“I’m good, Gray, I promise. Thanks for asking. I promise I’ll tell you if I’m hurting.”
I nod and move for the spare tire. “Fine, but at least let me help. You’ve been showing me up for the past five minutes. I can’t have you hurting your shoulderandmy ego.” I drop the spare and my crappy toolbox to the ground and look at the mess scattered around us. “Do you mind telling me why we pulled all of this out when I have roadside assistance? Which is free and easy.Thisdoesn’t look easy.”
“Free and easy doesn’t mean quick. They won’t show up for at least an hour, and I can change it in half that.” Mallory pushes her phone into my hands. “Text Cade and ask him to come and follow us home. The tire will make the trip, but it’ll be dark soon.”
I look at Cade’s contact card warily. I didn’t exactly tell him about today. If I had, he would have gotten way too excited, and considering there’s nothing to be excited about, I kept it to myself.
Still, I send the message like she asks and leave out the fact that it’s from me.
I take a seat on the ground beside her to watch her work. “How did you learn to do this?”
“Remember the first day of class?”
“How can I forget? The day we became partners.”
She nods, digging through the toolbox. “When I was headed to class, my tire was flat, which is why I got to class much later than I wanted to.” She places a tool around what she calls a lug nut and steps on it, bouncing to loosen each one. “So, I watched a few videos until I felt ready, and then I changed the tire before practice.”
“Wait. You learned this from watching strangers on the Internet?”
She gives me a grunt that I take as a yes.
“You look like a pro.”
Mallory turns to face me, the light in her eyes dimmed. “No, but I wish. My dad was actually the car pro. When I got my license, he wouldn’t let me drive until we had a lesson on how to change a tire. It was a safety thing for him.”
My brow furrows. “Did the videos give you a refresher?”
“No. I was a stupid teenager, and instead of listening to my dad, I spent the entire hour scrolling social media and messaging my friends. By the time he finished, I hadn’t heard a single word and learned nothing. It sucks because I’d do anything to go back and actually pay attention.”
Jordan’s words from the parking lot sit heavily between us.Daddy issues.What a terrible way to describe someone who’s dealing with the loss of a parent.
“I’m sorry, Eddie.”
Mallory wipes her face with her arm. Sweat or tears, I don’t know, but the tremble in her voice gives me a hint. “I thought it would get easier to talk about him, but it hasn’t. It hurts just as much as it did when I was sixteen.”
I plant my feet firmly on the ground and shift my weight forward until I’m kneeling beside her. As much as I want to hug her, I know that putting my hand on her shoulder is safe, so I do that instead.
“Only you get to dictate your grief. There’s no timeline or rules to follow. Thank you for telling me.”
“Thank you for listening to me. It means a lot.” She stands, dusting gravel and grass off her knees. “Can you gather the lug nuts so I can lift the truck?” I nod, watching as the muscles in her arm flex as she works. “So, why didn’t your dad teach you how to change a tire? Isn’t it one of the tests of manhood?”
“Talking to me has never been his priority, which means teaching me things was pretty much out of the question too.”
I expect silence or sympathy like everyone else gives, some iteration of an apology for something they can’t control. Apologizing for the way my father has always shoved me aside until I’m of use to him.
Relief swells when she snorts. “Sounds like he’s a real piece of shit.”
It’s the perfect response. Vulgar and validating. Incredibly Mallory.
With the car in the air, I pull off the flat tire and put on the spare. “I guess it won’t hurt to learn something from you today since I did teach you how great swimming is.”
As if we didn’t have a random heart-to-heart, Mallory throws her head back and laughs, the boisterous sound warming me from the inside out.The sun and her smile battle it out for which is the most brilliant, and she wins by a landslide.
“Don’t get all cocky, Gray. All I said was that I didn’t hate it. I still prefer life without infections or diseases from nasty water.”
It doesn’t take long to lower the truck and retighten the lug nuts. Pride radiates off her in happy squiggles, humming as she rechecks her steps to make sure she didn’t miss one.
Of course she didn’t. She’s Mallory Edwards.
