Page 70 of Unexpected Boyfriends

“You have two cars, right?”

“Ye-s.”

“I need to borrow one, and I need you not to tell anyone I’ve done so.”

It sounds terrible, even to me.

“Is someone looking for your friend?”

“Yes, and because they think he might have come to me, they’re also interested in me, which is why I need a different car.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with drugs, does it?”

“No! No! Nothing like that,” I hasten to assure her. “Like I said, my friend hasn’t done anything wrong, but…”

“Is this that guy you were seeing last summer?” Melinda is sharp, she makes connections others wouldn’t.

“Yes,” I almost whisper, “but you can’t say anything. He’s… he’s been hurt a lot already… I need to get him away.”

Please, please don’t turn me down.

Then I add, “he needs to hide out for another six weeks. Please don’t ask anymore. The less you know the better. And while I’m telling you this, I also need to ask if I can leave my car at your place for a while. The police might come looking for it.”

“Phew… are you sure you’re not doing something illegal?” she questions, but she sounds more resigned than suspicious.

“Not illegal, but at the same time…” I trail off because I don’t know how to explain it. “If they find the car, you can just say I asked you to look after it for a while but didn’t say why. Don’t tell them I’ve borrowed yours or they’ll trace the number plate to see where we’ve gone.”

“So this is, like, a safety thing for your friend, to keep him safe, right?”

“Yes, exactly,” I sigh with relief. She gets it. The answer when it comes, is not a surprise.

“Okay. Which car do you want?”

“The one with tinted windows…?” It’s their better car, but the added privacy will help keep Justin out of sight as we travel.

She sighs. “Okay. When do you need it?”

“First thing tomorrow morning?” I ask hopefully. “Say, around 6am?”

“Wow, you’re lucky you’re my favourite cousin,” she tells me. "Now I've got to clean out all the kids' trash from the back seat."

I lean against the protective screen of the phone cabinet. The cool of the metal is soothing as I allow my head to drop back against it.

“Thanks. I owe you.” The relief makes my voice waver.

“Just make sure you introduce me to him properly when this is all over,” she says. “And be careful.”

“Always.”

Melinda laughs. “Yeah, right. Anything else you need?”

“No, that’s it. And thank you.”

“No worries. And take care of him, okay?”

“Absolutely.”

Chapter 28

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