Page 4 of When Cardinals Appear

“I was,” I hissed. “But I just hit a pothole, and I’ve got a flat.”

Steven sighed. “All right. I’ll call over to Sanders’s Tire and Auto and get someone out there to help you. Shouldn’t take long.”

“Can’t you come get me?” I pleaded, cursing myself for never learning how to change a tire.

“Sorry, sis. I’m swamped this morning.” When I didn’t respond, he hurried on. “But I can take you out for lunch to make up for it.”

My stomach knotted. The last thing I wanted was a possible run-in with the owner of the auto shop, but I wasn’t sure how I could avoid it. “Okay. Well, thanks for calling them for me.”

“No problem. I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye.” I mumbled and shoved my phone into my pocket. Mr. Sanders was a nice enough man, but having him fix my tire would be awkward. His son, Nate, and I were high school sweethearts, but we hadn’t spoken since our awful breakup.

In retrospect, pledging to stay in a relationship before going away to college on the other side of the country had been a stupid move, but I was smitten with Nate and convinced we could survive the distance. Unfortunately, the distance was only one aspect of the odds against us. Between classes, new people, and the time zone difference, we barely made it through my first semester. When I came home for Christmas that year, we had a huge fight and broke up.

I couldn’t recall what had caused the fight, but it didn’t really matter. I was devastated. Since then, Nate and I had an unspoken agreement to avoid each other at all costs. When I came home last spring to care for my mom, I’d tried to be cordial the few times I saw him. But Nate wouldn’t even look at me, which made no sense. He’d been the one to end things, after all, not the other way around.

The last time I saw him was at Mom’s funeral, but he hadn’t stuck around after the service. I caught only a glimpse of him as I followed the casket out of the church.

Knowing I had no other choice, I resigned myself to my fate and climbed back into the car. At least in a town so small, I shouldn’t have a long wait. I figured it would be as good a time as any to look over the paperwork I hadn’t gotten through.

I’d barely begun to review Mom’s last will and testament when a loud rap on my window startled me. I looked up, and my stomach plummeted as I met a familiar set of dark-brown eyes. It was Nate, not his father, who’d come to rescue me. I tried not to notice the short length of the black hair I’d once loved to run my fingers through. Or the way his once-soft features had given way to a chiseled jawline.

His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. A plethora of emotions crossed his face before his full lips pressed in a grim line and his dark eyebrows knitted together. Was he really that upset to see me or just shocked that I was here? Well, here goes nothing.

I steeled myself for what I expected to be a most unhappy reunion. But hey, at least he couldn’t avoid me. I opened the door and climbed out.

“Hey, Nate,” I squeaked with an internal cringe. “It’s, uh, been a while. How’ve you been?”

“Fine,” Nate responded gruffly. He walked around the car, assessing the damage.

“How’s your family?” Jeez, couldn’t he throw me a bone? I was trying to be nice.

“Great. Do you have the spare?”

“Uh, sure, it should be in the trunk.” So, he was going to be all business. Well, fine, then. Two could play that game. I walked around and opened the trunk for him before taking a step back and crossing my arms.

He pulled out the spare and inspected it. “It’s flat too.”

Ugh, seriously? My face warmed despite the bitter cold. It hadn’t occurred to me to check anything in the car. Of course, I hadn’t expected to end up with a flat tire either. The day was off to a spectacular start.

I struggled to maintain a cool and detached tone. “Sorry, this is my mom’s old car. I’m not sure how much it’s been used since I returned to Seattle in July… after she passed.”

Nate finally raised his eyes to meet mine, and my attempt at indifference wavered when I saw how much they had softened with sympathy. A part of me preferred his gruff attitude. I hated pity.

He inclined his head toward the tow truck. “The truck’s unlocked. Go get warm. I’ll pull your car onto the bed and then take you to the shop.”

I hesitated, thinking I should thank him or something. For what, I wasn’t sure. Basic human kindness, perhaps? But Nate had already started moving the truck bed to an incline to load the car. Without another word, I grabbed my bags and climbed into the passenger seat of the tow truck. The cab was nice and toasty, which was a godsend after being out in the frigid air.

I glanced out the back window to watch Nate’s progress and couldn’t help admiring how much he had grown into himself in the last six years. He appeared to have bulked up quite a bit, though it was hard to tell through his thick winter coat. As he bent down to attach the chain to the car, his hands worked quickly, the chain rattling as he moved. Did he do this often? I hadn’t expected him to have taken a job with his father, as he’d always talked about becoming a veterinarian. Then again, he might not have had much choice in the matter. His father had hinted on more than one occasion that he wanted Nate to take over the business.

He came over to the controls and pulled the car up the incline. Then he raised the bed onto the truck. After securing all four tires with straps, he climbed into the cab beside me, and put the truck in gear.

The pregnant silence between us made the once-comforting warm air stifling. Should I try to talk to him again? It might relieve some of the tension, but Nate hadn’t said much since his arrival. Perhaps since he was no longer focused on getting the car onto his truck, he would be a little more amenable.

“How long have you been working for your father?”

“I don’t work for my father.“ His expression darkened.

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