Don’t Tell My Best Friend I Love Her (Don’t Tell #1)

Chapter 1

Frederick Bennett leaned against a car needing a headlight replacement and pulled his vibrating phone from his pocket. Esther.

His finger hovered over the answer icon for a second before he dropped his hand to his side and let it go to voicemail.

“I see the gorgeous best friend is calling again.” Sean Clayton, Fred’s co-worker and long-time friend, held up the bulb Fred had sent him into the automotive department of Drummonds to get.

Esther’s picture flicked off the screen, indicating it was safe to text her.

Busy with a car. Call you later?

“You’re not going to answer her?” Sean asked in surprise. “This lightbulb can wait.”

Her reply was quick in coming: Important. Don’t forget.

Do I ever?

Sometimes.

He chuckled as he stuffed his phone back in his pocket and prepared to install the light.

“I’ll call her later. If she’s calling instead of texting, it means a long convo or a favour that might take some persuading to get me to do for her.

Either way.” He tapped his name tag. “Responsible employee.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Sean’s reply sounded like he was answering a teacher or his mom.

It was a tone Fred was familiar with, since he and Sean had known each other for more than a dozen years – since Sean moved to Hatfield Falls back in grade seven.

“You owe the boss the full amount of time he’s due. ”

Fred chuckled at the way Sean rolled his eyes as he said that last part, but it was true. Some of the guys here liked to cut a few corners, but that had never sat well with Fred. To him, it seemed dishonest or something.

“Well, yeah, that, and Mrs. Jones will be much happier once she is no longer chasing her son around the waiting room.”

Besides, this was his last car of the day. The next one would be all Sean’s, and he’d be on his way home to shower and eat. There’d be plenty of time to call Esther then, and there was no need to prolong his day here.

Sean leaned against Mrs. Jones’s car, looking back toward the waiting room.

“According to what I heard as I passed through, the little guy was just eating cookie number four, and his mom was not happy that he had managed to snag it.” He shook his head and laughed softly as Fred reattached the wire socket.

“Say, did you top up the washer fluid yet?”

“Nope. I was going to do that after this.”

Sean pushed off the car. “I’ll get it.” He grabbed a bottle of purple windshield washer fluid and deftly poured it into the correct reservoir without more than one tiny dribble escaping where it was supposed to have gone.

It wasn’t the first or last time one or the other of them had done or would do that.

It was store policy to always check fluid levels at the end of each service call.

Fred removed his work gloves, then flicked the headlights on to make sure they were working, while Sean replaced the cap on the washer fluid before he lowered the hood.

“Chris,” Fred called as the hood clattered into place, and Sean pushed down on it to make sure it was secure.

“Bay three is done. Invoice is incoming.” The newbie, who was the current garage runner, would relay the news to Stephanie at the service counter when he went to retrieve the keys for the car so he could back it out and get the next vehicle to bring in.

Fred scrolled down the list on the computer that stood between bays two and three, checked off all the things that had been done during this service, recorded the replaced lightbulb, and marked the finish time.

That was it. With one more click of his mouse – to send the invoice to Stephanie – his shift was over.

“Need anything before I head out?” he asked Sean.

“Not that I can think of, unless you want to let me leave and you work a double.”

Fred laughed. There was no way he was going to do that. “The only doubles I like are double-doubles from Timmie’s – oh! And those double chocolate cookies they started putting in the waiting room. Have you had one of those?”

“Nope,” Sean replied. “I’m weird, remember? Chocolate and I don’t get along.”

“Ah, right. Sorry. You’re missing out. Not that I should probably say that, but wow, I don’t know how I’d live if I had to say no to chocolate.”

“Would you rather give up chocolate or coffee?” Sean asked as he motioned for Chris to pull the car ahead just a bit more.

“Well, when you put it that way,” Fred said with a laugh, “chocolate doesn’t seem so hard to do without.”

“I thought so.” Sean popped the hood on the Toyota Camry, before coming to the computer to double check what he was supposed to be doing with it.

“Hey,” he said when he was next to Fred. “How come you don’t ask out that hot BFF of yours? Afraid to ruin the friendship?”

“How long have you been wanting to ask that?”

Sean shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably since I got to know you better once we started working here.”

