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Chapter Four
Allie leaned her headback and closed her eyes until the truck came to a stop. Grasping the door handle, she swiveled toward Brett and glimpsed Ricky pulling into his parking spot. She was now eager to have him gone so she could talk to her neighbor and pasted a smile on her face.
“Thanks for the lift and seeing to my car. I owe you one.”
Not waiting for a reply, she jumped down and slammed the door then waved before pulling her key out of her purse. Brett would have to stick around, waiting, she assumed, for her to go inside her apartment. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it, listening for the truck’s rumble to fade before stepping outside again. Stomping down to Ricky’s apartment, she pounded on the door and, as soon as he flung it open, laid into him.
“Where were you tonight? Damn you, Ricky!” She poked a long nail into his chest. “You know how much my car means to me.”
He looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “What are you talking about? What’s wrong with your car?” His gaze cut to her parking space. “Where is it?”
Allie couldn’t deny he appeared baffled and stepped back from the instant concern replacing the surprise on his face. “Where did you go tonight?” she asked in a curbed tone.
“It was my monthly poker game. You know that. Are you all right?” He made to reach for her, but she sidestepped his intention.
“Shoot, I forgot.” How could she not remember he played cards with his three closest friends the last Saturday of the month? “I’m sorry for bothering you, Ricky. Talk to you later.”
“Wait,” he called when she started toward her apartment. “What happened?”
“Nothing, just some vandalism I mistook as personal. Good night.” She dashed inside her apartment before he could say anything else, feeling like an idiot for going off on him without thinking.
She didn’t know if it was the damage to her car or Brett that left her still unsettled by the time she crawled into bed. After a restless night spent tossing and turning, thinking about the events of the night before, she awoke tired and irritable over being stuck at home without a vehicle. Spending eight hours a day behind a desk all week left her eager for physical activity come the weekends. Being Sunday, she didn’t expect to get her car back until sometime tomorrow afternoon and texted Celia, letting her know she would have to drive in the morning. They both worked for the county, Celia as a court stenographer, and lived in the same complex, so they often rode in together.
Cleaning up the apartment and doing a week’s worth of laundry took care of the morning. Walking back to her place from the laundry facility, Allie was going over her options for the afternoon when she was brought up short seeing a tow truck pull in with her car. The driver looked up as she approached and gave her a friendly smile.
“I’m guessing you’re Allie,” he said, swinging his door open and hopping out of the cab.
“Correct. Your shop is open on Sundays?” She’d never known a car repair shop to open on Sunday, at least, not around here.
“Nope, but Mr. Kincaid made it worth my while. He’s a good customer. Got all the paint off without damaging the glass, so you’re good to go.” He lifted a hand in farewell. “Have a nice one.”
“You, too.”
Allie’s stomach executed a funny roll, thinking about Brett’s efforts to get her car returned today. Just because the vandalism had taken place in their parking lot didn’t make him or his brothers responsible, and he wasn’t obligated to go to such expense to correct the wrongdoing.
But he had. For her? Or because he was a take-charge kind of guy?
She didn’t much care either way because, regardless of his reason for going that extra mile, it offered her an excuse to see him again, this time to convey her appreciation. After making a grocery list, she changed out of her bum-around gym shorts and tee into a pair of purple shorts and a Hawaiian-print crop top with vivid pink and lavender flowers. The boring business attire her job required was the only thing she didn’t like about it, well, that and being confined to a desk. She had considered becoming a physical education teacher, but her weird love of math won out over the appeal of a more active job. Since getting her master’s in May, she was on the fast track for the county appraiser’s position one day, an achievement that would set her up for the future if she was lucky enough.
Allie usually spent Sunday afternoons with her family, but with her parents off on another trip and her brother helping his in-laws with their remodeling, she decided to grab a late lunch at Ina’s before picking up what she needed to make brownies for Brett. She couldn’t go wrong with chocolate, right?
Someone knocked on her door as she picked up her purse, and she opened it to find Ricky in his swim trunks, a towel slung across his shoulders. “Hey, just checking to see if you’re okay today. I see you have your car back already.”
“Everything’s fine,” she replied, thinking it was nice of him to look in on her. She wasn’t sure she completely trusted this about-face after six months of almost nonstop pestering her to give him another chance. But she was a fair-minded person and believed in forgiveness as long as he didn’t resort to badgering her again. “My car was returned this morning, the paint cleared away, so I’m relieved. It’s a good day for the pool.” With the temperature already in the mid-eighties, a swim in the complex’s pool sounded good, but she would rather show Brett her appreciation with a batch of brownies today.
“You’re welcome to join me.”
“Thanks, but I’m on my way out to run errands.” She closed the door behind her and moved around him, grateful when he didn’t push for more or reach out to grab her.
“Have a good one.”
