Chapter 16 Gabe
GABE
“Jesus, do you work here now or something?” Akers teases on his way out for the night.
Ash smirks, flipping him off. It took a few evenings of sitting on the roof, but Ash seems to be back to her usual self.
She has, however, taken up shop at the garage.
After dropping something off to Shane one day last week, she’s decided sitting on a workbench and yammering on about whatever’s on her mind is how she’d like to spend her summer.
Honestly, I don’t mind. I like it when she rambles.
When he leaves, she asks, “How late are you working tonight?”
The clock hanging above her head reads 8 pm. I guess I lost track of time.
I close the hood of my Corvette. It belonged to my grandpa, and then my dad, and now me. It’s broken down more than it’s not, but I love it.
“You do realize you don’t work here, right? You don’t have to sit here until I’m done.”
“I know.” She shrugs. “But I don’t have anything else to do. I’ll go if it bothers you.”
Shit. She took that the wrong way.
“No. It’s fine.” More than fine. Please stay.
“Do you think this is what you want to do for the rest of your life? Like, do you want to work here every day until you die?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?” Wiping my hands on a rag, I lean against the car. “I mean, I love the garage. It’s all the other shit I could do without.”
“I don’t know what I want. I don’t think I really care about a career, you know?
Like, sure, it would be nice to do something you enjoy and get paid for it, but I just want to be happy.
I want to spend time with people who care about me and want to be around me and go on trips and go to concerts and just live.
You know?” She stares into the distance like she can see it all playing out.
“Yeah. I mean, I get that, but it all takes money.”
She shakes out of her daydream, focusing back on me.
“Yeah, I know. I just mean I don’t want to spend my life being miserable.
I spent the majority of my childhood with people who didn’t really want to deal with me.
I don’t want to spend my adult life like that.
” She says it like it’s a fact, like she’s not even sad about it.
“What’s the deal with your mom anyway?”
“Nothing really.” She shrugs. “She loves us. She’s not a bad person. I don’t think she was cut out to be a mom. She’s just kind of biding her time until we’re all grown and she doesn’t have to be responsible for us.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“Yeah. She tries, I guess. She’s pretty well off, so we have everything we could want. I just—I don’t know, I feel like I’m more of a burden. That’s part of why we never told her about our dad. It felt like we’d be inconveniencing her more.”
“Damn, do you think she actually didn’t know?”
“At first, no. I don’t think she did. She knew what kind of guy he was, but I think she hoped he’d be different with his kids. After a while, though… I mean, she saw what we were like when we came back after the summer with him.” She picks at a string on her shorts.
“That sucks. Does she know now?”
“Yeah, we had to go to court, so she heard it all, but it was Shane’s case, so I didn’t have as much to do with it. I just confirmed his story, mostly.”
“Was he like that to you, too, or just Shane?” I almost don’t want to know. I’ve heard rumors, but Shane doesn’t talk about it.
“Not as bad.” She shakes her head. “I’m pretty lucky. I was always good at staying out of his way. Also, Shane would step in anytime he turned on me. The worst I ever got was a hand across the face a few times.”
My heart drops, and I rest my hand on her leg. “Fuck, Ash. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine. I was only here in the summer. Shane had to deal with him all the time. That’s the part that pisses me off. My mom didn’t want to deal with him, so she shipped him off to that house.”
“Yeah, what Shane went through was awful, but you matter too.”
The faintest smile spreads across her face. “I’m fine.”
When she lifts her eyes back to mine. I say, “I know, but if you ever aren’t, I’m here.”
She smiles, nodding.
Taking a step back, I start putting tools away. “Anyway, want a ride home?”
“I drove.” She jumps down. “Want to go to Dee’s?”
“Dee’s? Like the diner?”
“Yeah, duh, we’ve both been here all evening. I’m starving.”
“Uh, yeah, I guess. I just have to lock up first.”
When we slide into the cracked leather of the red-and-white booth, she beams at me. “This is my favorite place. Shane and I used to hide out here sometimes if we knew Dad was in a mood. It kind of became my comfort place. Dad never came looking for us, so I knew we were safe here.”
She plays with a straw wrapper.
An old country song plays over the jukebox. The waitress is topping off the only other customer’s coffee when she sees us and smiles. The old man in a flannel shirt and a baseball cap nods to her before she walks away, heading toward us.
She’s about my mom’s age. She has dark hair pulled up and is in a blue-and-white dress with a white apron. The name on her tag says Lorraine.
“What can I get you, kiddo? Your usual?” the waitress asks.
Ash nods, smiling. “Thank you.”
“And you?”
“Uh… same.” I hand her my menu. I’ve been here a few times but obviously not as much as Ash. I don’t have a usual.
Ash stifles a giggle. Covering her mouth with her hands.
“What?”
“Nothing.” She shakes her head, her curls bouncing around her.
I can’t help but smile. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever smiled as much as I do when I’m with this girl.
Which I know is a red flag. I should definitely be pumping the brakes on whatever is going on here, but I can’t.
When she’s not around, she occupies most of my thoughts. “No, what’s that face for?”
“Well, I hope you weren’t planning on a well-balanced meal.” She grins, biting her lip.
“What?” I squint, tilting my head. “Why, what did we order?”
“Well, I ordered fries and a strawberry shake. You ordered ‘same.’” She uses air quotes as she says it.
I laugh. “I can’t think of anything better, actually.”
Her smile widens.
I could sit in this booth with her for a lifetime. Come to think of it, I haven’t felt this relaxed since my dad made me a prospect. That’s the problem. I can’t force myself away because being near her is the best I’ve ever felt.
She’s the sun, and I’m stuck in her orbit.