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“I need a favor,” he mumbled.
I held my hand to my ear as a big grin spread across my face. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
He huffed again, muttering under his breath.
Watching him suffer might just be the highlight of my day.
“I need a favor, Macon, and unfortunately, you are the only one in town I can ask.”
My eyebrow rose. “Unfortunately?”
“Are you going to answer everything with a question?”
“Depends,” I replied. “Are you going to start making sense soon? I thought you went to one of those fancy colleges or some shit. Shouldn’t you be able to string two sentences together?”
His jaw twitched, but he carried on.
“It’s Molly’s truck. The one she uses for the inn. It’s been acting up, and now, it won’t start. I told her to take it into Ander’s last week, but she was too busy with planning the charity gala. Now, she’s panicking because she needs to get supplies for the inn and can’t.”
I folded my arms across my chest and leaned further back in my chair. Ander’s was the only mechanic on the island and because of that fact, he was in high demand and liked to charge a fortune. “Why doesn’t she just use your car?” I asked.
“Because I need mine during the day for house calls, in case someone can’t make it into the clinic. We have a few homebound people on the island.”
I had to give that one to him. Couldn’t exactly leave people without medical care, and our island was pretty lacking in that department as it was. I couldn’t stand the guy, but he was a decent doctor. And when there was an emergency, we worked surprisingly well together.
“It’s my day off, Jake,” I said, enjoying the sight of him dangling on the long hook I’d cast.
“I’ll do anything, Macon. Seriously. She’s already taken on too much stress. It’s not good for her or the baby.”
Hearing that one word felt like nails on a chalkboard to my ears, and just like that, I lost all the will to do any good deeds that day.
Especially for Jake Jameson.
“Sorry. No can do, Jake. Find someone else to fix your problems,” I said before rising from the table. I threw a twenty down and began my exit, not planning on saying another word to anyone for the rest of the day.
All I wanted to do was go home and pretend like the rest of this island and its fucking problems and drama didn’t exist.
“You headed out, Macon?” Billy said, stopping me mid-exit.
His hands were full of plates, which kept me from maneuvering around him. I didn’t exactly want to trip the guy.
“Yep, I left money on the table.”
“Oh! What timing!” I heard Mrs. Joyner step up next to me. “We’re just leaving, too,” she said casually, as if Billy wasn’t standing there, holding forty pounds worth of burgers. He nodded politely while I tried to find an exit strategy. “We’re taking the ferry up to Corolla to see the grandkids for the weekend.”
“That’s lovely, Mrs. Joyner,” Billy said, giving me a pointed stare.
Oh, right. I should say something, too.
I fucking hated small talk.
“Great,” I managed to reply.
“You know,” she said, turning her attention toward Billy, wrapping her arms around her husband, “our youngest granddaughter is about your age. Pretty thing, too. Quiet. What does she do, honey?”
Mr. Joyner widened his eyes a little, maybe surprised by the fact that he had to speak. Or maybe a little taken aback at being put on the spot. Either way, he seemed to gather his senses fairly quickly. “Oh, um, yoga instructor, I believe.”
“Oh, yes. That’s right. These young people and their jobs.”