That meant he’d been holding onto that question for two years. Most of the other mechanics who knew Esther was his best friend hadn’t taken very long to ask him that same thing. “Why didn’t you ask before now?”

“If you haven’t noticed in all the years we’ve known each other, I don’t make friends easily, so I didn’t want to blow this.” He motioned between the two of them.

Ah, yeah, that made sense. Sean was a touch awkward at social things. He always had been. Fred shrugged. “She’s Esther.” That was his normal answer and usually, that was enough.

“So, you don’t find her dating material?”

Of course, Sean wouldn’t leave it at a simple answer. Fred blew out a breath. “You can’t tell anyone this, okay?”

“Okaaaaayyy?” Sean agreed cautiously.

Fred leveled an I’m-deadly-serious-about-this look at Sean. “This puts you at the top of the red seal certification for friends.” Red seal friends were a step above just regular friends but not quite on the same level of his twin Eddie or his true best friend, Esther. But almost.

“I see.” Sean stood with his arms crossed, waiting.

“I tried that and got shot down.” There. Someone besides Eddie and Esther knew about him asking her to the Halloween hayride when they were in grade eleven.

“Oh, wow, and you’re still friends?”

“Can’t help myself,” he said with a shrug.

“Oof. Unrequited love is the worst.”

“Tell me about it.” He shook his head as an image of Esther and Steve popped into it. “It’s especially hard once the other person starts dating,” he grumbled.

Sean held up his hands defensively. “I’m not planning on asking her out.”

Fred chuckled. “I didn’t mean you. There’s some guy at her school named Steve with a daughter who worships the ground Esther walks on since she’s the kid’s favourite teacher.

” He sighed softly. “But if he’s the guy for her.

” He lifted one shoulder and let it drop.

“Then, God’s got someone even better for me. ”

Or so he hoped. Not that he could think of anyone better. He had tried to date other girls – many times. He was no quitter after all. But as of this very moment, he still hadn’t found anyone who could surpass Esther in his mind and heart.

“I don’t know,” Sean said. “That God you worship doesn’t seem very great if He lets your heart get trampled like I know from personal experience it is.

” Sean and Stephanie had dated for a year before Stephanie had broken it off and started dating someone else.

She was on to a second boyfriend since Sean as of last weekend.

So, Sean did, indeed, know what it felt like to watch the person you love move on without you.

“Yeah, I see where you’re coming from,” Fred admitted. “But real love means being given choices. And choices mean the possibility of disappointment.”

“I suppose, but still, if a person is going to give up every Sunday and however many other days to do things for their God, then, it only seems right that they should get some good stuff in return.”

A crooked smile tipped Fred’s lips at Sean’s take on what a commitment to God was.

A lot of people saw it that way, but not Fred.

To him, it was more than Sundays and a few other times.

It was a whole life, but now didn’t seem to be the appropriate time to mention that.

Especially since, from his vantage point as an unbeliever, Sean had a good point.

“I’m not going to disagree, but I do have good stuff.

This job, great friends, a new house, a pretty awesome family.

There are blessings all around us, Sean.

We just have to look for them – and no, before you say it, it’s not just luck.

Those blessings have a source – even for those who don’t worship God.

He’s pretty cool that way.” He tapped the side of the car.

“I’d love to have you come to church with me sometime to hear more about Him, but you know me.

” He held up his hands. “I only mention the possibility and leave it there. No pressure. Your choice.”

Sean laughed. “Because you loooove me,” he said in a teasing voice.

Fred laughed along with him. “In a bro sort of fashion, yeah, I do.” He waved and made his way towards the store.

Half an hour later, Fred was just putting shampoo in his hair when his phone played its Esther tune.

“Answer,” he called out to the phone. “Hey, Esther.”

“Are you in the shower?”

“Yep. Just got home from work a bit ago and thought I’d clean myself up while supper cooks.”

“You’re making supper?”

He laughed at her skeptical tone. “I do know how to cook.” Of course, that didn’t mean he actually was currently cooking anything.

“So what are you making?” The question was asked in Esther’s “that’s lovely, but I don’t know if I believe you” voice.

“Rotisserie chicken with fries, a multigrain roll, and salad.”

“You’re such a liar!” She laughed as she said it. “You ordered in, didn’t you?”

“You got me. I’m not cooking it. But I do know how to cook. I just chose not to. So what’s up?” He ran his hand through his hair once more to check for suds. Seeing none, he turned off the water and grabbed his towel.

