Page 42 of Beat around the Bush
I shifted my truck into park and opened my door. Before I could make it to her side, she was already out and heading inside the front doors. Sighing, I followed behind her, coming up beside her at the front desk. The lobby had a small waiting room to our left that contained all of four chairs and a small TV that looked like it was from the nineties. The smell of lemon Lysol hung in the air, and the drooping plant in the corner looked like it was suffering from it.
“What can I do for you two today?” the receptionist asked, her brunette ponytail caught in the top of her plaid scarf.
I opened my mouth to reply, but Oakley beat me to it. “I need a rental for a few days.”
“All-wheel-drive. Snow tires, and I want chains in the trunk just in case,” I demanded.
The woman eyed the two of us, then slowly looked back down at her computer. She clicked her mouse a few times, squinting at the screen. “I have a Toyota Rav4. Not sure what condition the tires are in, and you’ll have to supply your own chains if you’d like them. But I can assure you, their all-wheel-drive capability is one of the best in its-”
“I’ll buy you chains,” I said to Oakley, not bothering to look at her.
I felt her gaze on the side of my face as she glared at me. “We’ll take it,” I told the receptionist.
“Perfect. Will you both be drivers on the vehicle?” she asked.
Oakley turned back to the woman. “No. Just me.”
I crossed my arms, resisting the urge to adjust my hat as Oakley handed the woman her driver’s license and insurance card. She typed the information into the computer and then handed them back to Oakley, along with a pen and paper full of information written in tiny script.
“This is the contract for the rental. You can keep it a maximum of fourteen days, and if you need it longer than that, we ask that you call or come in for an extension.” She highlighted a line for Oakley to sign.
“I’m hoping I only need it a day or two,” Oakley said as she scanned the paper in front of her, then signed her first and last name.
The receptionist offered her an apologetic look as she pulled the paper back and made a copy of it. She swiveled in her chair to grab a set of keys off the hook from the board behind her, then stood, grabbing her coat from the back of her chair and putting it on. She walked around the desk as her hands fumbled to get her ponytail out of the jacket.
“Car’s out back,” she said as she opened the door to the right of her desk, gesturing for us to go through first.
I grabbed the door, letting Oakley walk through. “Go ahead,” I said to the receptionist.
She gave a small smile and walked through. I followed the two of them out as they headed toward the silver Toyota parked in the corner of the lot. The woman unlocked the car, then got in, taking note of the mileage and fuel tank.
“If you could just fill the tank before returning it, please. Otherwise we’ll have to charge eight dollars a gallon to fill it here,” she stated.
Eight dollars a gallon? Fuck that.
“We’ll fill it. Thank you,” I told her.
“I’llfill it. I appreciate it, ma’am,” Oakley said, sending a glare my way.
“Of course. Just remember,” she pulled a folded paper from her coat pocket, handing it to Oakley along with the keys, “it’s thirty-six dollars a day. This is your copy of the contract. You can pay once you return the vehicle. And don’t forget there’s a one hundred and fifty dollar cleaning fee as well, if it doesn’t come back clean.”
Oakley looked like she was about to be sick with the knowledge of how pricey renting this vehicle could be, but she quickly cleared the nausea from her face and shook the woman’s hand.
“Thank you again,” Oakley said.
The woman pulled her scarf closer to her jaw, warding off the cold. “Of course. Drive safely.”
I nodded at her as she retreated back into the building, then I went around the car, checking each tire to ensure they all had tread.
“What are you doing?” Oakley asked as I came around the front of the vehicle.
“Checking the tires. They should do for now, but I’m still getting you chains.”
She shook her head, shoving her hands in the front pocket of my hoodie she was wearing. “It’s an all-wheel-drive vehicle. It doesn’t need chains.”
I took the two steps that were separating us, our chests now mere inches from each other. She tipped her head back, but determination shone in her eyes.
“I don’t want another call at six-thirty on a fucking work night that you drove off the road because you didn’t take the proper precautions while driving in the snow.” I should tone it down, but my worry for her when she called made me sick. The short drive to find her was the worst kind of torture, then to find her standing on the side of the road in the snow, let alone with some stranger? My fists clenched as my chest tightened with the memory.
