Page 9 of About Time

He wipes his hands off on a rag. “I waited until you got here.”

I take the wrench from his hand and hand him a different one. “That was probably a wise idea.”

“I am a radiology technician, not a mechanic.”

“Why are we doing a tune-up here? Griffin wouldn’t have cared if we did this at the garage,” I tell him.

Just then, a bunch of girlish squeals came from inside the house. Martin winces. “That’s why. They’ve been helping Hattie get ready for the prom all day. I figured you could help me tune up this beast, and I could still be here when some horny teenage boy comes to pick up Hattie.”

“Please tell me you don’t have a shotgun in the bed of your truck.” The way he looks at the cabinet in the corner of the garage doesn’t give me much hope that he won’t overreact. “C’mon, she’s a smart girl. You have to trust that she will make a smart decision. Who’s the boy anyway?”

“Some asshole friend of Donovan’s. I don’t know why she doesn’t just go with Donovan,” Martin grumbles.

I slap him on the back. “I think you need to accept that they’re only ever going to be just friends.”

“That’s why I want them to go together. Do you remember senior prom?” he asks me.

A smirk pulls at the corner of my mouth. “I went to prom all four years of high school. There’s just something about it that makes girls go wild.”

Martin points emphatically at me. “This is what I’m saying. Hattie is a smart girl, but she’s still a teenager, and they are, by definition dumbasses, just like we were. If she were to go with the Miller kid, I wouldn’t worry that she’ll end up pregnant before graduation. Too many girls in this town get trapped here that way.”

“She’s going to have sex eventually. You’re going to have to trust her to make the best decision for herself. For what it’s worth, I don’t think she’s the kind of girl to give it up in the back of a bargain limo.”

We work for a while until a boy pulls up driving a minivan. I laugh. “That’s a Harriston limo if I ever saw one.”

Several teenagers dressed in formal wear spill out of the sliding doors. Hattie, Elisa, Wren, and Hattie’s friend, Mandy come out of the house to join their friends. It’s been a few months since I’ve spoken to Hattie. We’ve become friendly, but we aren’t close by any means.

My mouth falls open when I see her standing on the porch in a slinky ice blue dress. Suddenly, I understand Martin’s desire to keep her away from teenage boys. I don’t know how he manages to be responsible for a teenage girl when he’s not even thirty yet. Especially someone as innocent as Hattie.

Martin moves closer to the girls, and I go to join him. For all of my talk about trusting her, I finally understand why he’s worried. While he stares down her date, I pull Hattie aside.

“If you need anything, and you’re too afraid to call Martin or Elisa, you can call me. I’ll pick you up,” I promise her.

She raises an eyebrow. “What exactly do you expect to happen?”

“With a teenage boy? There’s very little I don’t think he could be capable of.”

Hattie rolls her eyes. “Well, I don’t have your number. Don’t worry,Dad, I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t be a smart ass.” I pull a reward card out of my wallet and scribble my number on it. “I’ll be home tonight, so if you need anything, call me. I’ll come and pick you up.”

“Why are you doing this for me?” she asks.

I scratch my head. “We’re friends, aren’t we?” It’s not uncommon for me to get up in the middle of the night and do something for a friend. Usually, it’s picking up something Liam needs for Griffin, but there are a few guys who will occasionally call me for a ride if their designated driver ends up getting drunk.

Hattie shrugs. “I guess so.” She takes the card and slips it into her tiny purse.

I roll my eyes. “You don’t have to guess anymore, half-pint, we’re friends. I’m declaring it to be so, therefore it is.”

She salutes me. “Aye, aye, Sir. If you say it is so, then it must be.”

Before I have a chance to retort she ducks inside the van and they drive away.

Martin shakes his head. “I’m too young for this shit.”

“Better get used to it. Before you know it, Wren will be graduating, and you’ll have to watch some punk ass kid pick her up for prom.”

“No way. I’m sending her to an all-girls school as soon as she hits middle school.”

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