“Thanks,” I said, following him over to the back of the pickup and taking the iPad he offered me to scribble my signature onto—a surprisingly high-tech setup for a shop that’d been in the business for as long as I could remember. “I was expecting a logbook.”
Liam shrugged. “Set us up so everything gets backed up automatically all the time. Saves losing a book to rain or oil or Buddy.”
“Buddy?”
“He’s a dog,” Liam explained. “He’s… a bad dog.”
I smiled wryly. “I get it. You set the system up yourself?”
“What, like it’s hard?” Liam raised an eyebrow. “You’re Mr. IT, you know how easy something like this is to put together.”
“Not that easy,” I said. “Iggy’s a smart man, but he couldn’t do it. Not without putting a lot of time into figuring it out.”
Liam shrugged, a hint of embarrassment rolling off his huge frame. “Always liked computers. Was wondering where you studied, actually. What you studied. What I’d need to… y’know.”
“Get out of here,” I finished for him. He’d said as much the last time we’d spoken.
“There’s not a whole lot here for me,” Liam said. “But it’s not your problem, I guess. I’ll figure it out.”
“No, I’ll… gimme your number,” I said, grabbing my phone out of my pocket. “I’ll text you some links.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Liam said, but he took the phone when I unlocked it and passed it to him.
“Hey, I don’t have to spend the night in the car or try to walk a drunken Iggy home in the cold. I owe youplenty,” I said.
“I’m getting paid for that,” Liam pointed out.
I shrugged. “Then call it a favor and you can owe me one some other time,” I said. “I don’t hate you, Liam,” I added.
Liam nodded, handing my phone back. “Take care of him, okay?” he said, nodding to Iggy—who’d already dozed off again.
“I will,” I said. “Promise.”
“Night, Harv,” Liam said. “Night, Iggy,” he added, louder.
Iggy shifted, but didn’t quite wake.
“I’ll tell him you said goodnight,” I said. “Thanks again.”
Liam waved as he got into the truck, and I watched him take off before I pulled out onto the road and headed in the direction of home.
24
Iggy
By the timewe got into the cabin I was starting to sober up, but Harvey still sat me down and made me drink two full glasses of water before he helped me undress.
Harvey was so nice.
“You’re so nice,” I said as he knelt down to untie my shoes.
I hadn’t entirelymeantto say that, but it was true.
I was possibly less sober than I was giving myself credit for.
“You’re so drunk,” Harvey chuckled, glancing up at me with a soft smile on his face. “But youarecute like this.”
“You’recute like this,” I responded.
