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Chapter Three
Joyelle
Normally I would sleep on Lizzy’s couch after our Saturday girls-night and we’d go out for a late Sunday breakfast. But unlike her, I had to work today. So I was staring at the ceiling in my own bedroom, watching the room brighten gradually as I let my brain wake up. At least I’d get paid twice for retrieving the Ferrari SPA, if I could pull it off. Anybody who bought one of those was probably dripping with diamonds. Then again, the guy probably hadn’t paid for it in cash.
Not that I was judging, because I had a car loan for my KIA Sorento and that isn’t even close to the same league.
I didn’t usually repo all the way in Boston, Massachusetts, but for this, I’d make the exception. Besides, the bank said they wouldn’t trust anyone else with that vehicle. It was the pat on the back that I needed, especially after last night.
Second-guessing myself was a character fault I’d acquired during my marriage to Jarrod. If something was green, and I knew it was green, he’d tell me it was blue to the point I needed to go and check again. There was no being right with him. It was as though proving me wrong was his sole purpose. On his way out of the courtroom on the day of our divorce, he said something that haunts me to this day: “Call me when you can’t handle the business. I’ll be glad to take it off your hands.”
Arrogant jerk.
I hated that Jarrod still affected me even though we’d been divorced for two years. We had spoken briefly a few times, about the business or the house, but nothing more. I keep my distance, but we still have mutual friends and occasionally they forget and invite us both to the same event. But I still accepted their invitations. I’d lost enough to his lies and manipulation - I wasn’t going to give up my friends, too.
It was our wedding anniversary today, and though I’m glad we’re not married anymore, I couldn’t shake my sadness. I had given up on my dreams to follow his, and this date always reminded me of what could have been. My parents wanted me to go to college, and he wanted me to get my butt to work to pay bills. Bills I wouldn’t have had if I’d listened to my parents.
It really wasn’t too late to get a degree in business like I’d wanted to. But at thirty-one and living on my own, it was going to take longer. I’d started the process and applied to three local universities. This fall I’d attend whichever one said yes first. Lizzy kept trying to get me to commit to going on a cruise with her in October. I could’ve told her my plans then, but I didn’t. I was doing this for myself and no one else. I was afraid if other people knew about it, I’d let myself get talked out of going.
Sure, I owned J’s Towing, but that didn’t have to be the height of my career. Maybe I’d grow the business, sit behind the desk, and send employees out to do what I do now.
I chucked to myself. Being a boss meant being tough. The only person I’d ever been hard on was myself. Staff would probably walk all over me just like Jarrod had. Not sure I can grow a set of balls in college, but it’s worth a try.
There were plenty of things to work on in the meantime. After I’d spilled coffee on myself yesterday, pulling Jarrod’s old uniform from the back of my truck might have offered a convenient change of clothes, but it reminded me of just how much Jarrod still haunted my life. Tonight, when I returned from my Boston trip, I was going to throw out anything that had his name on it. Even tools. He didn’t own the company or have rights to it any longer. Might as well use the extra cash from working today to remove any reminder and make this company my own.
Reaching over to grab my cell phone from the nightstand, I knocked over my glass of water and heard it shatter as it made contact with the hardwood floor. Oh, come on. I can’t start another day like this.
Although yesterday started off badly, it ended on a much better note. But my knight in shining armor wasn’t going to come to my rescue every time I had an off day. I snorted at myself. He’d need to be my shadow.
It was odd that Richard had me text him yesterday after getting off work. For a second, I thought maybe he was going to ask me to meet him for a drink. I had even planned a funny retort to decline his offer. But there had been no need. The invitation never came. I said I was home, and his reply was a brief, “Have a good night.” That worked for me. I didn’t need to know him better to know that we had nothing in common. His fancy McLaren told me that. He was probably only trying to be a gentleman.
I can’t say I didn’t appreciate it.Jarrod would only text me to tell me what to pick up on my way home. It felt nice having a man care for no reason at all, even if it was a perfect stranger for just a moment in time.
It was probably the job, but meeting nice men had really become hard to do. Usually, the men I met were yelling in my face, accusing me of stealing their cars. I couldn’t blame them for not wanting to converse with me. There was nothing I could say that they’d want to hear.
God, stop thinking about him. He was just being nice. It’s not like we’re ever going to talk again.
That’s why I never told Lizzy about Richard stopping to help me. If I told her, she’d insist I make up some excuse to see him. But that wasn’t my style. If we were meant to see each other, our paths would cross again. If not, well, I guess I’d just have to see him in my dreams. And there won’t be much talking going on then.
There was no point fantasizing about what it would be like if Richard and I had met someplace else. It would’ve turned out the same, with me alone in this damn twin-size bed.
The guy probably didn’t date out of his class and never would have been interested in me, but the truth was, the two of us meeting for anything else would’ve been a disaster. I might be confident when it came to fixing a car or doing my job, but I never really dated. Jarrod had been my high school sweetheart, and I refused to date other people before our divorce was final like he had done. After that, I was so busy trying to put J’s Towing in the black that I had no time to think about how to meet anyone. Heck, I had been so tired, I didn’t even have the energy to be sexually frustrated. I must be a little more rested now, because for the first time in ages, I yearned to be touched and made love to. And not by just anyone - by a tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious knight in shining armor.
The knight and the repo girl. Not really romance novel material.I couldn’t hold back my laughter. Making love with all that clanking armor would be even worse than trying to make love in this stupid tiny bed.
When I start laughing at myself in bed, I know it’s time to get up and have coffee, maybe a double. Even though the sun was up and my drapes were open, I turned on the lamp to better examine the mess on the floor. It was hard to tell, but it looked like the glass broke in larger pieces than the billions of tiny ones that I’d feared.
Maybe my day won’t be as bad as I thought.
But I wasn’t taking any chances. I decided to get up on the opposite side and clean up the mess - after caffeine.
Sorry, my handsome knight. My fantasizing will have to wait till tonight.
