Beryl spent the rest of her day trying to convince the repairman that she didn’t want a new ice machine. It wasn’t that old. “Fix it, please,” she said. “I know when it was purchased. It should last for five more years. Minimum.”
“You know, machines these days don’t last as long as they used to,” Mr. Dobbins said.
Beryl crossed her arms. “Well, this one will. Please fix it. I don’t have the budget for a new one anytime in the near future.”
“Suit yourself.” He squatted down behind the ice machine that had been pulled away from the wall so he could work. “Would you be willing to spring for a new motor at least?”
“Why can’t you fix the old one?”
“I can, but for about the same price, you could get a brand-new motor and maybe it would last longer.”
“If I get a new motor, I would require a blood oath signed by you that I won’t have any more problems for at least five years, maybe a decade, if I’m being honest.”
“A decade? I don’t even know ifI’llstill be around in a decade,” he said, sounding aghast.
Beryl said, “Don’t sell yourself short, Mr. Dobbins. I have every faith in you surviving for much longer than a single decade.”
He grumbled under his breath about his aging knees and joints, but turned away to remove the engine from the back of the ice machine. She hoped he’d be able to repair it quickly.
Beryl had sent Clement with the last of the unmelted bags of ice in her machine to the Big Bang Truck Stop when Mr. Dobbins arrived to do the repair and she’d had to unplug it. It had been a relief from the terrible noises that spilled out of the machine all morning.
When he returned, Clement told her he’d filled the Big Bang Truck Stop’s two ice machines nearly to the brink.
It had helped that throughout the morning, Beryl had the cashiers putting the hard sell on each and every grocery customer who came through the checkout line, offering a discounted price on ice. She’d sold more than expected.
Beryl thought about the price of a new motor and reconsidered. “Okay. How much for the repair versus the new motor?”
He recited the numbers from memory. It was only a twenty-dollar difference. New motor for a bit more.
She waffled but finally agreed. “Can you still fix it today?”
Mr. Dobbins nodded. “I’ll fetch the new motor from my truck and have it installed within the hour.”
“So you knew I’d change my mind and had it on hand?”
“I had hoped.” His expression wasn’t contrite.
“And the warranty?”
“Let’s split the difference and make it seven and a half years. What do you say?” He extended his hand with a hopeful look on his face.
“All right. Deal,” Beryl said, shaking his hand. “Thank you for fixing it.”
Mr. Dobbins nodded and left to get the new motor from his truck. Beryl was grateful. It wasn’t exactly the outcome she wanted, but if it meant she had a quiet, working ice machine, this was another item she could cross off her list for today.
With luck, tomorrow she’d be able to pick up the new bracket from Dark Matter Metal & Leather and see Jake again. In some ways, she couldn’t wait, but it paid to be cautious. The next day’s meeting with Jake would be a test of sorts.
Beryl was starting to question whether she’d really felt a spark with Jake or just appreciated a good-looking male. That kind of instant spark had never happened to her before. Maybe it was a reaction to Sam being glued to her side, ever trying to win her affection. Maybe she simply chose Jake over Sam. Maybe she’d imagined the spark. Maybe not.
So tomorrow would be a test. The spark test or the re-spark test.
Beryl couldn’t help but look forward to it. Because deep down inside where her romantic girly notions were hiding, she knew if there was anyone for her, it was Jake.
Chapter Six
Jake worked on Beryl’s bracket for the better part of the day and into the evening, wanting it to be perfect. He only took a break when Frederick closed the shop for the evening. Since he’d been released from the hospital, Jake had made it a point to go out and say goodnight to his friend at the end of each day.
Frederick had stopped being surprised after the third or fourth day, saying he appreciated Jake checking in when he hadn’t done so before The Incident.
