Page 52 of Debts and Desires
“Temporarily.”
A silence fell over us.
“It doesn’t have to be,” I said, quietly.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “I still think you should consider it, at least. You need to be home more for Mac.” He grunted some kind of response.
As we drove, I thought about it. Maybe staying with Carter wasn’t such a bad thing. But my mind went to a bad place, telling me that once our agreement was over, he’d kick me to the curb. Another, more hopeful part of my mind told me that if he didn’t want me to stay, he wouldn’t keep adding hours.
I thought about asking if he’d drive me to audition before the deadline in two weeks, but I swallowed the words when we turned into the parking lot of Black’s Garage.
After Carter opened my door and helped me out like he always did, I followed him into the bay where I now sat, watching him intently and working on my song.
Carter took his hat off, wiped the sweat from his brow, then placed the hat back on backwards. A streak of black was now across his forehead and a small snort slipped from me, earning me a glare. He bent down and grabbed the tool, placing it on his cart.
“What?” he growled, making me burst out into a fit of laughter.
“You have a little something on you,” I said once I calmed. He rolled his eyes as he grabbed a rag and wiped himself, but I could see the smirk on his face.
“Keep it up, I’ll add hours.” I laughed more, knowing he wasn’t serious. I couldn’t explain it, but things were different between us now.
“Bet you won’t,” I teased. He looked at me a long time before finally breaking out into a grin.
“Youreallyshouldn’t gamble, you know that, right?”
After our free-use weekend a week ago, I gained a total of fifty hours back in addition to the normal ten I would’ve earned. Then my dumb ass gained forty-eight back two days ago.
My headstillhurt from all the stupid math I had to do because I justhadto challenge him.
I had made a bet with him, a bet I was sure I would win. If I won, I would’ve gained a whole day in my favor. If Carter won, he’d get two days in his favor and two free fucks. He always had to add on more than was necessary and I commented as much. He flashed me a grin, saying, “Just because you’re too afraid to ask for more, don’t mean I am.”
The bet was simple: make me come in less than five minutes.
Carter did it intwo.
I did everything I could not to, but between the sounds he made and his expert tongue, I was doomed from the start.
“Why did you want to become a mechanic if it makes you so mad?” I asked, trying to change the subject of my thoughts yet again.
We’d been asking each other questions for a few hours now. I had decided I wanted to know more about him and he obliged.
I learned that Carter was thirty—eight years my senior—and his birthday was November thirtieth. He told me about his tattoos and about the scar on his leg, which was from a close call incident at the shop. I even learned that someone named Miss Etta had been the one to get him the kitten poster that graced his office wall.
“My grandad was one. He taught me everything I knew.”
“Your grandad? Not your dad?” I asked, regretting it the moment he grimaced.
“No. My father’s dead.” Carter seemed irritated. But there was something else there. Hurt?
“I’m sorry for?—”
“Don’t be. He’s a self-righteous prick.”
“Wait, I thought you said he’s dead?”
“He is to me,” he answered.
