Sure, two of my three employees hate my guts.
And sure, maybe we only have one car in the bay.
But we did good work today. I hope the customer feels how seriously we take the job of making his car road-worthy again.
Just then, my phone rings.
It’s the customer.
I sit up breathlessly and run a hand down my throat. “Ah. Ah.” I warm up my vocal cords and answer in the most professional tone that’s ever been uttered. “Hello, this is Riley Carter?—”
“What in hogwash bucket is this mess?”
My facial muscles freeze in place as if I’ve been injected with twenty years of Botox. “W-what?”
“I’ll report you to the police. Ya’ll are a bunch of scam artists! You want to charge methis much!”
“Sir, please calm down and let me explain.” I lean forward on the desk, blinking rapidly as I fight to remain calm. “Theissues outlined are all no-go’s. Your car will always have another problem pop up if you don’t address them.”
“That little rubber thing on the hood doesn’t need to be addressed, you scammer! It wasn’t hurting nobody!”
I flinch and fight to stay calm. “All the issues don’t need to be tackled all at once. We have payment plans available. Just tell us what you’d like us to repair first and we’ll get it done to the highest quality.”
“So now you’re telling me that I can’t get my car back until you fix every little thing on it?”
“Sir—”
“You must think I was born two minutes past yesterday. I’m coming down there and getting my car back. Don’t you dare touch it.”
Desperate to salvage this, I blurt, “If you feel that strongly, we can prioritize the list?—”
Click.
He hung up.
Chapter Twelve
NATHAN
My shoulders are tight as I drive away from the hockey stadium.
Thoughts a raging storm, I move the steering wheel on autopilot.
What happened at the end of the scrimmage keeps nagging at me. Every time I think about it, I get this raw, sharp feeling in my chest.
The team’s manic concern?—
Max ending the game early?—
It all felt likea lot, but I can’t put my finger on why.
Now that I’m alone in my car, the window wound down to let in the evening air and the stadium far behind me, the truth snaps into place.
It bothered me that… I was being babied.
Coddled, really.
Like the runt in a pack of otherwise healthy puppies.
