Page 31 of Dandelions and Smoke

“I’m not going to lie to her about her car,” I say, the cadence of my voice staying flat, masking all thought and feeling.

“Nah, of course not. You’ll just lie to her about wanting to be friends…” he chews out, crossing his arms and looking away.

“What?” I grab his shoulder, turning him around. “How would you know that?”

He smirks. “When will people start to realize I know everything?”

I raise a brow.

“Fine,” he deflates a little. “Blake called to yell at me for sending you out to help her instead of going myself.”

“Of course he did,” I grind out.

“But I wouldn’t worry about it,” he adds with a mischievous grin. “I told him he should be happy that his little sister finally has someone she can call daddy.”

“Billy!” I gasp, feeling a sudden shortness of breath. “No, the hell you didn’t. Please, good God, tell me you did not tell him that!”

Billy’s face stays serious for a second longer before he breaks, and his laughter grows, filling the small waiting room of Hank’s Garage.

“Nah, but I did tell him to get his head out of his ass and start being nice to his future brother-in-law,” he finally says, as if that’s any better.

“You’re out of your mind,” I grunt, chuckling at how ridiculous he is.

“Maybe, but I’m right,” he says, clapping my shoulder with a grin on his face as Hank walks out.

“Alright, boys,” he drawls, wiping his hands on a dirty rag. “The rig is good as new. Gave her a new battery and a once-over. Everything checked out, and you won’t need an oil change for another two thousand miles.”

I nod. “That’s great news, thanks.”

His mouth sets in a line, and he cocks his head to the side. “Don’t thank me yet.”

My brows furrow, not sure what he means until he points to Rory’s car.

“That thing does not belong on the road, and quite frankly, I’m not sure how it’s taken this long to end up here.”

Billy chuckles beside me, but I ignore him.

“What do you mean?”

Hank looks at me, and with an exhale, he lets me have it. “Well, there’s a crack in the oil pan, the alignment is off, the alternator needs to be replaced, the AC system isn’t working, the back passenger window doesn’t roll down, the spark plugs are shot, there are no brake pads left, and the rotors were so rusted that they crumbled apart in my hand. Your lady is lucky that the battery went when it did because this thing is a ticking time bomb.”

I look away from Hank and at the Ford Focus through the window so that he can’t see the fury in my eyes. My jaw clenches, and my fists close. All these men in her life, and not one of them thought to check the car that she was driving to make sure it was safe. She doesn’t want me to take care of her, but how can I not when it doesn’t seem like anyone else is? I glare at Billy, and knowingly, he holds his hands up.

“I tried to tell you, and if you think Pinky is gonna listen to me, then you’re out of your mind,” he argues before I’ve said a word.

Breathing out a huff of frustration, I turn back to Hank. “Can you fix it?”

He raises a brow. “If that’s really what you want, but I’ve got to be honest, I’m not sure it’s worth it.”

“It’s worth it to her,” I murmur, rubbing my knuckles across my jaw. She loves this car. She talks about it as if it’s a living thing. I don’t need to understand it to know that she’d rather drive this car into the ground than get something brand new. “When can you get it done by?”

Hank glances, surprised, between Billy and me. “Uh, Tuesday, latest.”

“I’ll see you then.” I shake his hand and make my way to the door. “Thanks, Hank,” I call out, opening it as his grandson Shane runs through and into his grandpa’s arms. The sight of them together stirs the part of me that still aches for Scout.

I pull out my phone once I reach my truck. Before calling, I look at his picture and think of all the time I’ve lost. A pressure builds behind my eyes until I’m forced to look away. I brace, hitting the call button. When my ex-wife doesn’t answer, I’m not surprised, but this time I send a text message, something I never do, letting her know that I want to see my son. It’s been too long.

Maybe it’s the way that waiting around for miracles to happen lately has proven ineffective. Maybe I’m done letting life happen to me and not doing anything about it. Whatever the reason may be, I need something to give, because ever since Rory came into my life, nothing has been the same. She showed up here in her broken car and breathed the air back into my broken life. Both might still be broken, but at least I know I can fix one of them. I want to take care of her.