“Dude. Your car is a hot mess.” He chuckles.
I die inside. Those are not the words I want to hear. Those are words that tell me I’m going to pay a hell of a lot more than I can afford. Maybe they would be willing to do a payment plan?
I can feel the panic starting to rise inside me. Fuck. Fuck! I knew I should have just left the car in my garage. Walking isn’t so bad. Now I’m going to owe them money and look like an idiot when I can’t pay them.
Maybe Mom can spot me the money, just until I take some extra shifts at work and can pay her back.
Before I start to spiral, Cooper speaks again. “The good news is, all of them are easy fixes, no part replacements. I do have a question, though.”
“O-okay?”
“When was the last time you had an oil change?”
I blink at him, stunned. “I-ah, I don’t know?” The car was bought used. Everything was in good shape when I got it a year ago. I didn’t even think about an oil change.
“That would make sense.” He chuckles again. “Some of the electrical parts have come loose, so your check engine light wouldn’t have come on. And based on the nasty shit I just flushed out, I’d say it’s been a long time.”
Embarrassment floods me. He must think I’m stupid.
Maybe because I am. Of course, I'd need to get my oil changed at some point.
“That’s an easy fix, and you’ll be fine for now. But if you want to save money, I can show you how to change your oil at home.”
“You don’t have to. You’re busy. I can figure it out.”
“Nah, I’m about to fill it up anyway.” He waves me over. “Come on.”
Not wanting to argue, I abandon my shitty, now cold coffee and follow after him.
“First, you’re going to want to get a car jack or ramps. Do you have either of those?”
“No,” I grumble, the tips of my ears heating.
“No worries.” He walks to the other side of the shop, grabs something, and carries it back over. “You can have these.”
“What?” My brows pull together. “N-no. I can’t take those.”
“Yes, you can, Blake.” He’s smiling, but it's one that tells me not to argue, so I don’t. He goes to my trunk and throws them in. “Now, I probably should have come to get you before I drained it.” He huffs out a laugh. “But we can still get under there so I can show you.” His brows pull together. “Are you okay with rolling under there?”
“Yeah, sure.” I blink, still dumbfounded over the fact that he just gave me car ramps. Like, what the heck? Who just gives people stuff like that? They have got to cost a lot of money, right? Why would he give them to me for nothing?
“Perfect.” He claps his hands, then grabs a flat, red bed-looking thing and places it on the ground next to the one already there. “Just lie down on the creeper. It will keep you off the ground and from getting dirty.”
“Creeper?” That has my lips twitching.
“Yeah.” He grins. “You know, to creep under the car.”
I huff out a laugh, shaking my head. This guy isn’t so bad.
I lay on the creeper, and we roll under the car. It’s gross and dirty, but I’m not going to say a thing. This guy is doing me a favor by teaching me when he doesn’t have to.
“Now, once you’re under, this is what you’re going to look for.” He points to a black tube-looking thing. “Open the cap and let the contents drain into an oil drip pan. You honestly could just get a cheap kitty litter pan from the Dollar General. It’s big and deep enough to hold everything.”
“Okay.” I make sure to pay attention and follow along.
“Once that's done, then you need to change your oil filter. Now, yours is near the edge, so we can do that out here.”
We slide out from under the car and get to our feet. He leads me to the front and points. “This is your filter.”
