21. Friday
FRIDAY
S ara gives my uncle a ride home while I wait for Henry Watkins to come by with a flatbed tow truck.
“It’ll do damage if I drag it up.” He walks around my uncle’s car, pulling at his chin, then squats by one of the front tires, reading off the information while writing it down on a small notepad. “I think it’s best if I put the car on blocks, take the tires back to my shop, put new ones on, and come back.” He glances at me for approval.
I thought he’d tow the car back to his shop, take care of it there, but I suppose he can’t do that with all four tires out of commission.
“Can I give you a lift?”
“That would be great, thank you.” I glance at my uncle’s car, not sure if it’s safe to leave it.
“Can do.” He stands and tugs on his jeans, pulling his pants up. Henry definitely has the ass crack thing down to a T.
As he drives me home, Henry asks about my day, but he’s mostly interested in my uncle’s health.
“I was able to pop by and inflate your tires. Any idea how that happened?” We pull up to my uncle’s house and he turns off the engine.
“I honestly don’t know.”
“You were missing all four valve caps.”
“My uncle mentioned the same thing when we looked at it this morning. I thought they popped off during the crash and figured that’s why the air let out.”
Henry scratches his ass. “They screw on to keep dirt and other debris off the valves but do nothing when it comes to keeping air in, and I checked your tires after the accident. They were all there. Someone intentionally removed them. They would’ve had to depress the valve inside to let the air out. It takes time to make a tire go flat that way. Whoever removed the caps was very deliberate in what they did.” He gives a shake of his head. “Any reason anyone would want to mess with you?”
“Not that I can think of. Uncle Pete thought it was kids having fun.”
“Could be; kids are kids. Some are good. Some are bad. But I don’t think any of them would do something like that.”
“Maybe it’s something like picking on the new person in town?”
Henry’s brows arch like that’s the dumbest thing anyone could say, but it’s the only thing I can think of. Nobody here knows me.
“Thank you for inflating my tires. I really appreciate it. What do I owe you?”
“Luv, you don’t need to pay me for that.”
“I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
“Trust me, you’re not.” Henry waves off any further talk about that.
Satisfied with his inspection, he waves goodbye and tells me he’s going to head back to my uncle’s car to fix everything.
I’m a bit at a loss by how much everyone helps one another.
It’s cool.
With my steps light, I walk to the front door but pause at a foul stench. There’s a pile of dog shit on the porch. Screwing up my nose, I step over the mess and head inside.
My uncle is asleep in his worn leather recliner. I cover him with the throw my aunt made for him then head to the kitchen to get something to clean up the mess outside.
I’ve heard of people not cleaning up after their dogs when on a walk, but who lets a dog loose to crap right outside the front door?
When I open the door, movement to my left catches my eye, but when I turn, there’s nothing there. I clean up the dog poop and take a moment to glance up and down the street. Whoever that was, they were in the yard. Or maybe it was the dog and I chased it off?
A chill worms its way between my shoulder blades.
I double-check the door and turn the security lock for an extra degree of protection. Something about all of this feels off.
As for heading over to Drake’s later tonight, I make an executive decision.
I dial Drake’s number, feeling a bit deflated. The moment his deep voice hit’s my ear, I almost change my mind.
“Hey, city girl.” The way my nickname rolls off his tongue sends licks of heat shooting through me. “How’re you doing?”
“I’m good. Someone slashed the tires of my uncle’s car after lunch.”
“I’ll be right over.” Drake’s already in rescue mode. I’m not used to that.
“Thanks, but I called Henry. He’s taking care of it.”
“Henry’s a good guy.” Drake sounds troubled.
“About tonight…” I bite my lower lip, not wanting to cancel our date, but I need a good night’s rest if I’m going to tackle a full day in the clinic tomorrow.
“Are you ditching me?” He doesn’t sound happy, but unlike Scott, the change in plans doesn’t anger Drake.
Scott would’ve thrown a fit, calling me irresponsible and inconsiderate, among other more colorful names.
“I’m sorry, but I want to get to work early and help out as I can.” I move around the house, tidying things up.
In the kitchen, I pause by the window to take stock of Boston.
My poor fern doesn’t look too good. All the edges are black curled crisps of its former lush, green glory. I don’t think Boston’s going to pull through his ordeal of being left to freeze through that horrible blizzard.
