Page 38 of Reckless Temptation

But the internship could open doors for me to be able to work somewhere else where I could have an impact.

One by one, we left the jail and headed toward our vehicles. Checking my watch, I saw that I had just enough time to get back home and help Mom with her catering gig that they were already short-staffed for. The meeting with the client had taken longer than I’d anticipated, but that was life. Nothing ever ran like clockwork. We’d been delayed because of the jail personnel, and that wasn’t something I couldn’t control.

Most of the other students left, but I noticed Tiffany approaching a separate car from the one her father had arrived in. Professor Lorsen left with Mr. Spengler, and I avoided making any contact with that vapid girl as I reached my car. It stood out like a sore thumb compared to her Mercedes Benz, butthat didn’t matter. It worked. It would get me from point A to point B, and that was more than good enough for me.

Except, when I got in the car and turned the key, waving at the hot air that would be sucked out the windows once I got going, nothing happened.

“Come on.” This car was old, but well-maintained. Or so I thought.

I tried again and again, confused and alarmed when the car wouldn’t start.

Nothing.

Zilch.

It wouldn’t turn over no matter how many times I tried the key.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I couldn’t be held up now. Mom was waiting for me. The sooner I got home to help her, the sooner I could get ready for the important dinner and meeting at the Lorsen mansion.

Regardless of my attempts, the car just would not start.

I huffed a deep breath, hating how much I was already starting to sweat in the car that had been baking in the sunshine for a couple of hours.

I got out and went to the front of the car. Furrowing my brow, I noticed that the lock on the hood was still faulty. Dad tried to fix it, but the lock still didn’t latch all the way sometimes.

“Oh, what’s wrong?” Tiffany asked sweetly as she drove up toward where I stood.

Once more, I opened and closed my mouth. It might’ve been rude of me not to reply, but Tiffany didn’t deserve any polite manners. Not with that false sweetness in her tone.

It was too suspicious, her waiting to leave until she saw me standing at the front of my car.

“Did you do this?”

She gaped at me, feigning shock. “Me?” She scoffed. “Are you accusing me of tampering with your junky old car?”

I stared her down before lifting the hood. “Yes.”

She giggled. “How rude. That’s not a good look for you, accusing someone like me of messing with your piece of junk.” Then with a sinister grin, she shrugged. “And it sure isn’t going to be a good look when you miss the dinner tonight, either.”

Laughing harder, she shook her head and resumed driving away.

Anger burned hotter, coursing through my veins. She did this. She had totally arranged for my car to be tampered with, and now with her being the last to leave, she was ensuring that I was stranded out here.

She wanted me to fall behind and suffer, to slack off so she could get ahead. All for that stupid internship spot.

It’s not stupid.I cringed as I checked over the engine.It’s a valuable stepping stone. It’s the first step toward something else after college.

Yet, as I looked at the engine and tried my best to troubleshoot what was wrong with it, I had to wonder if getting that one spot was worth it. If jumping through the hoops of Tiffany’s bullying was worth it.

Checking between DIY repair videos on my phone and what I could find under the hood, I gave it my best shot to figure this out. If Tiffany tampered with the car too intensively, that’d be more bills to pay. Car repairs weren’t in the budget, not when we were still trying to repair our home after the last hurricane. I couldn’t even justify calling for a tow to a garage.

I spotted the coils that had been pulled, so I took off my blazer and got down to fixing that. Still, the car didn’t start.

Oh, for God’s sake…

Losing track of time, I focused on searching for the reason the car wouldn’t start. I was no mechanic, but I had to teach myself, and fast.

I had to get out of here. I had to get home to help Mom as much as I could. And I definitely needed to get out of the city so I could make it to the dinner tonight.

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