Page 58 of Dirty Filthy Boy
"Oh, sorry about that man." I'd heard rumors about his older brother, nothing definite. But enough to tell me something's going on with him.
Whatever's bothering Oliver, he shakes it off. "Now. About MacKenna."
"Man. You're like a dog with a bone, you know that."
"Like I said. I feel a certain sense of responsibility. I know her family. She comes from really good stock. I'd hate to see her hurt."
"Last thing I want to do is hurt MacKenna."
"That's what you say now, but I don't see how you wont. You're taking MacKenna home, offering to get her a car. You're getting close. She might get attached to you. And let's face it. You're not the serious kind. Everybody knows you don't date the same woman twice. At some point, you'll part ways, and she might end up brokenhearted."
"She won't if I have anything to say about it." MacKenna's different from the women I usually date, way different. "I promise. I'll do my best with her."
Before he can say anything else, the girls return to the living room, dragging my suitcases behind them. We gather our pizza feast leftovers and toss them in the trash chute out in the hallway. While MacKenna and Marigold remain behind to tidy up as much as they can, Oliver and I make a couple of trips to my Cherokee with her things. Done loading the SUV, we lock her apartment door behind us. Fat lot of good that will do. The wood's just as flimsy as the one it replaced. But mentioning it will just upset MacKenna, so I don't.
After the girls hug and say goodbye, MacKenna and I climb into the SUV. With all the lifting and carrying, my shoulder's throbbing. I'll have to pop a couple of ibuprofens as soon as I get home.
MacKenna's silence during the ride is deafening. I have to get her out of her head. So I bring up a topic that has nothing to do with her. "So, Marigold and Oliver, huh? Who knew?"
"Yeah." Rather than look at me, she stares out the window.
I should leave her alone. She needs to process what's happened. Except, I can't. "Cat got your tongue?"
She fights to put on a smile. "I'm trying to figure out what to do next."
I squeeze her hand. "Everything will be all right. You'll see. You have a place to stay, and soon a car to drive."
"For now. Eventually, I'll need to find a place of my own and get my car fixed."
"There's a mechanic who works wonders with some of the players' cars. He tricks them out. That kind of thing."
She jerks away her hand, and stares straight ahead. "I don't need someone who tricks cars, but a mechanic who fixes them."
"He does that too. I can have your car towed to his place of business. He can call you with an estimate."
She heaves out a sigh and rests back against the headrest. "I just hope it's not too expensive."
"I can—"
She turns toward me. "No. You cannot pay for it, Ty."
"I was going to say, I can float you a loan, and you pay me back when you can."
She shakes her head. "I don't know if I can accept any more from you. You're already putting me up at your house. I can't very well owe you money for the car repair, as well."
"It's a loan, MacKenna. That's what friends do."
"It's that what I am to you? A friend?"
"Yes." I squeeze her hand again, bring it to my lips and kiss it. In truth, she's a hell more than than a friend. But what she is exactly, I don't have a clue.
Once we arrive home, we carry her pitifully few belongings to her bedroom—a couple of boxes filled with books, suitcases stuffed with clothes and things. Knowing last thing she wants is my help, I stand by while she unpacks and sets out her belongings in the closet and around the room.
"If you need more hangers, let me know."
"Thanks, but I brought enough with me."
Strangely enough, she doesn't unpack a picture frame of her family. And other than a Winnie the Pooh, there's not a single memento from her childhood. She has a father and a mother. From what Oliver revealed, they seemed a pretty tight knit family during the time he'd known them. Did they have a falling out?
