Page 29 of The Naughty List
Jonah shakes his head as I turn the key in the ignition. A clicking sound answers me but the engine doesn’t crank.
“What the…” I turn the key again. This time there’s nothing except deafening silence. I groan. I really need to get to the center and I don’t have all day or the money to deal with getting my car towed and repaired.
“Sounds like your battery is dead,” Jonah offers. “I have jumper cables in the Rover. Hang tight, I’ll grab them.”
“Thanks,” I say before he jogs toward his vehicle.
A few minutes later, Jonah connects the cables between my battery and his. Cal comes outside and checks to see if we need anything. Jonah has him crank his Rover.
I glance at my phone and see that it’s after eight. I’m going to be later than I thought. The center is a little over half an hour away.
“I bet it’s your alternator,” Cal informs us when my engine still won’t turn over. “It’s gone out so it sucked your battery dry. You’ll need a new one.”
My emotions must be all over my face because Jonah steps closer. “I have a mechanic friend. I’ll call him.”
I want to hug him. “Thank you. I’ll pay whatever it is.”
He waves me off as he pulls out his phone and steps a few feet away from us.
“I have a client coming,” Cal tells us. “But if you want to leave the car until the wrecker comes, I can take the keys.”
I hand them over. “You’re an angel, Cal. Thank you so much.”
“No problem, sweetheart,” he says before heading back inside.
While Jonah is distracted, I take the opportunity to call the center and tell them I’m running a little later than expected and they can let my grandpa go ahead and eat and take his nap when he’s ready.
When I hang up, Jonah is watching me closely. “My buddy is on the way with the wrecker. Everything all right with your date?”
I nod. “He’s going to go ahead and eat without me.”
Jonah smirks. “And take a nap?”
“You saw me in there. I’m an animal. He needs to rest up.” I lean against the car and give up the charade. “Every Saturday, before I walk the dogs, I go see my grandpa at an Alzheimer’s Center about half an hour from here. Sometimes we have breakfast together and I give him a shave. I usually bring him something—socks, a blanket, whatever he needs. I was bringing him a robe today. His nurse said he’s been walking around in his tighty whities. Doesn’t look like I’m going to make it today after all. The staff will have to suffer through another day of gramps in his undies.”
Jonah twirls his keys around his index finger. “Come on, Rossi. I’ll give you a ride.”
“It’s like thirty-five miles away,” I tell him.
“And?”
“You don’t have any plans today?”
He shrugs. “None that I can’t put off for a few hours.”
“You sure?”
“I offered, didn’t I?”
I grab my bags from the car, including Grandpa’s new robe, and follow Jonah to the Rover.
“I really appreciate this,” I tell him as we pull out of the parking lot.
“Don’t mention it,” he says, keeping his eyes on the road.
For the next half hour, we argue over music—him wanting to listen to death metal and me preferring the Christmas carols on the oldies station.
We compromise and listen to Christmas carols on the oldies station.
