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As stupid as it sounds, part of me is loath to take them from him. I didn’t pay for any of this. And I have the sneaking suspicion this repair is way more expensive than I assumed.
I’m almost afraid to ask, but I have to know.
When I don’t immediately reach for the keys, he gives them a shake to get my attention. Reluctantly, I stretch out my hand and take them.
“I’d like to know what the final bill was.” As the words escape, my heart picks up speed, jackhammering a painful staccato against my ribcage. Money has always had this kind of effect on me. Especially when we’re talking large sums of it.
Before he can say anything, I realize that no matter what the amount is, I’ll have to find a way to pay Asher back. I don’t want to be indebted to him, and it really pisses me off that he put me in this uncomfortable position.
“In total? For both the collision and mechanical work?”
I steel myself, hoping it’s not as much as I suspect. “Yes.”
He shifts before casually throwing out a number. “Twenty-five hundred and some change.”
Holy shit.
My mouth crashes open as my eyes widen.
That’s so much more than I imagined.
Twenty-five hundred dollars.
That number is enough to make me want to vomit. It’s almost impossible to fathom having that much money at one time. How am I going to pay him back?
It’s a struggle to find my voice. Even though there’s only five or six feet that separate us, I don’t know if the words are loud enough for him to hear. “He mentioned something about a friends and family discount.”
The guy smirks. “Yeah, that is the friends and family discount. Otherwise, it would have been almost twice as much. I only charged for parts, not labor. The Stevens are good people. If one of them needs a favor, I’m always happy to help.”
The air gets sucked from my lungs, making it difficult to breathe. It’s tempting to bend over and brace my hands on my knees. Any moment, I’m going to hyperventilate and pass out.
“And he paid the entire bill?”
“Sure did. You’re free and clear.”
No…no, I’m not.
Free and clear is the last thing I am.
The backs of my eyelids sting and my nose burns with the building pressure.
“Hey, are you all right?” He points to the general vicinity of my face. “You look a little pale. Want to sit down for a few minutes?”
I blink, trying to regain my bearings. “That’s not necessary. I’m fine. Thanks again for everything.”
“No problem. If you notice any issues, just let me know and we’ll take care of it.”
Oh, there are going to be issues all right, but it has nothing to do with this guy. He’s an innocent bystander who has been sucked into this shitstorm. It has more to do with a certain blond football player who’s about to get his ass chewed out.
24
ASHER
Everything hurts.
All my muscles are screaming bloody murder as I push open the front door of our house and step inside. After practice wrapped up, I decided to stick around and lift. Even though I spent two hours on the turf, there was still all this restless energy rushing through my veins and no way to expel it. I’d hoped a good pump would do the trick and alleviate the problem.
No such luck.
Instead of clearing my mind like I’d hoped, Lola continues to swirl through my thoughts. I have no idea what I’m going to do about that girl. As tempting as it is to hunt down her ass and force her to have a conversation, I refuse to do that.
When have I ever forced a chick to speak with me?
Normally, I can’t get them to stop yapping.
A few guys are already hanging out in the living room, knocking back a couple of drinks, and shooting the shit. For a change, they’re the ones who actually live here.
“Hey, want to grab something to eat?” Carson calls out as I stride past. “I’m thinking half a dozen tacos would hit the spot.”
Tacos?
No, thanks.
I’ll be steering clear of a certain Mexican restaurant until graduation, which sucks, because it’s my favorite.
He lifts a brow when I shake my head. “Seriously? Since when are you a hard no to tacos?”
Since a certain dark-haired waitress with a smart-ass mouth ruined them for me.
“I’ve got a ton of homework to plow through. I’m just gonna make something here.”
Carson snorts. “Come on, dude. Since when do you turn down tacos for homework? A better question would be—when do you actually complete your own assignments?”
I glare before giving him the finger. I’ve been doing that with more frequency these days. When a grin breaks out across his face, I stalk to my bedroom and slam the door closed behind me. I make it two steps over the threshold before grinding to a halt when I find Lola lounging on my bed with a scowl.
