Page 36 of Why Not Now?

She shakes her head, then gives me a smile, tipping her head in Ava’s direction. “Don’t think we’re not going to be talking about this.”

“Just helping out a friend, Mom.”

“Mm-hm. I’ll see you later. It was good to see you again, Ava.”

“You too, Ms. Moritz.”

She heads back home while Ava and I start toward Blue Vista.

“She hates driving downtown,” I say as we cross the bridge. “Otherwise, I would have asked her to bring you the whole way.”

“I admit, I was surprised when she pulled up. She still lives in the area?”

“Same house I grew up in.”

“Thank you, Derek. I was supposed to leave the restaurant an hour before I did, but my boss told me I had to stay even though I’d cleared it with him last month.” She sighs and rubs her eyes. “I would have asked Bethany for a ride, but she’s already at the ceremony with Cindy.”

“It’s no problem at all.”

“You were at your job. You can’t drop everything any time I need something.”

It’s exactly how I expect her to feel. But I have a perfect response to this.

“I’m the acquisitions director, Ava. I acquired our photographer. Getting you to Blue Vistaismy job.” She still looks skeptical. “Ava, seriously. If I hadn’t been able to get you, I would have figured something else out. I’m always happy to help you.”

“You shouldn’t have to. I should be able to get to and from work myself.”

I wonder if that’s the same guilt from before, making her believe—wrongly—that she needs to do everything herself.

“Your car died,” I say. “Shit happens. Didn’t you just get it fixed?”

She sighs, dropping her head against the headrest and closing her eyes. She looks so tired, and I think back on the schedule, how she works every single day, sometimes more than one job. How she’s raising her sister without help from anyone. A part of me is fiercely proud of her, taking everything on, not giving up when things are difficult. Another part wishes she’d let me in.

“Yes. A new alternator. It wasn’t cheap, either. Now it’s doing the same thing it was doing before.” Tears leak down her cheeks. “I can’t afford another alternator.”

I pull into my parking spot in the underground beside Blue Vista and reach over to wipe the tears away.

“We’ll take it to my mechanic. Carter will tell you what’s wrong.”

“I can’t—”

“Don’t worry about money right now. Carter owes me a favour. He’ll take a look, and we’ll figure out where we go from there.”

“How am I going to get it to him?” she asks, looking at me with tears filling her eyes again.

“I can take care of that as well. I have insurance.”

“Why are you being so nice?”

I bite my tongue against the urge to tell her it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I’ve only ever wanted to take care of her. She’s just never let me. Instead, I joke, “I’m always nice.”

She snorts and I shrug.

“That’s what friends are for, right? Come on. Let’s get you inside.”

I get her situated and head out to her house, calling Carter first, then for a tow truck before I even leave downtown. Once the car is set up and heading toward Carter’s garage, I follow it, getting there at the same time.

“What do you have?” Carter asks, coming out of his office. He’d come in on his day off to meet me. “I have to say, when you said you were bringing in someone else’s car, I was a little confused. Then Nessa said you finally took her up on those ballet tickets. You have a girlfriend?”

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