I chuckled to myself and made my way to the registers, smiling broadly from her upbeat and contagious energy. But then I found myself slightly disappointed that I was headed home alone instead of going to make Christmas goodies with them.
As I carried my few bags of groceries out to my bike, I wondered what had gotten into me. Or rather, what was wrong with me. My gut feelings and intuitions were rarely, if ever, wrong. Hell, following one of my feelings was how I ended up in prison.
I put my bags in the side compartments and got on my bike before pulling my helmet on. I was just about to start my bike and leave when my eyes flicked to where Mackenzie had parked. Then to a white sedan a few spaces down from her. The same fucking car I thought was following her. The one I watched circle the parking lot and leave. The one that must’ve returned while we were in the store.
Yanking my helmet off, I held it in my hand and walked toward the vehicle with purpose. I had every intention of speaking to the driver through their window, after it was opened in one way or another. However, the fucker pulled forward through the space and drove away before I could reach them. But not before I got the license plate number.
As I passed Mackenzie’s car on the way back to my bike, I turned around when something caught my eye. After taking a second glance, I realized her rear passenger tire was almost flat. So instead of going back inside to find her, I waited for her and Brinkley to come out of the store so I could offer to change it for her.
“Hello, again, Mr. Bear,” Brinkley waved excitedly while she announced my presence.
“Hello,” I smiled and returned her wave before directing my attention to Mackenzie. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’ve got a flat,” I said and pointed to the tire.
She looked down and scrunched her nose. “Crap,” she said softly before turning back to me. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“If you’ve got a spare, I can change it for you.”
“I appreciate it, but I have a number to call to have someone come out and fix it,” she said and held up a card attached to her keys.
“You sure?” I asked. “You’ll probably have to wait at least an hour before anyone can get here,” I said and nodded my head toward her daughter. “I can have you two on your way in less than twenty minutes.”
She glanced at Brinkley, who was quietly playing with a toy in the shopping cart. “An hour is a long time for her.”
“Is that a yes?”
“If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble.”
“It’s not. This isn’t the first flat I’ve changed, and it won’t be the last.”
“Thank you all the same. What do you need me to do?”
I pointed to my bike near the back of the lot. “Can you move your car over there? It’ll be out of the way, and I’ll have more room to work.”
“It’s okay to drive it over there?” she asked worriedly.
“As long as you go slow, it’ll be fine.”
It only took me fifteen minutes to change her tire and have her ready to go. However, I took my time loading the flat into her trunk when I noticed the white sedan pulling into a parking space across the street. I watched them for a few minutes before I went to let Mackenzie know I was finished.
“Thank you so much, Bear,” Mackenzie said with her hands tightly clasped together.
“No problem,” I said and glanced at her hands. “You okay?”
“Uh, yeah,” she answered distractedly, with her eyes focused on something in the distance. I turned and followed the direction of her gaze to the car across the street. “I’ve never driven with a spare, but it should be pretty much the same as regular driving, right?”
I didn’t think that was what she was nervous about, but I played along to see what would happen. “For the most part. Do you want me to follow you home in case you have any trouble?” I offered.
“Oh, no. I’ll be fine.”
But something told me she was being polite. I didn’t want to push her or make her uncomfortable, so I decided to try once more before letting it go. “It’d make me feel better if I at least make sure you get home okay.”
“I think I would too,” she said so quietly I almost didn’t hear her, and wasn’t sure I heard her correctly.
“Thank you,” she smiled. “I don’t live too far from here.”
I followed her the few miles down the road to her house and pulled into her driveway behind her to turn around.
Then, the white sedan drove by her house.