Page 15 of Insta-Love

I let out a disgruntled gasp and shove the display in his face. “I’m dialling for a taxi, if you need to know.”

He couldn’t look more frustrated if he tried. “You still haven’t fixed your car?”

“Do you think I’d be living at home if I was made of money?”

The arsehole chuckles, still holding Lily upright by one arm. “Oh, this is gold.”

I throw my hands in the air and just about lose my grip on the phone in the process. “How’s taking the piss out of me going to help anything right now?”

“You could ask for help from someone, like, I don’t know, a guy who has a Jeep.”

I flip him the bird and march toward the garage door to gain some privacy while I ring our ride. He helps Lily to stand on one foot, leant against the car, and then strides over to rip the phone from my ear.

“Hey!”

“Get in the Jeep, woman.” Gym-boy marches back to the vehicle, pocketing my phone, and loops his free arm behind Lily’s legs to pick her up effortlessly. I sigh as he apologises to my daughter for the muck-around and puts her back in his car. I cede defeat. Of course I want help to get my baby to medical attention, but from him? I utter a curse to the sky above and then walk across to join them.

I climb into the black monstrosity behind Lily while our neighbour locks his front door, and reach around the passenger seat to find her hand. She clutches hold of mine and lets out a shaky sigh. “Sorry, Mum.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s an accident. I’m sorry the damn car isn’t fixed.”

“At least we have this guy, right?” Lily stares straight ahead as he rounds the front of the Jeep to get in the driver’s seat.

He drops in with a huff and shuts the door unnecessarily hard.

“If we’re putting you out, then I’ll have my phone back so I can call us a taxi, thanks.”

He turns and pins me with a steely glare. “I’m pretty sure you could do without having to pay for one, right?”

Arsehole. He’s got me pegged. “Well, I guess if I’m going to ignore that insult to be polite and thank you, I better know your name.” I already know it thanks to Kath. Hell, I already know he has an appendix scar thanks to her, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“Bowen,” he damn near grunts as we jolt with the speed he reverses off the sidewalk. “And it wasn’t an insult, it was an observation …” He leaves his last word hanging, as though he fishes for a name in return.

“Ava.” I huff my discord and stare out the side window as we tear off up the road.

Lily gives my hand a squeeze, and I lean forward to rest the side of my head on the back of her seat. With my eyes closed, I listen to the growl of the engine, the whir of the tyres on the road, and the steady even breaths of my daughter and remind myself that as infuriating as this man is, he’s done us a huge favour. Without his help I would have been stuck paying for a taxi, or an ambulance that I simply can’t afford. And without his attention, who knows how long Lily would have sat outside before I realised she was hurt?

“Thank you, Bowen, for being there for my daughter.”

He pulls in a deep breath and taps his hands on the steering wheel while we wait to turn at the intersection. “Believe it or not, I like to help out where I can.” His words are quiet, reserved, as though admitting a huge secret.

“Well, thank you for helping us today.”

“Any time, Ava.”

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