Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Casey couldn’t believe she’d been arrested.
Well, there was a first time for everything and if she was going to be arrested, it would be in a small town called Oddity.
How the hell had her life ended up like this? She thought she was a pretty good person. Yes, sometimes she made some questionable decisions. Who didn’t?
Coming to this town might be the worst one of all, though.
At least the sheriff had let her go without pressing any charges. He’d even helped her call a mechanic to tow her car, then driven her over to the garage so she could meet with him.
Miraculously, no one had stolen anything from her car. She thought the sheriff had looked a bit mad when she’d told him about Happy refusing to lock her car.
“What do you think is wrong with it?” she asked, unable to keep the anxiety out of her voice.
The mechanic, an older guy with some seriously big biceps, glanced over at her and her stomach tightened in dread.
Shit.
She didn’t like that look on his face.
Sympathy.
Not. Good. She braced herself.
“It’s the starter motor.”
“Oh god, that sounds really expensive.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not the only problem. This is an import which means that it’s going to take longer to get the parts I need to fix it.”
“How long are you talking about?” she asked.
“Two to four weeks at the earliest. Maybe longer depending on how it’s shipped.”
Shit.
What the hell was she going to do?
Stay here? What other choice did she have? She’d have to let Jordan know she’d be a few weeks late. But that was okay, her best friend wasn’t going anywhere.
Casey was due to start her job in just over two weeks, but maybe she could put that off a bit longer. Jordan had gotten her a job working with her. And she’d said that her boss was a good guy.
Leaving the garage with her two big suitcases, she headed toward the small motel that Bob, the mechanic, had told her would likely give her a good rate for a few weeks’ stay.
After getting a room from the very friendly woman at reception, Casey lay on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. The room was nothing special. But it was clean and tidy.
The real issue was money.
She’d carefully budgeted out her money for the trip and her first few weeks in Santa Barbara. That was now all out the window.
You’re going to have to find a job.
Great. Who the heck was going to hire her for a few weeks?
This had turned into a freaking disaster.