“Something else I can get, love?” Dolly asks, smiling.
“No, can we just get some to-go boxes, please?” I say it as kindly as I can.
She nods and disappears around a corner, coming back and helping to box up everything we have left. Some of it won’t be in the best shape after being in a car for however long it takes us toget to our next stop, but we’re not in a place where we can worry about that.
She gives us bags to put all the containers in, and I wrap it all up, taking Cora’s hand to help her out of the booth. Before either man can approach our table again, I’m slipping out the front door and letting it close behind me.
I can breathe a sigh of relief as we start walking away, before people start asking questions I’m not ready to answer.
Chapter 3
Harper
I poke my head into the garage, wincing when I’m met with a blast of country music and machine sounds. Paul is standing off to the side, talking to one of the other mechanics, but he looks up when he sees me and starts to make his way over.
“Morning,” he says.
“Good morning. Any news yet?”
He rubs the back of his neck, and my stomach drops. Somehow I just know whatever he’s about to say is going to be bad.
“So here’s the thing,” he starts. Nothing good ever starts like that. “Diagnostics showed that your car needs a hell of a lot of work. Not even to get it back in top shape, but just to get you farther than a few miles down the road. We could do it, if you wanted, but the parts wouldn’t be in for at least two weeks.”
My head starts spinning. Two weeks? What the hell am I supposed to do for two weeks?
But Paul isn’t done, apparently. “Now, it’s up to you if you want to go that route. I’ve got room to keep your car here until the parts come in, or we can tow it wherever you want within reason. But… if you want my opinion? This car ain’t worth that. The parts and labor alone would be more than what your car’sworth. You’d be better off just finding something used and going with that. I can point you toward some places if that’s what you wanna do.”
For a moment I can’t do anything other than stare. Standing in the dusty garage, I feel my carefully constructed plans crumbling around me.
I’ve barely got enough money for a few more nights at that sketchy motel, let alone expensive car repairs or a new car altogether.
I have no idea what I’m going to do.
“Can I… have some time to think about it?” I ask through numb lips. There’s not really anything to think about, but I need a minute to wrap my head around all of this.
Paul nods. “Take your time. You know where to find me when you’ve decided.”
I trudge back through to the waiting area with Cora. My breakfast sits like a lead weight in my stomach now, and I sit down heavily in the chair, barely resisting the urge to put my head in my hands.
Cora doesn’t say anything, but she has to be able to tell that something is wrong. She just leans into me while we sit there, and I stare at the cracked linoleum floor, trying to come up with a plan to get us out of this.
Sitting just makes it worse somehow, and we end up walking back outside to where Lettie is parked in the grass now, looking as run down and used up as I feel inside.
An hour later, I’m still there, trying to think of something—anything—that can help.
That’s where Cash finds me when he pulls up and gets out of his truck. He’s in dark wash jeans again, and I notice that they’re a bit dusty, maybe from working on a ranch or whatever it is he does for work. His sleeves are rolled up to the elbow, showing off tanned and muscular forearms, and his hat is pushed back,letting the sun-golden highlights of his hair spill across his forehead.
Even feeling as low and worn-down as I do, it’s hard not to notice how fucking beautiful this man is. I’m depressed, not blind.
He shoves his hands into his pockets when he spots me and comes walking over. I can tell he’s trying to look casual, like he just happened to be here at the same time I was, but there’s probably no real reason for him to come here unless he was looking for me.
“Hey there,” he says as he approaches. “And hello to you too, little miss.” He tips his hat to Cora. “What’s the word on your car?”
As if he can’t tell from my face that it’s not good news. But I guess at least he asked and didn’t assume. That’s something, even if it does mean I have to come up with an answer. And really, there’s no reason to lie. It doesn’t take a genius to see that Lettie isn’t up and running, and Paul would probably tell him if he asked.
“Not good,” I reply. I give him the short version of what Paul said. “And it’s not like I can afford a new car or the repairs and parts right now. So I’m stuck.”
Cash takes his hat off and runs fingers through his hair. I’m briefly distracted by the way he smells—his unique scent layered under the smell of grass and warm body—and the way his hair catches the light.