I don’t want to let anyone down. I’ve managed to get over forty vendors to sign up for the fall market. Even some of the summer families are participating. A few of the hockey wives have great skills. One of their daughters is an avid sewer with a sense of humor. She makes these pillows called Butt Pucks to sit on during hockey games, and I thought it would be a great thing to sell, especially with winter on the way.
I make sure I’m in bed well before Aaron gets up for work. Besides, I need at least a few hours so I can manage my shift at Harry’s tomorrow. I get anxious every time I see Noreen, knowing that Aaron is keeping secrets from her, and now so am I. Sometimes it makes my sleep the night before a shift even more spotty. My alarm is set for seven thirty, but I hit the snooze button five times. I don’t even have time to shower or make a coffee before I leave for work. Instead, I grab an energy drink from the fridge. I need to stock up on those, since I only have one left.
I’m forced to throw my hair in a ponytail and take my travel makeup case with me so I can dab concealer under my eyes on the way in. I’ve never been late for a shift, and I don’t want to start now.
I’m fishing around in my purse for my bottle of caffeine pills because I’m still feeling groggy when I end up taking one of the turns too quickly. The gravel road needs to be graded, and it’s turned into a washboard on the bend, making it hard to get any kind of grip with my tires. I skid out and try to correct, but I overcompensate and end up in a ditch.
I get out of my car, glad that this isn’t a highly traveled road, and survey the damage. It doesn’t look like I’ve done much to the car, apart from a few scratches and a couple of small dents. My hands are shaking, though, and I can feel that familiar panic rising, making my toes and fingers go numb. I quickly root around in my purse, debating whether it’s a good idea to add antianxiety medication to the mix, but I decide I’m too shaken to be able to deal without it.
The incline is too steep to be able to back the car out of the ditch. Van is in Chicago today at the office. I don’t want to call Dillion. She’ll tell Van, and I don’t want him to worry about me. Last week he mentioned that I seemed to have a lot on my plate and that I looked tired.
Aaron is definitely out. He’s already concerned about my sleep and how much I’m taking on. I also don’t want to upset him or cause an argument. I don’t want him to know how irresponsible and careless I was.
Calling a tow truck could work, but then someone might say something to someone else. I can’t leave my car here, though. I scroll through my contacts until I reach Billy’s name and number.
He was in a DUI accident last year. If there’s anyone who understands how much it sucks for people to know your business, it’s him. I cross my fingers and hit the call button. He answers on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Hi, Billy, it’s Teagan, Van’s sister.”
“Oh, hey. Hi. How’s it going? You need to talk to Dillion and she’s not answering her phone or something?” he asks.
Billy and I haven’t spent a whole lot of time together. He comes to the pub and plays pool with Aaron, and sometimes he’ll come for dinner at the cottage, but he’s a quiet guy. Nice but quiet.
“Um, no. I’m sorry to call you out of the blue, but, uh . . . I have a bit of a situation, and I could use a hand.”
“A situation? What kind of situation?”
“I’m having some car trouble, and I wondered if maybe you could help me out.” I might be downplaying it, but again, I don’t want to alert anyone I don’t have to about this.
“Oh. Well, yeah. Of course. Where are you?”
“I’m halfway between Van’s and downtown.”
“Is that close to the S-bend?”
“That’s it exactly. Would you mind coming to get me? If you’re working or it’s inconvenient, I’ll figure something else out.”
“Nah, it’s cool. I was just on my way out the door ’cause it’s a late start for me. I should be there in less than ten, that okay?”
“That’d be great. I’ll owe you one. If you have tow equipment, it might help.”
“Right. Okay. I’ll be there soon.”
I call Harry’s and tell them I have a flat but that I should be there in an hour or so. Of course, they offer to send someone to pick me up, but I tell them I’m okay and that I already have it under control.
Less than ten minutes later the Footprint Construction truck comes around the bend and pulls over to the side of the road. Billy is tall and lanky with a mop of curly blond hair and blue eyes. He hops out of the truck, and his brows lift. “Oh, wow, what the heck happened?”
“I tried to swerve to avoid a chipmunk,” I lie.
He surveys the road, eyes shifting between me, the skid marks, and my car in the ditch. “You sure you weren’t taking the bend too quick? You really gotta slow down this time of year, ’cause they only grade the road at the beginning of the summer and then a little later in the fall.”
I bite the inside of my lip. Lying again seems silly since it’s clear he knows what actually happened. “I guess I learned that the hard way, huh? Do you think you can pull me out?”
He doesn’t say anything about my lie. Instead, he walks around the perimeter of the car. “I should be able to. Might end up with a few extra scratches and dings, though.”
“That’s okay. I can deal with scratches and dings.”
He rubs the back of his neck. “Okay. Let me get the tow rope hooked up, and we’ll see what I can do.”
Twenty minutes later my car is back on the road with minimal damage. I’m grateful that no one has driven by.
“Thank you so much, you have no idea how much I appreciate your help, Billy.” I clasp my hands together to keep them from shaking. I’m sweaty, and my heart feels like it’s trying to pound its way out of my chest.
He tucks his thumb in his pocket. “No problem. You might want to take it to the garage in town to make sure the frame isn’t bent or anything.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
“Can I ask you something?” Billy rubs the scruff on his chin.
“Sure. Of course.” I fight not to fidget or bite the inside of my cheek until it bleeds. I don’t know that the caffeine-and-antianxiety combination was such a good idea. I want to simultaneously run a marathon and take a nap.
“Why’d you call me and not Aaron?” His eyes meet mine and narrow the tiniest bit.
One thing I’ve learned about Billy is that he generally tells it like it is. Dillion is much the same way. I glance at my car so I don’t have to focus on him. “I figured if anyone would understand how much it sucks to have people talking, it would be you. And I didn’t want Aaron to worry.”
He rubs the scruff on his chin. “Does that mean I should be worried?”
I give him what I hope is a reassuring smile. “I was just driving too fast because I was rushing.”
He’s quiet for a few moments. “You’re sure that’s all it was?”
“I’m sure.”
He exhales through his nose. “Be careful, Teagan, all right? And take it easy on these roads. You’re important to a lot of people around here. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen, and this could’ve been a lot worse.” He motions to the scratches and small dents on my car.