Page 12 of Debts and Desires
“What for?”
“Talking so much.”
The truck slowed, and we pulled into a mechanic’s shop, the sign matching the one on his hat. I had been so worried about filling the air with words that I hadn’t paid attention to how we got there. Pulling on to the gravel, we hit a few potholes that jostled my body around. Finally, he parked us in front of a door marked ‘Entrance’.
“Wait here a sec,” he said, before hopping out. I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for until he came to my door, opened it, and offered me his hand. I took it, allowing him to help me out of the cab. His steadying touch on my hip was warm, sending shockwaves throughout my body.
“Not a knight, huh?” I teased. He didn’t say anything, instead walked to the door of the shop and unlocked it, waiting for me to follow.
“Just need some paperwork,” he said once we entered a small waiting area. To my right was a glass door that led to the huge garage with a few cars and parts lying around. Behind the reception desk was a door with the word ‘Office’ painted in red on it.
“Do you have a bathroom I could use first?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He walked to the door to the shop. I followed once more. It looked like a typical mechanic’s shop, the smell of grease and gas lingering. Once in the massive space, he led me to the left, where another door marked ‘Restroom’ was. “In there.” He nodded.
“Thanks.”
I hurriedly made my way inside, grateful for the opportunity to relieve myself.
The sound of running water filled the bathroom as I washed my hands. I hissed as the water ran over the scrape on my lefthand, ignoring the unpleasant thought it brought back. As I turned the faucet off, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. God, I looked like a mess. My hair was flattened and frizzy from the rain, my makeup was running—though that was probably from the tears—and my face was flushed. I did my best to make myself presentable before heading back out.
“Oh!” I gasped as my eyes looked up to meet his. Carter was right outside the door. My heart skipped a beat, my nerves instantly on edge again at how close he was. “Sorry, I didn’t think you’d still be here.” My voice trembled.
“Wanted to make sure you got back to the office safe.” He paused, looking me over again. The way he looked at me sent a shiver down my spine. “You all right?”
“Y-yeah. Just a little tired, cold,” I said, turning off the bathroom light and walking into the garage area, trying to put just a little space between us. I noticed he had changed out of his wet jumpsuit and was now in a dry one. His shoulders sagged.
“Look, I’ll tell you what. If you call someone to come get you, I’ll wait with you ‘til they get here. Just leave your ID or somethin’ else important, so I know you’ll come back.”Fuck.“Then we can settle the paperwork and payment for the tow.”
“I can’t pay you,” I blurted out. He stopped, blinking at me. A long silence fell and all I could do was fidget with the hem of my jean jacket. His eyes followed the movement, lingering on my scraped hand.
“Whaddya mean?”
“Exactly what I said. I can’t pay you. I,” I sighed. “I was robbed tonight. He took my purse with the money I had a-and my phone. And before I left for here, my best friend’s boyfriend took most of the money I’d saved. I must just have a sign on me that says, ‘please take advantage of me.’” The words flowed out before I could stop them, my eyes watering. I made the mistake of glancing back up at Carter, who looked like he wanted to strangle me. I still had a few twenties in my suitcase, but not many.
“I mean, I have some, but not enough. I know I should’vetold you that before you towed me,” I continued. “But you didn’t really give me the chance. Plus, I was happy to be out of the rain and back into civilization. Well…” I trailed and gestured around me. “As much as it can be, I guess.” He crossed his arms. “Even though it’s such a lovely area!” I added, trying to un-offend him. “Very quiet and cute. Well, what I could see, I mean.” Carter’s jaw clenched. I knew my rambling wasn’t going to have any value to it. I swallowed.
“Maybe we can make a deal?” I offered. Maybe doing a few jobs around this town wouldn’t be so bad. I could help around here and help Tyler some more.
“A deal?” He raised a brow.
“Yes. Are you looking for a receptionist or anything?” He shook his head in response. “Not even someone to help clean or take out the trash?”
“No.”
“Someone to hand you tools when you need them?”
“Do you know the difference between a wrench and a torque wrench?”
“No.”
“Then no.” My shoulders sagged. “Look, I feel for ya and all, but I’m gonna need money. Plain and simple. The tow itself is about four-hundred.”
“That seems… high.” He narrowed his eyes.
“It’s almost midnight, pouring rain, on a weekend. Not only that, but…” I tuned him out, realizing then how dangerous this was. I was alone, trapped, and at the utter mercy of this man. Another, more vulgar thought crossed my mind. No way was I going to offer that.
“And if you don’t have it, then I guess I could get your n?—”
