the ones I’ve had to deal with—admittedly, that’s not a big number—feel the need to touch everything.
I hear a shutter, the kind of sound a phone makes when it’s taking a photo, but I ignore it.
Instead, I keep my focus on the young boy beside me and answer any questions he has, and as it turns out, he has a lot of them.
He’s inquisitive, and I find I’m enjoying the hell out of having him here with me.
We change the alternator, which was the reason the SUV wouldn’t start, and when I notice the date of installation on the battery, I realize it’s pretty old too.
“You may want me to go ahead and change this out too. It looks like it’s over four years old, and while you can get five or six years out of one, this brand usually lasts three to five years. ”
“Umm, how much is it?”
I shrug and make eye contact. “Probably about a hundred and fifty.”
She winces a little but tries to cover it up and glances away. “Okay.”
“I can put these on my charge account at the shop, and you can make payments if you need to,” I offer, and I’m not sure why I do that. It’s not my problem or concern. I shouldn’t be bothered by the size of the material bill she’ll have, nor how she’ll pay it.
Yet…I want to help.
Why?
“Okay, so around four hundred or so for the battery and alternator. What about labor?” she asks from her stool.
“No labor.” I return my attention to removing the old battery.
“What? No. I’ll pay for your time.”
“I don’t charge my friends,” I mutter, even though I don’t necessarily classify her as a friend. We have history, a messy, ugly, yet beautiful history. The pain is part of the story. It’s what’s paved the road we travel. It’s part of who we’ve become.
She doesn’t reply, and with her son’s help, I change the battery in her little SUV.
He can’t see in the engine bay, but he stands right beside me as I detail what I’m doing every step I take.
And he’s still right there, taking it all in.
At three years old, he’s enthralled, and I let him do every bit I can.
Like hold the 10mm socket wrench.
“Thanks, buddy,” I reply, taking the wrench and making sure everything is tight and ready to go. I quickly replace the spark plugs too, but I don’t mention that to her. Plugs are pretty inexpensive, but something tells me she’d decline my suggestion to change the spark plugs at this time.
When it’s all done, I turn to Theo and ask, “Ready to start it up and make sure it runs?”
He nods eagerly. I place all the tools on my bench and close the hood. Then, I climb behind the wheel and reach for my little friend. I position him on my lap and reach for the key. “Ready?”
He starts to bounce excitedly and jabs his foot in my balls. “Oh, shit,” I mutter, reaching down and adjusting his snow boot.
“Bad Cam!”
“Sorry, buddy. I said a bad word, didn’t I?”
He nods and points to the corner of the room. “Time-out.”
I snort at his innocence and insistence. “I have to go to time-out, huh? Okay, how about I do that after we make sure your mama’s car starts. Deal?”
“Okay,” he agrees, grabbing on to the wheel and starting to turn it from side to side. All I can hope is he forgets all about my impending disciplinary action.
Reaching for the key, I give it a turn and exhale when the car fires to life. It sounds good and steady, and I’m happy the new parts have seemed to help prolong the life of her car.
I glance over to where she sits, and there’s a faint grin on her lips. “Can you open the door for us? Go ahead and close it once I’m outside.”
She does as instructed, walking to the button and raising the door for us to exit. I close the driver’s door and make sure Theo is situated. “We’re gonna back out of the garage. You have to sit still, just like you did when you helped Mama bring the vehicle in my garage. Got it?”
“Yep!” he proclaims, popping the P and gripping the steering wheel eagerly.
“All right, buddy, let’s do this.” I throw it in reverse and slowly back from my garage.
Once Maren engages the door to lower, I maneuver the vehicle from my driveway to the one next door.
Making sure my helper isn’t too “helpful,” I park her car in front of her garage and remove the key.
I ensure the SUV is locked and then lead Theo back to where his mom waits.
“I drovedid,” he exclaims, running over to where Maren stands.
“You did,” she replies with a laugh. “We need to go inside, Theo. You need a bath and it’s getting close to bedtime.”
“No bed!”
“Yes, bed,” she replies firmly, letting him know there’s no room for argument. Watching Maren in Mom mode is pretty fucking sexy, if you ask me.
She turns those gorgeous blue eyes my way. “Thank you very much, Cam. I really appreciate your help.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Theo, say goodbye to Camden.”
I can tell he doesn’t want to leave, but it’s after seven. I don’t know what time he goes to bed, but I can’t imagine it’s much later than eight o’clock.
Theo throws his arms around my legs. “Bye-bye, Cam.”
“Good night, Theo. Thank you so much for all your help tonight. I couldn’t have done it without you,” I insist.
He smiles. “I helpdid.”
“You were a big help.” I hold out my knuckles and wait for him to tap his fist to mine. When he does, I can’t help but smile.
“Come on, Theo.” Maren takes his hand and walks toward the door. Before she opens it, she glances over her shoulder and adds, “I’ll stop by the shop tomorrow and pay for the parts.”
I nod. “Sounds good.”
The corners of her mouth turn upward. “Thanks, again.”
Suddenly, I’m lost in the depths of those blue eyes.
Memories resurface and assault me, one right after another.
I think about the good times we shared—and there were plenty of them.
Hell, all of them were good…until that last morning together.
But even recollections of that morning, while painful, seem like a lifetime ago.
For the first time since Maren reappeared in my life, I don’t feel so…mad.
“Bad Cam! Shit!” he repeats once more.
Those blue eyes widen and her mouth falls open, and that’s when I know.
I’m in trouble.