My midnight stroll down the highway in the middle of that blizzard is something I’ll be happy never to repeat. That bone-chilling cold nearly did me in. The wolves scared me, but I didn’t have to think about that too much.
Not with Drake’s sharp-shooting.
There’s so much about him I don’t know. He’s prior military. Uncle Pete said so, but that’s not where the scar came from.
“I won’t pretend I wasn’t hoping we could get together, but I get needing to be well-rested to see patients.” Drake is easygoing compared to Scott. “How about we stick to our Friday and Saturday night plan?”
The memory of Drake pronouncing me as his girl gives me butterflies. That kind of possession is sexy, romantic even. It’s very different from the jealousy and control Scott inflicted on me.
“I would really like that. Any chance we could meet up before then?”
“I’d love to, but I’m headed out of town tomorrow. I need to check on the cattle and will be on the ranch for a few days. I’ll be back on Friday, and I promise another movie night.”
“That sounds amazing. We didn’t get to watch Return of the Jedi .”
The first three Star Wars movies are my favorite, but I look forward to binging them all with Drake.
“It’s a date then, city girl.” His melodious voice tunnels straight to my core, bringing back needy sensations.
With our chemistry, I’m pretty sure we won’t make it past the opening credits.
“It’s a date.”
When I end the call with Drake, movement in the backyard catches my eye. A loud clatter follows. Either someone’s out by the woodshed, or there’s a cat or a raccoon getting into stuff.
It takes a minute to find where my uncle stores his flashlight. I check the batteries and head outside, looking to scare away the cat, or raccoon, or maybe that doorstep pooping dog.
The night air carries a chilly bite to it, making me shiver and pull my shoulders to my ears. Very much unlike Redlands, it’s dark outside. The city lights are so overwhelming in Redlands it’s rare to see anything more than the brightest stars. In Peace Springs, there are no city lights, and the streetlights are few and far in between.
Halfway to my uncle’s shed, the flashlight dies. I knock it a couple of times and it flickers on, the light noticeably dimmer than before.
The flashlight manages to stay lit long enough for me to open the door to the shed and check inside. I stand by the door, not wanting to get caught in there with a stray. A quick sweep of the light, and I see nothing concerning.
One thing about my uncle is that he’s OCD neat. Everything has a place, and everything is in its place. Securely latching the shed door, I make a quick circuit of the tiny building. The lids to the trash cans are scattered on the ground.
I’m guessing it was a raccoon.
A quick circuit of the yard and nothing else appears out of place. Before I head in, I return to the trash cans and replace the lids, just in case it rains later tonight. Not that it will.
There’s not a cloud in the sky. The flashlight batteries finally give up and die, but I remain in the backyard for a few more minutes, marveling at the number of stars overhead.
It’s simply amazing.
I take in a deep breath and lift my face to the heavens. Peace Springs is a good place, and while I ran from Redlands, I feel as if starting over here is going to be the best thing I’ve ever done.
As I head inside, movement in the back of the yard spins me around. I peer into the darkness and cock my head, listening for that raccoon. I hear nothing other than the whispering of the wind.
Upon my return, my uncle isn’t in the chair. I check his room and see he put himself to bed. He clutches Aunt Martha’s afghan, holding it tight to his chest. The strong, powerful man from my youth is gaunt and frail, yet there’s a peacefulness to his expression that warms my heart.
I don’t want him to leave me, but I’m happy he’ll be reunited with the love of his life. I can only hope to be as blessed as my aunt and uncle when it comes to love.
So far, my track record is pathetic. Although, things are looking up in Peace Springs.
With those thoughts running through my mind, I close up the house for the night. I check every door and every window, closing latches and double-checking the locks.
Then a pang of sorrow hits me. Someday soon, this will be my house, and I’ll be all alone.
No parents.
No Aunt Marta or Uncle Pete.
No cousins.
No extended family.
Life is going to be lonely, which is a good reason to throw myself into work.
I do exactly that for the rest of the week.
The relief in Pamela and Craig’s faces each day when I power through a busy morning clinic is all the reward I need. They’ve been seeing their patients and splitting my uncle’s load for months. They deserve a vacation. I just don’t know when I can give that to them.
As for me, I’m simply looking forward to tonight.
It’s Friday.
Which means, I have a date, and hopefully a movie neither of us will watch.