“Picked up on that, babe,” he said.
My cheeks heated. “Right.”
Booker stepped behind the counter and handed me a piece of paper with Big Ernie’s logo on it. “Write down your address and phone number and I’ll call you when we know what’s wrong with your car.”
“Are you planning to wreck it?”
He smiled and shook his head. “We’ll tow it over to the auto repair shop and fix it there.”
“One of the other businesses, I presume?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded. “I won’t be able to answer, but you can leave a message and I’ll call you with a good number.”
He nodded and I scribbled down my information. I couldn’t imagine what the repairs on my car would be, but as a kindergarten teacher, I could pretty much guarantee they’d be out of my budget. I jumped again when the phone rang... I was seriously wound up with nerves that only a bottle of merlot was going to come close to calming.
“Big Ernie’s,” Booker said, and then smiled at me. “Yeah, she’s here.”
He handed me the phone. “Hello?” I said.
“How the hell did you end up at a scrap yard in Arbor Lodge?” Elliot demanded.
I watched distractedly as Booker and three other men walked outside and toward where I left my car.
“No clue,” I admitted. “I was in the Pearl and thought I was going toward Vancouver, but I guess not.”
“For someone so smart, your sense of direction is pathetic.”
“Yes, I’m well aware,” I grumbled.
“Where’s your phone?” he asked.
“Dead.” I sighed. “Like as in dead, dead.”
“I’m buying you a new one.”
“You don’t need to do that,” I argued... for the umpteenth time.
“I know, sis, but your stubbornness is starting to mess with my schedule,” he said.
I smiled. I loved my brother, even when he was annoying. “Starting to?”
He chuckled. “I’m in the middle of something; can you hang out for a while?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll grab a cab.”
“Which will cost you the same as a phone,” he said.
“Point taken big brother.” I wrinkled my nose. “I greatly thank you for your astute observation.”
“Grab a cab to the station and I’ll drive you home from there.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll head home.”
“Dani,” he said with a sigh.
“Elliot,” I mimicked, and smiled. “Seriously. It’s all good. I promised I’d call you and I called you. I might work with five-year-olds, but I’m not one, so don’t worry.”
