Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Casey stared down at the engine of her car with a groan.
What the hell?
Why wasn’t it starting?
Stupid freaking car.
Stupid freaking town.
Tears filled her eyes. It had been so humiliating to be escorted to her car by a bumbling, idiotic deputy sheriff.
Who the hell did that asshole, Jeb, think he was calling the cops on her?
He’d thought she was on drugs? Why? Because she’d offered his son candy?
All right, maybe she shouldn’t have done that. But he was the one who’d lost his kid. Wyatt was so cute. A mini version of his father, who was not cute.
Shit.
Who was she kidding?
She was lonely and when Wyatt had appeared, she’d just wanted someone to talk to.
Pretty pathetic that she had to make friends with a kid to stave off her loneliness.
And she probably shouldn’t have been hanging around a playground.
It was just that she’d loved swings ever since she was a little kid.
Let’s face it, you still act like a kid.
Yeah. She did.
And she’d decided that she wasn’t going to be ashamed of that anymore. Well, she was going to try not to be. So she liked to sleep with a stuffed toy and eat candy for dinner and watch kid movies.
Was there anything wrong with that?
Well, her father thought there was. How many times had he told her that she was ridiculous and embarrassing?
How many times had her brothers stared at her in bewilderment and pity?
Casey sucked in a harsh breath.
You left to be free.
Yeah, some freedom. She’d nearly been arrested for playing on a swing and now her car wouldn’t start.
No money. No car. No friends nearby.
Alone in Oddity, Colorado where the people seemed to hate her.
Do not cry.
It won’t help.
So it seemed like she was stuck here. And now it was nearly dark because she’d been staring at the engine for so long trying to figure out what the hell she was going to do.
Getting into her car, she searched for a mechanic on her phone. Great. Just the callout fee alone was horrendous, let alone the cost of fixing what was wrong.
What was she going to do?
If she waited until tomorrow, then at least she wouldn’t have to pay extra to have someone come out now. It wasn’t like they were going to fix it tonight. And she probably shouldn’t be driving when she was so tired anyway.
Maybe she should spend the night here in Oddity, get it fixed tomorrow, then be on her way. After a bit more searching, she found two motels close by. However, both were pricier than she usually paid.
Hmm. There was something else that she could do. Save her money and sleep in her car. Breathing out a sigh, she decided that she didn’t have much choice.
Deep breath. Do not cry.
Everything is going to be all right.