“That you do.” I shoot her a smile, she gives me the exact replica of mine back, and I go about sending a text to Sable.
Me: I’ve got your car on the lift. Give me about an hour, maybe two, and I’ll let you know what I find.
I’m about to place it on top of the toolbox when it starts vibrating, alerting me to a message.
Sable: You really don’t have to work on it today. You mentioned it’d be tomorrow before you had time. I really don’t want to impose, and it’s not like I need it with a desperation.
Me: I have some time, and it won’t take long.
I bite my tongue about her walking late at night and not liking the idea that she could potentially do it again tonight. The only plus side is that, with it being Sunday, everywhere closes early, even the bars and definitely the restaurants.
Sable: Thank you. I truly appreciate it.
“I’m ready!” Nellie makes her entrance, hands on her hips, wearing blue coveralls, a black hat, and a pair of boots.
“Let’s get to it.” I drop my phone on the toolbox, grab the pressure tester kit, and we get to work.
8
Sable
I’m sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine and slight breeze while keeping the bright orb in the atmosphere from beating down on my skin, courtesy of the wrap-around porch the bed and breakfast boasts. The full ferns hanging here and there, the oversized furniture, small tables, and the swing make it soft and cozy.
The cup of coffee, sketch book, and pencils are precariously placed in a certain position while I sway back and forth. I chose the swing, naturally, but that also meant losing a table to put my things on. It’s worth it, though. I’m also able to soak in the occasional passerby and atmosphere of Whispering Oaks. When you come a busy city, this is a change of pace, a good one at that.
I place my work down beside my thigh. The hot coffee is calling my name, and I’ve yet to take the first sip of my second cup. The first one nearly burnt my tongue, since I’m not used to the old school-style pot of coffee. Sure, those pod appliances have a hotter setting, but nothing compared to what I nearly sputtered out this morning when the hot liquid hit my tongue.
The flavor bursts with my first swallow and has my eyes closing. I try to really lean into a slower pace of life, knowing this is the calm before the storm. Tomorrow, I’ll have to be up and out the door early and really have to work. There won’t be any lazing around in bed, roaming the floors of this beautiful historicbuilding, or talking to the innkeepers about how they became owners. Gus’ family owned the home from the time it was built, it’s been handed down through the generations. We also got to the sad part where it’ll more than likely end with him and his wife, as they’re the last in line. She couldn’t have children, and adopting never happened for them, either. It looked like from their combined facial expressions that both are beyond worried about what could happen and what the historic society will choose to do with it down the road.
A slight buzzing noise interrupts my heavy thoughts, wondering what I could possibly do, if anything, to help ease the burden on their shoulders. Don’t even think about it, Sable Montero. You can’t fix everything and everyone.
I glance at the display, figuring it would be my brother, ready to get an earful about what I’m sure will be him seeing me on the tracking app. The damn thing can track the pace at which you’re going and will show you the miles per hour in a car, and it also shoes when you’re walking. Apparently, luck is on my side because it isn’t an unknown number. It is someone I didn’t expect to hear from after the text he sent earlier today.
“Hello,” I say after pressing the accept button on the screen.
“Hey, Sable.” He pauses for a moment, my name rolling off his tongue, deep and rugged. It’s enough for me to fix the position I’m sitting in, closing my legs to calm the raging desire that’s hit me square in my center. Jesus, am I that needy? A man utters your name, tosses you a look, and while he was kind of a dick at first, he redeemed himself rather quickly. The text last night to make sure I made it to Oak Haven, then again this morning to let me know he was looking at my vehicle today, earlier than he first told me, and now he’s calling me.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, unsure of what’s going on and what would warrant a phone call, especially given the circumstance. I went and did the dumb thing while lying in bedthis morning and hit my Internet search, which slowly sent me down a rabbit hole on what it could be. Let’s just say I should have left it well enough alone. I’m now thinking my engine is toast. Did I go too long between oil changes? Did it overheat too much, and now I’m going to have to replace my car? It could be a simple fix, like the water pump, needing new hoses, and a few other repairs that might take a couple of hundred dollars into the thousands.
“That depends. You want the good news first or the bad news?” Colt follows up my question with one of his own, making my stomach sink to my feet.
“The bad news first, always. Then hopefully, the good news will supersede the bad. You know, kind of like when you’re a teenager and you got caught in a lie, but you’re not getting punished until the other parent comes home, so you’re waiting on pins and needles. Then it’s not too bad after all, and you’ve worked yourself up for nothing?” I pause. “Crap, sorry, that was probably more than you wanted to hear.” I hear a light chuckle on the other end of the line, not the kind that’s laughing at you with a mocking tendency. This is the kind that’s rich, makes you want to play right into it with a giggle of your own, and I do just that. Only stopping when I slap my hand over my mouth.
“Yeah, I get it. I’m the oldest, and I have a younger sister who’s about six years younger than I am. I had the stricter version of our parents, whereas she got the tired side of them since I was hell-bent and whisky-bound.” A bittersweet moment hits me in the chest, thinking about how Rafe more or less raised me. I didn’t have a drill sergeant type of parent with him. I had the please don’t make me lose my trust or become disappointed in you. One lie, and that’s all it took for me to straighten up and never fib again.
“Yeah,” I reply, smiling even though he can’t see me. For some reason, I can clearly see Colt giving his parents all kindsof trouble that most teenage boys, well, even in their twenties, can give them. The frontal lobe isn’t developed fully until you’re twenty-five, if that.
“Alright, so the bad news is your radiator, radiator cap, hoses, and water pump need to be replaced.”
“Ah, well, I guess it could be worse, right? It could be my whole engine.” I make light of the situation even though I’m doing a quick calculation of the potential costs. Realistically, I moved two thousand from my savings into my checking, just in case.
“Nah, you did good, turning the air conditioner off and parking it as fast as you could. Now, for the good news. I’ve ordered the parts already, and they’ll be here Tuesday. As long as everything goes as planned, your car will be as good as new by Wednesday at the latest.”
“Thank you. My brother will be proud to know that all those car lessons on changing my oil, tires, and watching the gauges did me a bit of good. Do you happen to have an estimate?” I wince, worrying about how that sounds. Obviously, worrying about money is an everyday occurrence for many people. For me, it’s a trigger from childhood. Rafe tried to shield me as much as he could, but some things are out of your control, and watching him count dollars to get us through the week stuck with me.
“About that. I know you’ve got no wheels, but I’ll need you to come down to sign the paperwork for the estimate in order for us to get started. A new policy I had to enact after a couple of problem clients. They’re no longer accepted here, but after losing more money than we should have, something had to be done.” That’s one thing we have in common, clearly. He’s business minded, as am I. When I took the job for the mural, I also stipulated in my contract a certain percentage down as a deposit. I’ve never had anyone become upset or ask for meto waive it, and essentially, Colt absolutely could, since he’s ordered the parts, and a restocking fee can be required if they send them back. My days as a cashier for a big box store forced me to climb a lot of learning curves.
“No problem. The walk here really wasn’t that bad, and it’s not like the weather is terrible.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to go into another spiel, but I think better of it at the last minute.
