Page 4 of A Simple Regret

From bikes to anything mechanical, I spent my entire childhood in a garage, working on whatever it was I could find. In high school, I was fortunate to get into the auto mechanic program at the county career center. It was a hell of a lot better than sitting in a classroom all day, that’s for sure. It gave me the tools and experience I craved to further my future career.

I work at Randy’s Auto Center, the bigger of the two mechanic shops in Cooper Town. We do a little bit of everything, from auto repair, snow plowing, tow truck services, and even car washes. I’ve worked there since I was sixteen, hired to help upkeep the grounds by taking out the trash, cleaning the car wash bays, and eventually assisting with oil changes. From there, I moved up the ranks and have been full time with him since I graduated high school.

Just as I step over to the transmission I’m working on, my phone rings. Smiling, I tap on the screen and answer. “Miss me?” I ask my sister.

“Hardly,” she mutters, but I can hear the smile in her voice.

“You don’t have to lie. I know I’m your favorite brother.”

She snorts, and I can practically see her rolling her eyes over the phone. “Whatever.” She sobers quickly. “Listen, there’s a reason for my call.”

I stand up straight and lean against my workbench. “What’s up?”

“I just heard something,” she says quietly, very un-Charli-like. She’s usually bold and a bit brash and says what’s on her mind. “Jenn called me, and she hired a new stylist. She’s been trying to keep me updated on what’s happening at the salon, you know, since I’m off for a few more weeks. Anyway, she called to chat and inform me of the addition, since the new employee will have started before I return.”

“Okay,” I say as I walk to the side door. It’s not hot or crowded in the garage, but I’m feeling the need to move a bit freer.

She sighs. “You’re not going to believe who it is,” she whispers, and I’m not sure if it’s because her daughter is sleeping or for my benefit.

I stop in my tracks without even closing the door behind me. I stand in my driveway, waiting.

Suddenly, movement in the neighboring driveway catches my eye, and I turn. There stands a woman, one from my past. She’s stepping out of the trailer, a tote of toys in her arms, and sees me. Our eyes meet for the first time since the morning she left town, breaking my heart into a million pieces. That fateful morning I watched everything I thought I knew and loved leave, taking every single hope and dream we had for our lives with her.

Realization hits with the force of a sledgehammer to the chest. It’s painful and steals the oxygen from my lungs.

As my sister tries to gingerly drop the atomic bomb on my life, I blurt out the one name I haven’t spoken since I was eighteen. Since the day she broke up with me and left town. The only woman I’ve ever loved and then lost just as quickly.

“Maren.”

CHAPTER

TWO

Maren

I knew this day would come.

I just didn’t think it would come so quickly.

My heart is pounding so hard in my chest, I swear everyone in the city limits can hear it. Not to mention the fact my mouth is hanging wide open, my jaw practically hitting the ground in shock, and I’m certain my eyes are as wide as hubcaps, as I stare across the driveway at my new neighbor.

“Camden.”

That name.

The one I’ve refused to speak for roughly seven years.

“I gotta go,” he states into the phone, tapping the screen and slipping the device into his pocket. “What are you doing here?” His question is firm, his tone reflecting his annoyance at seeing me.

Not that I’d expect any other response from him, but it does sting a little.

“I, uh, am moving. Here.”

He closes his eyes for a brief moment and gives a non-humorous chuckle. “Of course you are.” When he opens his eyes, those blue orbs are hard and void of the warmth I always felt reflected in them.

I clear my throat and glance around. “You live next door.” It’s not a question. The universe is cruel.

“Yeah,” he replies, his jaw tightening as he works it back and forth, as if trying to loosen it. “What are you doing here?”