Read Why Lie? (Love Riddles #2) Online
Authors: Carey Heywood
Why Lie? (Love Riddles #2) (33 page)
It’s a small garage called Pete’s. I clamor back into the rain to the front office.
Seeing no one there, I tentatively call out, “Hello?”
“Be right with you.” A voice returns from a back room.
The air conditioning has me shivering in my wet clothes. I cross my arms and rub my hands up and down them attempting to warm up. A moment later, an older man with a backward baseball cap walks out.
“Got caught in the rain,” he remarks sympathetically.
I nod. “I blew my tire and had to put the spare on.”
“You don’t have roadside assistance?” He sounds surprised.
My shoulders sag and I groan. “I didn’t even think to call them.” I glance back up at him. “It’s been a rough morning.”
He pats my shoulder. “I can get you all fixed up from here. Want me to check your other tires while I’m at it?”
I shake my head. “Honestly, I want to get home, crawl into bed, and pull my covers over my head.”
“That bad?” he asks.
I nod and give him a small smile. I pass him my keys and he directs me to the ladies room telling me to use as much of the paper towels as I want to dry off. The ladies room bulb blinks in refusal before fully illuminating the small bathroom. A roll of paper towels sits on a small table between the sink and toilet.
I wring my shirt and hair before even trying to dry them further. The soles of my wedge dress shoes are soaked. I make a squish sound with every step I take. By the time, I’m back in the front office the rain has stopped. Stupid summer downpours. I try Mike again. At this point, I don’t know whether to be angry or worried.
The older man, who I assume is Pete, has my new tire on in no time. I thank him profusely as he rings me up, passing him my debit card. He runs it through the machine twice before cringing and looking up at me.
He rubs his chin, passing my card back to me. “It was declined.”
My jaw drops, my lower lip shaking. “That can’t be right.”
He hesitates. “Do you have another card?”
I shake my head. “I don’t.”
I don’t want to cry. “Let me try to call,” my voice trails off as I try Mike again.
To avoid his kind eyes, I turn my face attempting to hold myself together. When it goes to voicemail, I fall into an uncomfortable plastic chair and hold my head in my hands. Fired, flat tire, rainstorm, and now my debit card is being declined. I don’t know what to do. I start to call my mom, but stop myself when I see my battery is almost dead.
“Can I use your phone to call my bank?” I quietly ask.
He walks over to me, my bill in his hands. Standing right next to me, he tears it in half.
“I can pay. I just need to…” I say.
“Don’t worry about it.”
He helps me up, patting me on the back as he walks me to my car. After opening my door for me, he tells me to go home and get some rest. That everything will seem better tomorrow. Once I’m far enough away that he can’t see me, I pull over so I can cry. His kindness and his generosity on this being maybe the second worst day of my life gives me hope.
Tomorrow I will call Mr. Fulson and ask them to provide proof. I will call a lawyer and find out if I can get my job back because I have been wrongfully terminated. I dry my tears and get back on the road.
I’ll be home early enough to make something nice for dinner. Moreover, I have to call the bank to find out why my card wouldn’t work. Even if I have to stop by my branch and pull out cash, I am going to pay that nice man back.
When I pull into our complex, I see a car in my spot and Mike’s car still in his spot. I park in a visitor spot further down and slowly walk up to the stairs to our condo. Having a car in my spot has happened before. This car seems familiar somehow. When I’m passing the car, it comes to me. It’s Stacy Callahan’s car. Her father is Mike’s boss.
Stacy is a sweetheart; we’ve all hung out before. I hurry up the stairs and into the condo. Our front door opens right into the living room and I’m surprised I don’t find them in there or in the kitchen that feeds off it. I start to wonder if they’re even here when I hear it, a moan, Mike’s actually. The sound he always makes right before he comes.
I stand outside the doorway of my bedroom, frozen. I know what they’re doing, and I now know why every call and text I have sent my fiancé today has been ignored. I deliberate whether to confront them or not. Do I want to see the man I have spent the last eight years of my life with, the man who asked me to marry him, making love to another woman?
I decide another eight years may need to pass before I want to see his face again or hear his excuses. I grab a sheet of paper and write a quick note. “You sounded busy.” I sign it and leave my engagement ring with it on the kitchen counter. I can figure out how or when or if I want anything from this condo another time.
The Carolina Days Series
The Him & Her Series
Sawyer Says
(Spin off)
Being Neighborly
(Spin off)
The Love Riddles Series
Why Now?
Why Lie?
Standalones
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