I gave him directions, which were pretty straight forward, and I knew it would only take about ten minutes to get home from the campus.
“So, how do you think you did on your research paper?” he asked, glancing at me quickly before returning his eyes to the road. “I was so stressed about it. It takes up such a big part of our final grade.”
“I know,” I agreed, “but I think I’ll get a good grade. Professor Willoughby is fair about how he grades. I’ve always liked him. And honestly, I learned a lot while I was writing it.”
“Oh, me too. I chose to do an evaluation of the different cultural variations in the expression of love and sexuality, and how they mesh in the modern world.”
“Love?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t have expected that from you.”
“I know, right?” he said, pulling over in front of the house. Traffic was light, so we’d arrived already. He turned to face me completely, the smile on his face turning charming. “What can I say, I’m a romantic at heart.” Micah brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingertips brushing against my cheek.
The mood in the car shifted out of nowhere. We went from a friendly conversation to him hitting on me. I wasn’t expecting this, and my surprise made me immobile.
“Maybe I can show you what I mean,” he continued, his eyes flickering down to my lips. “If you’re free this weekend.”
“Uh…” I worked this weekend, but that wasn’t really the reason I was hesitating. Micah seemed like a nice guy, but I didn’t have feelings for him. There was no spark. I had been single for a while, so maybe I would have said yes anyway, just to see if we could form a bond. But I didn’t, because of Smoke. I had real feelings for him, and they just got stronger every time we were together. I couldn’t imagine dating anyone else at this time. I had been on the fence about it because of Gavin, but I decided to take the chance and see what happened, trusting that two of both cared about our son enough to not screw it up. “Sorry, Micah, I’m not interested.”
He had been leaning in toward me, but at my words, he straightened, a frown on his face. “Really?” His tone of voice suggested that he’d never been rejected before, and maybe that was the case. He was young and charismatic, so there was a chance, women fell at his feet in the past. But I wasn’t about to do that.
“Really. Thanks for the ride.” I left the SUV before he got the chance to object. I wasn’t offended by his advances. At least, he wasn’t pushy like Duane, who needed to learn to keep his hands to himself. I didn’t turn around as I heard his car drive away.
I had just walked in the door of my apartment when my cell phone started to ring. Fumbling around, I searched through my purse, looking for the phone frantically. The caller ID was an unfamiliar number with a local area code, so I answered it immediately. “Hello?”
“Miss Hurley?”
“Yes,” I confirmed, recognizing the voice of the mechanic.
“This is Joe, and I’ve just finished checking out your car.”
“That was fast.”
“You got lucky, catching me on a slow day.”
Funny, I don’t feel lucky.
“I could probably have the car back to you tomorrow if I get the greenlight.”
“What’s wrong with it?” I asked, but what I really wanted to know was what it would cost me.
“Bad starter motor. It’ll have to be replaced. I don’t have one in the shop, but I called around and I can get one from a different shop in Glenam.”
I swallowed thickly, feeling nervous. “How much?”
“With parts, labor, and the towing bill, you’re looking at four ninety-six.”
I felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs. Almost five hundred dollars? Was that a serious quote? Did he really think I had that kind of money just sitting around? I bought the whole car for only fifteen hundred dollars a year ago. I couldn’t afford that much to fix it.
“You still there?”
“Yeah.” My voice was faint. “I’m here, but I can’t afford that.” I felt my cheeks heat in embarrassment, so I was glad this conversation was happening over the phone and Joe couldn’t see that I was blushing.
“I understand, but you’ll have to come get the car tomorrow or I’ll have to start charging you for daily storage. The towing bill is fifty bucks.”
Could this get any worse? How was I supposed to get the car when it wouldn’t even start?
I would have to pay for it to be towed again, I realized bitterly. Then, what? It would just sit outside of this house for an endless amount of time until I could fix it. If I ever could. This was a freaking nightmare.
I ended the phone call, telling Joe I’d be in touch tomorrow, even though I had no idea what I was going to do. I could feel a headache pounding at my temples as I tossed my phone down on the coffee table and sat down heavily on the couch with my head in my hands.