“Do you work tomorrow?”

“Nope.” He heard her exhale as if relieved.

“Do you think you could help me out with something?”

He stopped toweling off and looked at his phone. “I need to know what the something is before I answer that.” Esther had a way of wrangling him into things he didn’t always want to do because she knew how easily he said yes – sometimes without thinking.

“Monica is sick and won’t be at school tomorrow. She’s the teacher who’s playing for our Christmas concert, so I thought maybe you could bring your guitar and play in place of the piano.”

“Are you sure you don’t want Eddie to help you? He’s the piano player.”

“I asked him. He’s working.”

“So, I’m second place, huh?” With music and as options of guys to date – well, technically, he wasn’t even second place there. When it came to that, he was no place.

“It’s not like that. I knew you’d suggest Eddie, so I started there.”

Yeah, that sounded like Esther.

“So, can you do it? The practice is from one o’clock until two. It’s the second full practice we’ve had, and the concert is in just over a week from now.”

“How was the first run-through?”

“Honestly? Not as good as I had hoped it would be, and I wasn’t expecting perfection. I know how kids can be, but wow, they leveled up a notch on their kid-ness once they all got together yesterday. Please? You’ll be something new to help keep their attention.”

He didn’t have a reason to deny her request, nor could he think of another way to get her help, so, he guessed he’d be going to school tomorrow. “One o’clock, you say?”

“Yes.”

“Sure. I’ll do it.” This was met with a little squeal of delight.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“No problem. I ask only for a coffee date with my friend in payment.”

There was a pause in the conversation.

“It’s not a date-date, Esther. It’s just going for coffee like we do. I know we’re just friends.” He knew she wasn’t interested in him as anything more than that. “I know you’re into Steve.”

“It’s not that. It’s just … does it have to be tomorrow?”

“No, if you’re busy that’s fine. In fact, forget I even mentioned it. I was mostly teasing. I can get coffee on my own.” Man! Talking to Esther had become challenging ever since she had told him about Steve a week and a half ago.

“It’s just that I have a real date tomorrow night, and I’d like to have all my school stuff done before I leave school – well, the parts that don’t have to go home with me for the weekend.”

A real date. He blew out a slow breath. “Steve finally asked you out, eh?”

“Yeah. He asked me to dinner. We’ve chatted online and gotten hot chocolate a couple of times, but this is the first dinner date, so it feels more official.” She was rambling, which meant she wasn’t comfortable talking about this with him. That made two of them!

“Well, okay, then. Um, is there anything I can do to help you get out of school earlier tomorrow?” Oh, he knew he was an idiot for asking that, and yet, it seemed the right thing to do. Of course, seeming didn’t equate to being.

“You’d seriously do that for me?”

“You know me, Esther. I’d do pretty much anything to see you succeed at whatever.” There were names for guys like him – sucker for punishment was the one that came to mind.

“Well,” she said the word slowly, drawing it out. “I have an art project that needs some circles cut out.”

“How many?”

“Three for each student, so about sixty total. If you could do half…”

“Do I need to bring my own scissors?”

She laughed, and suddenly, it felt like they were talking just as they did before Steve showed up and made things weird between them.

“Nope,” she said. “I’ve got plenty. I’ll even let you use one of my big pairs instead of the kid-size ones.”

He chuckled. “Then, make sure they’re sharp.”

“Thanks, Fred.”

“You’re welcome.”

“How did I get so lucky to have you for a best friend?”

“I think it was how your dad hired my mom to do before and after school care during grade four.” That was the year that her mom had left just after Christmas.

“You put up with me and Eddie pretty well, and those braids were cute. How could I resist?” Yeah, he had even been smitten with her cuteness back then. Pathetic. That’s what he was.

“That was quite the year,” she said softly.

“Indeed, it was,” he agreed. “I’m just happy that through all the rotten stuff, I got to become your friend. See you tomorrow at one. I’ll check in at the office by twelve forty-five.”

“See you then, and thanks again.”

Fred looked at his reflection in the foggy mirror. “You need help, bro. Or a girlfriend.” It was probably easier to find help, he thought with a shake of his head.

His phone beeped. Dinner was nearly on the doorstep. It was time to kick it into high gear and toss on some clothes before it arrived.