I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. This was normal. This was what my days looked like. Every single day. I’d get up, go down to the shop, work until I was exhausted, trudge back upstairs, eat, then veg on the couch for a few hours before crashing for the night. Only to rinse and repeat the next day. So why did it feel like I wanted to throw something?
The next day I debated going down to the festival to check it out, but chose to avoid it. Or maybe I was avoiding people. I’d gotten even more grumpy as the hours passed and I was beginning to believe the magic Noelle and Holly spread around my home and my heart was fading. Nothing else made sense.
Two grumpy days turned into three, so when on the fourth day the parts I’d been waiting for for Holly’s Cayenne appeared, I got straight to work. I knew they were at the resort with her father, and no doubt Holly had every young, good-looking, and cocky ski instructor offering private lessons. The sooner I got her car back on the road, the sooner I had a reason to call her.
I bumped my head twice, dropped a spanner on my foot, and bashed my knuckles against a wheel nut, scraping them red raw and drawing blood, but it was done.
I picked up my phone to call her, then set it down.
I picked it up again. And set it down.
I stripped off my coveralls, went upstairs and had a shower, then picked up my phone. This time I let it ring twice before I ended the call and set my phone down on the counter, staring at it like it was a snake about to bite me.
“You’re being fucking ridiculous,” I told myself while I leaned against the sink, chugging on my bottle of water. “Just call her and tell her that her car is ready.”
Ten minutes later and I still hadn’t made the call. I really was pathetic.
I shook my head and picked up my phone only for it to start ringing and vibrating in my hand. I dropped it on the tiles, the screen shattering. As I slid my finger across the screen to answer, I sliced my finger on one of the tiny shards of glass.
“Hello?” I answered, not looking at who was on the other end.
“Chris?”
I knew that voice. It was one that had a smile stretching my face with one simple word.
“Holly?”
“Did you... did you call me?” Holly sounded nervous, and suddenly I didn’t feel like I was the only one feeling like this.
“I was about to, then someone came into the shop,” I lied, trying to hide my patheticness. “Your car is ready,” I announced.
“Oh. That’s great,” Holly answered, but it didn’t sound like she thought it was great at all. Her voice was devoid of any emotion.
“So, whenever you’re ready, she’s good to go,” I said overly cheerily, trying to make up for her lack of enthusiasm.
“Oh. Okay then. I’ll see what we’re doing …”
“No rush,” I interjected. “How’s the skiing?” I redirected.
“Um, I’m sitting in the lodge at the moment. Noelle’s doing a puzzle and I’m reading a book,” Holly offered.
“Sounds nice.”
“Yeah. Nice. Hey, Chris?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I call you back in about an hour?” Holly asked.
She could’ve called me at two in the morning and I wouldn’t have complained. “Sure. No worries.”
“Great.”
“Hey, Holly?”
“Yeah?”
“Is everything okay?” I asked, my voice trembling.
