Page 25 of To Belong Together
Ah. The chain of custody on that piece of information wasn’t hard to trace, and John found himself grateful he didn’t have to own up to it himself. “I shouldn’t have.”
The sign announcing Lakeshore’s city limit flashed by. “Why not?”
“Because there’s someone else.”
Gannon did a double take. “Does someone else have a name?”
Erin had more than that. She had faith, family, and spirit. She was strong, but not without feeling, as Saturday had shown. Still, she’d said no. He shouldn’t have made her repeat it so many times. “Doesn’t matter.”
“You’ve got to give me something.”
John weighed his options. Hold out and deal with the business end of Gannon’s persistence, or surrender and get it over with. “She’s a mechanic.”
Technician, she’d say, but she wasn’t here to complain.
Gannon’s expression brightened. “I get to meet her today?”
“She works for the other place.”
“Why’d you switch?”
If John revealed that Erin had asked him to go somewhere else, Gannon’s questions wouldn’t quit until he’d dragged the whole thing out. Rather than relive the embarrassing chain of events, he tried silence.
“I get it.” Gannon smirked. “She’s not that into you.”
John clenched his teeth. If he’d known the direction his love life was headed, he wouldn’t have teased Gannon so much when Addie left him hanging in the friend zone.
Gannon laughed. “Happens to the best of us. I want to meet this girl.”
She’d take issue with being called a girl too.
But why did John care? She’d only shown up at his house after she’d learned about his part in Awestruck. He’d be wise to remember her interest in him might stop and start at his job.
Would he ever find someone whose motives weren’t suspect?
“Kate says I have impossible standards.”
Gannon appraised him, then flipped on his blinker and pulled into Rodney’s. “You don’t. Divorce is too common in general, let alone for people in our situation.”
The reminder of the stakes helped. John wanted family, not heartbreak, and his best chance at getting it meant refusing compromise. In the meantime, he needed to keep trusting. The Lord had provided for him exceptionally well already. “God’s got a plan.”
A plan for good.
But what if good, in his case, meant single?
Gannon’s smile held an apology. “You’ll figure it out.”
“Right.” He undid his seatbelt. “Thanks.”
Inside, John paid for the repair and half listened as the man at the desk described the work they’d done. He signed for the charge, took his keys, and set off for home.
He hadn’t asked what Rodney’s would do if the problem continued. If the squeak persisted, he ought to give Erin one more crack at it. Not to pursue her, but as a gesture of goodwill. She’d taken it personally when he’d said he’d found someplace else. And she didn’t strike him as one to badmouth another shop without cause.
He turned onto Old Sawmill Road. The first few bumps didn’t prompt a stray squeak. He took the sharp turn at fifteen miles per hour. Snow had melted from parts of the road, but with darkness descending, temperatures had fallen back below freezing, turning the puddles into ice. In the straightaway after the turn, he accelerated back to the limit to give the squeak its best chance at sounding.
Nothing.
Maybe his faith in Erin had been misguided.
