dummy, huh?"
A laugh bubbles up from me. A real laugh. I haven't had one of those in a while. "Well, if you are, I'm calling myself one as well." I grab it back from him. "There are a few chapters in here I want to mark for you, though. Do you have a computer?"
"Yeah, there is one in the little office off of the garage. It's an old one, but I think it works OK."
An idea pops into my head. Probably not the best idea I have ever had considering that I just met this guy, but hey, you only live once, and I did promise myself that I was going to start living for me again—do things differently and focus on things that don't focus on Benji's death.
"How about you give me directions to the garage and I stop out this weekend and take a look? I can give you a mini crash course on anything you need to know to start out." By the way his eyes squint a little and the slight frown he now has on his face, I'm sure he's going to say no.
"Um, yeah. OK," he says after a second.
"Great! Let me get your number, and I will call or message you on Saturday morning to let you know when I will be on my way. You can text me the address, and I will pop it into my GPS."
He walks back to the front without saying a word, and I wonder if he's changed his mind. I follow behind him until we are at the front desk and realize he is looking for a pen. He scribbles his number on an old receipt that a customer must have left sitting on the counter. "Here's my number," he says and hands me the slip of paper.
"Thanks." I look back up into his eyes. He's not smiling anymore, and I wonder if I made a mistake by offering to help him. "I'll bring the book with me Saturday, if that's OK?"
"OK," he says, still staring.
"OK," I whisper back.
"I guess I'll be going so you can close up and head home."
"OK."
"Are you parked close? Will you be alright if I go?"
"OK." He smiles at me, and I realize I totally answered that question the wrong way. "I mean, yeah. Amelia is going to stop here in a few minutes. You better get going. She's an attorney so she will drill you with questions."
"OK," he says and walks toward the door. "Marin?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for your help." And he smiles. And I stop breathing. Then he walks out the door and swiftly down the sidewalk.
******
I'm counting the register for the third time, to make sure I'm accurate, when a knock on the front door startles me. Looking up, I see Amelia standing there mouthing, "Let me in, dammit!"
I lay the money down and head around the counter to the door. When I unlock it, she barrels through like a bull that was just let out of his stall.
"Jesus, Amelia. What the heck is your hurry?" I go back to organizing the money for the deposit.
"Well, how was it? Is he as hot as I remember?" She waggles her eyebrows like the perv she is sometimes. She flops down on the chair he was sitting on not too long ago.
“It was incredible. He screwed my brains out right there on that chair your ass is taking up space on.”
Her eyeballs about bug out of her head, and I don’t think I have ever seen her more shocked.
“Jesus, Amelia, everything was fine," I answer with a roll of my eyes.
“Wait. So you didn’t fuck him?”
“ God no . I don’t even know the guy yet. Besides, I’m not interested in a relationship like that. You know that.”
"So it was just fine."
"Yes, Amelia, it was fine." Trying to ignore her, I straighten out the desk a little more.
"Why are you acting weird?"
"I'm not acting weird. You’re being nosey."
"Well, do I have a reason to be nosey? Did something happen? Oh, my god! Something happened."
" What? No. I told you, nothing happened. Now you’re being crazy." She walks around the counter and grabs me by my arm, pulling me back to the chairs that Dalton and I occupied not so long ago.
"Now, talk to me. Be honest."
"I am being honest. It was fine. We chatted, I got him a book, made plans to meet up with him Saturday, and he left." I know she's going to freak so I jump out of
A laugh bubbles up from me. A real laugh. I haven't had one of those in a while. "Well, if you are, I'm calling myself one as well." I grab it back from him. "There are a few chapters in here I want to mark for you, though. Do you have a computer?"
"Yeah, there is one in the little office off of the garage. It's an old one, but I think it works OK."
An idea pops into my head. Probably not the best idea I have ever had considering that I just met this guy, but hey, you only live once, and I did promise myself that I was going to start living for me again—do things differently and focus on things that don't focus on Benji's death.
"How about you give me directions to the garage and I stop out this weekend and take a look? I can give you a mini crash course on anything you need to know to start out." By the way his eyes squint a little and the slight frown he now has on his face, I'm sure he's going to say no.
"Um, yeah. OK," he says after a second.
"Great! Let me get your number, and I will call or message you on Saturday morning to let you know when I will be on my way. You can text me the address, and I will pop it into my GPS."
He walks back to the front without saying a word, and I wonder if he's changed his mind. I follow behind him until we are at the front desk and realize he is looking for a pen. He scribbles his number on an old receipt that a customer must have left sitting on the counter. "Here's my number," he says and hands me the slip of paper.
"Thanks." I look back up into his eyes. He's not smiling anymore, and I wonder if I made a mistake by offering to help him. "I'll bring the book with me Saturday, if that's OK?"
"OK," he says, still staring.
"OK," I whisper back.
"I guess I'll be going so you can close up and head home."
"OK."
"Are you parked close? Will you be alright if I go?"
"OK." He smiles at me, and I realize I totally answered that question the wrong way. "I mean, yeah. Amelia is going to stop here in a few minutes. You better get going. She's an attorney so she will drill you with questions."
"OK," he says and walks toward the door. "Marin?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for your help." And he smiles. And I stop breathing. Then he walks out the door and swiftly down the sidewalk.
******
I'm counting the register for the third time, to make sure I'm accurate, when a knock on the front door startles me. Looking up, I see Amelia standing there mouthing, "Let me in, dammit!"
I lay the money down and head around the counter to the door. When I unlock it, she barrels through like a bull that was just let out of his stall.
"Jesus, Amelia. What the heck is your hurry?" I go back to organizing the money for the deposit.
"Well, how was it? Is he as hot as I remember?" She waggles her eyebrows like the perv she is sometimes. She flops down on the chair he was sitting on not too long ago.
“It was incredible. He screwed my brains out right there on that chair your ass is taking up space on.”
Her eyeballs about bug out of her head, and I don’t think I have ever seen her more shocked.
“Jesus, Amelia, everything was fine," I answer with a roll of my eyes.
“Wait. So you didn’t fuck him?”
“ God no . I don’t even know the guy yet. Besides, I’m not interested in a relationship like that. You know that.”
"So it was just fine."
"Yes, Amelia, it was fine." Trying to ignore her, I straighten out the desk a little more.
"Why are you acting weird?"
"I'm not acting weird. You’re being nosey."
"Well, do I have a reason to be nosey? Did something happen? Oh, my god! Something happened."
" What? No. I told you, nothing happened. Now you’re being crazy." She walks around the counter and grabs me by my arm, pulling me back to the chairs that Dalton and I occupied not so long ago.
"Now, talk to me. Be honest."
"I am being honest. It was fine. We chatted, I got him a book, made plans to meet up with him Saturday, and he left." I know she's going to freak so I jump out of
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