“I’m on my way,” I tell her as I open my bedroom door and head down the stairs.
“Conner, no. I can handle this,” she argues.
“I know you can, but you’re going to have to get back to Silver Bay. The tow truck driver isn’t taking you that far,” I remind her as my feet hit the hardwood in the front entry and I open the closet to get my coat. “How did you intend to get home?”
“I was going to call a friend.”
“Well, hi friend,” I say with a smile. “I’ll see you soon. Drop me a pin please.”
“Conner.”
"Pin, princess. I'm not taking no for an answer," I warn. She sighs but it's an admission of defeat and I feel great. "See you soon."
I hang up and head back into the kitchen. Declan and Abbott are both by the coffee station now, fussing with fancy caffeinated beverages. I clear my throat. “Hey so, remember when, Declan, you mentioned I could borrow your car if I needed to?”
“Yeah. You need it tonight? Now?”
"If it isn't too much trouble," I reply. "That woman I was telling you about is stuck on the turnpike with a broken-down car."
“Keys are on the credenza in the hall,” Declan says without blinking.
“You got a repair shop to tow it to?” Abbott asks and when I just shrug he adds, “I’ll text you a place. Reliable and fair prices.”
“Thanks.”
“Go be her hero, Garrison,” Declan declares and waves me off. “And take as much time as you need. Abbott can drive me to work tomorrow.”
I thank him and grab the keys to his truck off the table in the hall before leaving. I’m not trying to be a hero, but I have been feeling pretty useless since the waivers incident, except when I’m with Mac. Being with her, and helping her, is the one thing I seem to be able to get right.
I reach her in decent time. The tow truck must have just gotten there because he's still hooking the car up when I pull to a stop behind them. I put on my four ways and hop out. Mac is standing just like she promised, off the shoulder, away from traffic. She actually flashes me a grateful smile when she sees me. I walk right over and wrap her in a hug.
She kind of melts into me, which I love. I kiss the top of her head. “Got you, princess.”
“I’m no princess,” she tells me for the millionth time. “I’m definitely Cinderella and my stupid carriage has turned into a pumpkin.”
“Lucky for you, I don’t drive produce,” I quip and lead her to Declan’s truck. “Go warm up and I’ll make sure the tow guy is good to go.”
“I want to argue with you, but I’m too cold,” she replies, then pulls something out of her pocket and hands it to me. “Give him my credit card so he can charge the tow, please.”
I nod. As she gets in the passenger seat, I go over to the burly guy who has finally finished hooking up the car. I stare at it. Why the hell is Mac driving this hunk of junk anyway. It’s about ten years old and has rust patches on it all over the place.
“It’s gonna be forty-five for the tow back to town,” the driver grumbles at me.
“Can you tow it to Ocean Pines?” I ask and pull up my phone showing him the address of the repair shop Declan sent me.
The guy furrows his brow as he reads the address but nods. “Yeah, sure, but that’s gonna be an extra twenty because of distance. I’ll need a credit card to run.”
“Fine,” I reach into my wallet and hand him my Black Amex. He takes it and trots back to the cab of his truck. When I put my hands in my pockets so my fingers don’t freeze off while I wait for him, I feel Mac’s credit card and realize I completely forgot she gave it to me. I was just so focused on getting this sorted.
The guy gives me a nod from the cab of his truck and hands me back my credit card as his engine roars to life. I thank him and head to my own car. Yeah, I fucked up the credit card thing, but I'm not about to spend another ten minutes out here in the cold. It's not like I can't afford to tow her. And besides, I like being her knight in shining armor.
I hop back into the truck and give her a smile. “Now let’s get you back to your castle, princess.”
“You and that damn nickname…” she mutters but she’s smiling.
And when I put the truck into drive, I am too.
Chapter 25