“That’s my normal towing rate.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to hang on to my patience as I deal with another unhappy customer.Never mind that he’s the one who blew through a stop sign without stopping and T-boned another vehicle, injuring the driver.

I’d been called to tow his truck and store it until his insurance company could come have a look at it.I already didn’t charge him for the days of storage, but I sure as hell am not going to let him off without paying me for the tow.

“You only charge that much because you’re the only tow truck in town,” he accuses me.

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The truth is, I charge less than the going rate in Spokane, even if I have to drive halfway across the county, like I did for his F-150.Never mind that he’s the one who called me in the first place, because he’s a Silence native and it was more convenient to have his car close by.Or that I prioritized the repairs on his damn truck to get it driving, once the insurance adjuster had a look at it.

But it’ll be a moot point to mention any of that to him, because he’s one of those guys who will always try to bully his way into a discount.

Unfortunately for him, I’m not going to budge.

“Credit card is fine,” I tell him with a tight smile.“Once we get the bill settled, I’ll grab the keys and you can get out of here.”

After shooting me a dirty look, he pulls his wallet out of his pocket, plucks out a credit card, and slaps it aggressively on top of his invoice on my desk.A last attempt at intimidation, which falls flat, as I calmly pick up the credit card, and process his payment.Once that is cleared, I hand him his keys and the credit card back, which the asshole snatches out of my hand.

The moment he leaves my office I fold my hands behind my head, close my eyes, and lean my chair back.

That’s how Tessa finds me a short while later.

“Hey…” I shoot up in my chair when she walks in.“What are you doing here?”

“Dropping Remi off.I think he needs some man-time.Hope that’s okay?”

She sits down heavily in the visitor chair on the other side of the desk.

“Of course that’s okay.Where is he?”

I get up, cross the room, and poke my head out, spotting the boy at the far end of the shop, already sitting on the overturned bucket fishing small engine parts out of the cleaning solution they’ve been soaking in.

Then I turn back and rest my ass on the desk, right across from Tessa.

“How was it?”

She shakes her head.“Hard.But it also feels a bit like closure.But it was tough on Remi.He lost it in front of the boy’s mother.He’s been blaming himself for what happened to Ryan, I had no idea.She was great with him though, boosted him up, but other than he wanted to come here, he didn’t say a word on the drive.”

I’m honestly not surprised the kid felt survivor’s guilt over what happened.At first sight Remi may come across as just another teenage punk, but since I first clapped eyes on him, I’ve gotten to see more of his true personality, his character underneath the teenage rebel veneer.Aside from having a bit of a short fuse, a chip on his shoulder the size of a boulder, and poor communication skills, this kid is perceptive, smart, driven, and feels things deeply.

“I’ll keep an eye on him.Maybe, if he brings up this morning, I can see if he wants to talk about it.”

“How is it you are able to make my heart feel so much lighter?Any time I carry a weight on my shoulders, you take on some of it without asking.Do you know what a gift that is for me?What a gift you are?To me, to the boys.”

My chest tightens almost painfully as her words settle in my heart.Unable to come up with any kind of coherent response, I reach for her hand, pull her out of her seat, and into my arms.