Page 9 of Snowbound

“Shit,” says Phoebe, folding her arms.

“Yup.” I pop the hood and go straight for the battery. As expected, it’s a complete mess in there. God alone knows when the last time she had any real maintenance done on it. Even glancing at it now, there are a dozen parts that look unhappy enough that they could be replaced and another dozen that, at minimum, need a good cleaning.

The biggest concern to me, though, is that front wheel. The tire is completely busted, and the metal hub is dented and battered. The rest of the parts I might want to replace aren’t vital. She can’t go anywhere without wheels, though.

Phoebe paces around the car and lets out a long whistle. “This thing’s old,” she says, drawing out the “o.”

“Yup,” I say.

“Whose car is this, anyway? They’d be better off buying a new one at this point than trying to fix all of this. It’s going to cost them a fortune just to replace that wheel assembly, let alone all the other things that are wrong with it.”

“This client’s going to want it fixed,” I say simply, imagining Carly’s face of shock when I tell her just how busted up her vehicle is.

“At a minimum, we’re going to need to replace the rim and the tire,” says Phoebe. She jumps up and peers into the engine. “But I wager that it’s going to need a new battery, plus new fittings. I’ll bet you that’s what’s wrong with it, the starter. I’ll bet you it got so beat up that something got all bent right out of shape, and it’s not getting any power.”

I don’t say anything, silently agreeing with her assessment.

“You sure you can’t persuade this person to just buy a new car?”

“No. I can just tell she’s going to be difficult. She’s going to want this car repaired.”

Phoebe rolls her eyes. “Great, one of those types, huh? What’s there even to love about this? It’s an old pile of junk.”

I shrug. “Beats me. But you know how people are with their cars.”

Phoebe laughs heartily. “People are the worst. So where do you want to start, boss? We’re going to have to order the parts for that wheel. I don’t think we have anything in the back.”

“I can do that,” I say. “Isn’t your shift over?”

“Now you just want to get me gone.” She grins.

I press my lips into a firm line, giving her anI’m not impressedkind of look. She grins again, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Okay, okay, I know where I’m not wanted,” she says, throwing up her hands. “Just write down anything you want me to order from the store, and I’ll call tomorrow, okay?”

Not waiting for an answer, she waves goodbye and almost skips away. I don’t know where she finds the energy, but I will do what she asks and write a list. She knows I hate talking on the phone for longer than I have to, and the people at the parts place are always so chatty. I don’t know what they have to be cheerful about.

I hear Phoebe’s car start, and she drives away. When the night falls quiet again, I head to the office and sit down, pulling out a piece of paper to start writing a list. Every item makes me angrier. Carly doesn’t belong in a town like this, and now she’s trapped here for the foreseeable future.

For the people here… she’s too highly strung. She’s too demanding. She’s too beautiful.

That thought comes out of nowhere, and I kick myself for it.

I mean, it’s true. She is pretty, with that blond hair and bleached smile. And I’m sure when she’s not panicking and tired, she has a reasonable enough personality, but that doesn’t mean I want to speak to her ever again. I have no patience for people like her who think they know everything and are above people like me.

No. The sooner she’s gone from this town, the better. The sooner I never have to think about her again, the happier I’ll be.

But before that can happen, I guess I’m going to have to tell her that she’s not going anywhere for at least a few days. By now, she’ll have decided to believe me about the lack of transportation in this town. If she has any sense, she’ll have slunk off to the bar. It’s the only place in towntogo.

I haven’t been in months or probably years, but if you want to hang out in Mullen Falls, you head to the Buffalo Inn. It’s where anyone who’s anyone or no one at all spends a night.

And the sooner I tell Carly, the sooner I can deal with getting rid of her. I don’t want her in this town or my life, so I’m going to have to face her again to tell her the news. The car I’ll deal with later.

No matter how much I don’t want to, it looks like I’m going to the inn.

CHAPTER6

CARLY

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