I shrug again and take one of the mats he’s pulled from the floor of his car and make my way around to the back end with him. I drop down into the snow and use my gloved hands to dig snow out from under the tire until I hit brown grass and then wedge the floor mat under as tight as I can get it. A grunt of pain escapes me when my damaged ribs protest the move but I’m an expert at ignoring the pains of my body at this point. I’m long accustomed to functioning with injuries. When I pull myself up using the trunk as leverage and bend over to brush the snow from my knees, I suck in a breath of cold air as my ribs pang hard. When I stand back up it’s to find him studying me again with narrowed eyes.
“Are you okay?”
He asks in concern and reaches out a hand to me. I bite down on my broken lip behind my scarf to keep myself from crying out all the reasons that I’m not and then nod abruptly.
“Right as rain,” I tell him in a steady tone and then skirt around him to the driver’s door and slide into the seat. Warmth soaks through my chilled jeans as the seat warmer does its job and I almost moan from how good it feels. I turn my head to meet his eyes and nod towards the front end. “Call out when you’re ready and I’ll give it a little gas.”
For way too long he just stands there staring down at me and nerves start to flood my body. I realize that the car’s interior light is giving him a perfect view of my eyes and the swollen bruising around one of them.
I duck my head and put my hand on the shifter and say again without looking up, “Let me know when you’re ready.”
He finally moves around to the front of the car and places his hands on the hood and calls out, “Ready!”
It takes a few rocks and a little bit of gas but on the third try the wheels take hold and I back it up until it’s on the shoulder of the road. I let myself sit and absorb the heat for a few more moments as he slips through the snow collecting the floor mats and then I climb out of the car and move off to the side.
“You should be good to go now. Drive safe!”
“Wait,” he calls as I turn to walk back to my car and I turn back, figuring he’s going to thank me again. Instead, he reaches into his expensive jacket and pulls out a slim leather wallet, pulls a wad of cash from it, and holds it out to me. “Please, for your help. I would have been stranded here most of the night and a tow would have cost me triple this if not for your help.”
I’m frozen in place as I stare at the money with huge eyes. I’m not sure how much is there but I can see at least one, hundred-dollar bill in the wad. Oh my God! That money, that money would go a long way to improving our situation. My fingers itch to snatch it from his fingers but…but I already stole something today and how can I take money for doing a decent thing for someone in need?
I didn’t even help him out of the goodness of my heart. It was self-serving, to get him out of here so the police wouldn’t stop and maybe take notice of me and my car. As much as I want…need that money, I just can’t take it so I give my head a little shake and start backing up.
“No need but thank you for the offer. Maybe, uh, just pay it forward the next time you see someone in need.”
I don’t stick around long enough for him to reply. I spin in the snow and walk as fast as possible back to my car. By the time I get back in behind the wheel and hit the wipers again to clear the snow, he’s driving away. A cold chill shakes my body and I curse myself for not taking the money as I turn the car on to try and warm up for a few minutes, burning precious gas I can’t afford to waste.
Chloe sleeps through the shaking of the car as I wiggle out of my cold wet jeans and pull on a pair of soft fleece leggings and then shimmy down into my sleeping bag. I give it ten more minutes of the heat on high before I shut the car off for the night. I tilt the seat back as far as I can get it to go and snuggle down. I close my eyes and try and sleep but narrowed grey eyes filled with judgment haunt me.
Easton
Ihit the button on the complicated coffee machine and lean my head against the cupboard door above waiting for it to fill my travel mug. A shitty night of tossing and turning after waking from flashbacks of screaming men and explosions has left me groggy and in a pissed-off mood.
My eyes slide over to the sink filled with dirty dishes and I curse under my breath at still not having found a replacement housekeeper. I push that to the top of my list as I turn and spot the stack of empty pizza boxes next to the garbage can that also needs to be emptied.
When Zack and Ryker stumble in drawn by the glorious scent of brewing coffee, I snap at them.
“You can disarm a roadside bomb and you can kill a man in hundreds of ways but neither one of you fucktards can take out the trash or do the dishes? Shape the fuck up! I’ll work at getting a new housekeeper but until I do, you both need to step up and get this place cleaned up a bit. At least do the fucking basics and I swear to God, if I come home tonight and find fucking pizza for dinner again, I’m going to beat you with your prosthetic, Zack! Pick…something…else!”
I swipe my travel mug and jam on the lid and then stomp out with Zack’s “What crawled up his ass?” ringing in my ears.
I’m tired and hungry for decent food and sick to death of wearing these suits and…I can’t stop thinking about a pair of bruised violet eyes and it’s all pissing me off. I’m almost out the door when I stop and go back to the front closet and snag my worn combat boots and take them with me, tossing them into the back seat where they bounce off of the expensive leather. My dress shoes were soaked through from pushing the car out of the ditch and my feet were blocks of ice by the time I made it home last night. I’ll be prepared now if it happens again.
I back out of the heated garage and sigh in relief that the snow has been removed from the driveway. The inside of the house might be a mess but the outside is being well taken care of by our maintenance man.
The roads are in a better state than last night now that the plows have come through and cleared them. I pass the spot I went into the ditch with a glance and a frown. I drive on for another mile when my foot comes off the gas and the car slows as I process what I just saw. The woman who helped me out last night, her car is still parked where I last saw it. I know for a fact that the building has been empty for the last two years so she would have no reason to be there. I make the next turn and flip around as concern builds inside of me. What if after helping me, her car wouldn’t start and she’s been stranded there all night? Fuck! If she had to spend the night in her car, she could be in serious trouble!
I drive back and turn into the snow-covered lot and park beside her car. The whole vehicle is blanketed by snow and I practically dive out to swipe the snow from the driver’s side window to see if she’s in there but there’s an icy layer that blocks my view so I start knocking and calling out.
“Hello! Is anyone in there?”
I feel the car rock under my hands and hear a muffled squeak from inside causing my heart to speed up in worry. Fuck, I can’t believe I just drove away without making sure this woman was safe! She could have hypothermia or frostbite from having to stay in her car all night at these temperatures.
I hear the door locks thunk open so I back away enough for her to get the door open but it’s the rear passenger door that opens with a crunch from the icy seal. I grab hold of it and help pull it wide open.
“Are you okay? I’m so sor…”
My voice trails off as I get a look inside the car and her scared expression. I get a glimpse of blankets, pillows, and a little girl with a plate of food on her lap before the woman pushes out, forcing me further back, and quickly closes the door. I look her over and take in the mass of long black hair framing a delicate, pale face that has a split lip and black and blue bruising around one of her huge violet eyes. I suck in a breath of disbelief as I realize that she’s…living in her car…with a child!
