Rodrigo’s stopped next to me, no doubt wondering what the hell is wrong with me.
Too embarrassed to admit I have no fucking clue what she drives, I start walking again. “Just get that Chevy moved. She’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“You got it,” Rodrigo agrees without complaining.
Pacing around, I almost wish there was a dirty rag – or something else out of place – for me to yell over, but there’s not. My guys keep a clean shop. And if I go out of my way to find something to bitch about, I’ll just feel bad about it later. It’s not their fault I’m stressed out over Maddie’s car being damaged.
A glance at my phone tells me she should get here in two minutes.
I stride across the stretch of floor and slap my hand against the button that lifts the middle garage door.
My shop is big. A large expanse of concrete spreading from one end to the other, giving room for multiple cars to maneuver between the trio of overhead doors and the dozen individual car bays. The big doors open right into the parking lot, and there’s a small human-sized door off to the side that leads into the rarely used waiting room.
The door stops rumbling open right as a white vehicle slows to turn into our parking lot.
A Mini Cooper.
Of course, Maddie drives a fucking Mini Cooper.
Sun glints off her windshield as she approaches, but once she reaches the shadow of the building I can see her smiling face.
But it’s not her usual happy smile, it’s a forced one. One that says she knows I’m not happy.
I don’t care if the car is drivable, she should’ve called me sooner. And she should’ve left it where it was.
Letting out a deep breath, I wave her forward, directing her to drive through the door.
She’s here now. So she’s safe now.
Following my direction, Maddie pulls into the building, and I walk along her passenger side until we’re close enough for me to point to the stall I want her to park in.
So far I haven’t seen so much as a scratch, which means the damage is to one of the doors on her side.
Rodrigo is already standing off to the side of the bay, and I see his eyebrows notch up as she drives into position.
My fists are already closing.
I walk around the back of her car as her break lights flare.
“Put it in park and turn her off,” Rodrigo says loudly, since Maddie never rolled her window down.
And when I circle around to her driver’s side, I see why.
A huge impact encompasses nearly half of the side of her car. The driver’s door taking the brunt, the dent starting just below her window. There’s no way she could’ve rolled it down even if she wanted to. Honestly, I’m surprised the window didn’t crack.
My ears fill with the sound of crunching metal.
I wasn’t present for this accident, but I know what it would’ve sounded like. And it wouldn’t’ve been pretty.
Thank fuck Maddie wasn’t in the car when it happened.
She could’ve been in there.
My chest feels tight.
She could’ve been hurt.
My neck feels hot.