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We opened the cover and began unfurling it over the truck.
“You say that like it’s so easy.”
She flashed me an expression of confusion as we made our way to the front of the truck.
“I mean, it is.”
“No, it’s not. How do I know this guy’s on the level? I mean, this could be some trick to get me alone so he can chloroform me the first chance he gets.” Another realization suddenly hit me… Luc didn’t seem like that type at all. Sure, he’d been serious and stern, but he hadn’t struck me as threatening. All the same, hedidseem to me like a man who knew how to handle himself in a fight.
She shrugged. “Babe, we’re in Seattle. Take him to a coffee shop or something like that; a place nice and public where you don’t need to worry about if he’s crazy.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah! Come on if this guy used to be friends with Mom… just imagine! It’d be this amazing link to your,ourpast! You can’t turn something like this down. Hell, if you don’t take this chance, maybe I’ll call him.” She grinned, a devilish look on her face. “Plus, he was pretty hot, from what I saw. I mean, for an older guy.”
“Hailey!”
“What! I mean, are you going to tell me you didn’t think he was hot?”
There was no way I could deny it. It was strange, I’d never been into older guys before, but there was something about Luc that I couldn’t deny.
“So what if he was? He has to be in his mid-forties, at the youngest.”
“Who cares?”
“Who cares? That’s nearly two decades older than me!”
We made our way around the truck and toward the parking lot.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. I mean, you’ve met guys our age. They take you out for a first date and want to spend the entire time going on and on about some stupid podcast they’re starting with their friends. I don’t know who this guy is exactly, but I can bet you anything he’s not going to talk to you about something as stupid as that.”
“Geez, I’m not meeting him for a date.” We made our way toward my car, a run-down ’99 Toyota Corolla, the body dominated by rust and one of the wheels looking especially low on air. I pushed on the wheel with the tip of my foot, noting that it gave more than I was comfortable with.
“I mean, it’slikea date. You’re meeting some handsome guy to get to know one another. Then again, he might already know everything about you. Anyway, you good to get home?”
“Fine, thanks.”
“Don’t forgot tomorrow’s Friday! No work until noon, remember?”
I blinked hard and shook my head. “Shit, I totally would’ve showed up here first-thing in the morning if you hadn’t reminded me.”
Hailey grinned, reaching forward and giving me a little shove. “Hey, all the more reason to meet with the guy, right? Not like you’re doing anything better.”
“Kind of thinking that sleeping in might be a better use of my time than meeting with some weirdo, but we’ll see.”
Hailey let out a laugh as she turned and started toward the front doors of her building. “You’d better do it! Send me the address of the place if it’ll make you feel better!”
With that, she headed inside. I sighed as I stuck the key into the driver’s side lock, turning it once to the left, then twice to the right in the special way I had to do it ever since the lock stopped cooperating a few months back.
My car was as much a mess on the inside as it was on the outside. Coffee cups and fast-food wrappers were all over the place, and there were more holes and tears in the seat than I could count. I’d been meaning to clean the thing out for the last year, but life was so damn busy these days that I barely had time to breathe, let alone detail my car.
“Come on, baby,” I said, sticking the key into the lock. “Let’s do this nice and easy, alright?”
I closed my eyes and turned the key. The engine sputtered a bit, but quickly rumbled to life.
“There we go!” I said, patting the top of the dashboard. “See how nice it is to cooperate?”
I checked the time on my phone, seeing that it was a little after nine—just enough time to get some relaxing in before a well-deserved night’s sleep.
