As I reach him, I point. “Garret?”
He nods, tipping his head. “Chat later,” he says to the guard, tapping the countertop before moving toward the door. He holds it open for me, allowing me out into the dreary Seattle day. It’s been raining on and off since the early morning.
We hurry down the steps and go to his car, where he opens the back door for me, and I get him. Quickly rounding the front, he gets in and starts the car.
“The Tea Pot, correct?” he asks, looking at me in the mirror.
“That’s right.”
I buckle my seatbelt and try to relax as he pulls into traffic. I’m not looking forward to facing Harrison, but I am eager to get this done with. The sooner I tell him there isn’t a single chance of us getting back together, the better it’ll be for everyone. I’ll be much happier if he just leaves me be, which has nothing to do with his father and everything to do with the way he makes me feel. Which isn’t great. Sure, maybe Elliot helped me realize that Harrison wasn’t treating me the best by showing me how someone should treat me, but anyone could have done that. It’snot Elliot specifically. Though, I am grateful it is him, because I like him.
“How long have you worked for Mr. Caldwell?” the driver asks.
“Only a few months.” I give him a kind smile, my stomach still alight with nerves. “Do you work for him exclusively or…”
“Oh no. I work for a private company that Mr. Caldwell uses for personal matters.”
Personal matters? What sort of personal matters does Elliot have to deal with?
“You’ve done this for a long time?”
Garrett doesn’t look very old. Maybe close to forty? I’m not sure how old you have to be to be a driver. I’d guess eighteen, so I suppose he could have been doing this job for a long time.
“This year will be twenty years for me.”
“Wow. And you like what you do?”
“Sure. It pays the bills, and I get to meet interesting people.”
“I’d hate driving through the city like this.”
“You get used to it.”
My cell rings, and Garrett focuses his attention on the road as I answer the call.
“Hey, Gia.”
“So, I was thinking we could go to the movies this weekend.”
“That sounds great. Dinner too, please.”
“Obviously.”
“What do you want to see?”
“I don’t know. It’s just been a while since I did something simple like seeing a movie.”
I laugh. “Same!”
“I’ll get back to you once I decide. Are you on your way home?”
“Uh, no. On my way to meet Harrison actually.”
“Oh—”
“It’s not like that. Well, not really.” I sigh, looking out the window as tiny drops hit the glass. I told Gia everything that happened with me and Harrison, not leaving back any gruesome detail. Maybe I shouldn’t have told her about him cheating on me with his stepsister, but I had to tell someone. Besides, Gia is sworn to secrecy. We fell right back into things, and I trust she won’t tell a soul. “I’m going to let him know it’s over for good.”
“Good for you, Sera. Seriously. I’m so proud of you. You’re… different.”
