“I should be able to get a rideshare.” They were everywhere now, weren’t they?
“Oh, okay.” Was he smirking? Not promising at all.
On that note, I started off in the direction of the diner, taking advantage of the walk to place a call to my bestie, Johan, to let him know just what happened. I could have called the night before instead of binging a nonsense reality show until I fell asleep. But I’d feared I might say something I’d regret. It might still happen, but if word got back to him that I wasn’t at the event, he might be worried.
“Hello?”
“It’s Ed.
“Hey! How is the conference? As boring as you expected?”
“Not exactly. You remember that car you got me to buy? The new one that would never break down?”
“Uh-huh…” Wariness colored his tone. “You’re going to tell me something I don’t want to hear.”
I launched into a detailed version of the story that lasted until I was at the diner, seated, and scanning the menu. I blamed him for everything, from signing up for the conference I hadn’t been sure I wanted to attend, to the car purchase, to the weather, and he just let me talk. When I finally had to pause for breath, he said, “You done?”
“More or less. Hang on, I need to order my lunch.” After I asked the server for a double cheeseburger and onion rings—a treat meal for all my stress—I returned to that call. “I guess that’s enough for now. Just wanted to let you know I’m going to be here for a few more days so you wouldn’t be concerned.”
“I’ll make it up to you somehow.”
I chuckled, feeling better after venting. “And how exactly would you do that?”
“No idea, but I’ll come up with something by the time you get back.”
We hung up, and my lunch arrived. The diner was nothing fancy, but their food was good. Juicy cheeseburger, hot, crisp, salty fries… I even had a Coke, with a refill. It didn’t fix my problems, but I sure enjoyed all of it, and by the time I pushed away the empty basket, I felt ready to face the world or at least text my boss to explain why I was not going to be at the event they’d paid for.
The owner came out and asked if everything had been all right, and after assuring her it beat any burger I’d had in the city, I told her I was going to need a ride back to the Mates Motel. “There is rideshare around here, isn’t there?”
“Oh sure. I’ve got you.” She pulled out her phone and spoke to someone for a moment before disconnecting. “Okay, that didn’t work. The guy is out of town until later, but he says he can drive you back to the mechanic then, but let me think. I know. One more call.”
She called the Mates Motel owner, in fact, who was kind enough to come for me. Settling in the seat, I thanked him. “I’m just so tired, I feel like I’ve been on the road for weeks instead of just over a day.”
“You sound like you need a run. Want me to show you where you can do that?”
I very much did.
Chapter Four
Zac
It was my first time at the Mates Motel. When I arrived in town, I had already signed all the closing paperwork for my house and bought it with cash, thanks to a sum my grandfather left me when he passed months before. I moved into my home that day almost five years ago.
Since that time, the townspeople had made me feel like I belonged. Tyrus and Patrick would do anything for me. This town functioned like a small community of friends who helped each other. Looked out for one another.
My roots had grown deep here, and I had no intention of planting them anywhere else.
“Afternoon,” I said.
Bennett Duke sat behind the counter of the office, readers down on the tip of his nose, the town’s thin newspaper in his hands. “Zac, what brings you in?” His eyes ticked down to my bag and then back to mine.
“I thought we’d have a sleepover. You and me. What do you think?”
The older man chuckled and shook his head. “I’d think you were a screwdriver short of a tool set. That’s what I’d think. You want a room?”
“Yeah. Water pump’s busted. Kael can’t get the part until tomorrow sometime, and I’ve been up since three this morning. I need a shower, a meal, and a long night’s sleep.”
Bennett grunted. The sound old men made when they understood something. “We got the hot water and beds. You’re in luck.”
