AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll have to give a statement as well, but of course I will.” He took my hand and held it, more in a friendly way, in solidarity, than the way he’d held both my hands moments before when it felt like the moment in those old musicals when the guy was going to sing a song about his devotion. I pulled out my phone in the elevator and texted her that I was staying late at the office and I’d talk to her tomorrow, that way she wouldn’t worry when I didn’t make our nightly phone call.
“I’ve got you,” Rick said, breaking the silence, and taking my hand back in his as we went to the security desk to speak with the cops.
CHAPTER20
RICK
The police took her statement and went out to the lot and examined the car. We copied the afternoon’s surveillance recording onto a thumb drive for them to inspect later. I would’ve liked to watch the footage with them, but it was clear to me that Hailey was done in. She sagged in her chair and her answers got shorter with every passing minute. She needed to have some peace and quiet instead of having to go over the same information three times. Finally, I had security call a tow truck to have her car taken to the repair shop and thanked the police for their assistance.
“I can drive you home if you’re ready,” I told her. She shook her head.
“That’s nice of you, but I’m okay. I’ll call for a ride,” she said.
“You’re exhausted and you’ve had a rough night. It’s past time for you to eat something and try to relax. If you don’t want to go to your place and be alone, you can come to mine,” I said. Her eyes lit up even as tired as she was.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure Hailey. Let me take care of you.”
I led her to my car and watched her droop against the seat. I turned on the heated seat and saw her nestle into it as it warmed up. “I thought people in California never got cold,” I teased her. She rolled her eyes at me.
“This is nice. My car doesn’t do this,” she said. “I mean, right now it doesn’t even have round tires that would roll.”
“I’ll get it taken care of,” I said, “it won’t take long.”
“Insurance adjusters and deductibles…it could be weeks before it’s cleared for repair,” she said.
“Let’s say we cut out the middleman. Insurance can process the claim and reimburse me. It’ll be done tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to do that. You don’t have to take such good care of me,” she said and her voice broke.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing, it’s just nobody’s taken care of me in a really long time. Like since I was in high school. My mom got sick and I took care of her—I wanted to, I mean, I wouldn’t change anything about that, but I had to grow up pretty fast and deal with everything myself. And if I had a problem after she got better, I didn’t want to bother her with it because she’d get upset and say she wished she could do more for me. It isn’t about the repair or the money, it’s about somebody wanting to look out for me and help me and care if I ate supper, you know? It’s just—God, I must sound pathetic.”
“No. You sound human. I’m sorry it’s been rough for you. Maria told me a little about how you worked to take care of your mom when you were still a teenager. I bet she’s so proud of you, Hailey,” I said. “Needing someone, or even just wanting someone to take care of you once in a while doesn’t make you weak or pathetic at all.”
“Who takes care of you, Rick?” she asked.
“I take care of myself, and my parents and sister when they let me. That doesn’t mean I don’t wish I had someone to do that, to tell me to take my vitamins or, I don’t know, sit with me when I’ve had a rough day and the client told me I was too damn old to relate to what they wanted for their brand,” I said with a dry laugh. I couldn’t believe I admitted that to her in the dark of my car. Or that she reached over and took my hand.
“You’re not too old. They’re too stupid. And they would’ve liked your idea if you’d said some twenty-year-old came up with it. Meredith had a preconceived notion of what she considered a fresh perspective, probably one that came from her kid’s Tiktok account, if I’m honest. That woman is about as in touch with the young consumer as freakin’ Mitt Romney, and probably about as good a dancer too.”
I laughed. “Mitt Romney?”
“What? I follow the news sometimes, when I’m not in class or waiting tables or getting my tires cut up.”
“I’m sure you can name plenty of congressmen,” I said. “You just surprised me. You always surprise me.”
I took her to my apartment and put empanadas in the oven while she flipped through the channels on my plasma TV. I took her a glass of wine and she sipped it while she settled on some romcom with an annoying blonde in it.
“That’s Kate Hudson. She’s fantastic,” she said when I asked who the girl was.
“She seems dumb.”
“That’s the character. Kate Hudson has an athleisurewear company. She’s not just an actress and model.”
“Real Renaissance woman,” I said wryly.
