Chapter 7: Lilah
My last night at Blue Ruin flies by. It's after 2 am before we finish closing, but my coworkers throw me a mini party in the back. They present me with cupcakes and a teddy bear with a martini glass. It's not like I'm moving away, but I appreciate the gesture. Mostly I'm just glad Terry wasn't working tonight.
It's pouring rain when we walk out, so we hide under the awning, hugging goodbyes before running to our cars. The spring rain is icy cold, little bits of hail bouncing off the pavement. I'm soaked by the time I get to my Jeep and already shivering when I wrench the door open.
Tossing Martini the Bear in the passenger seat, I climb in and turn the key, eager to turn up the heat. Nothing. I try it a second time, because maybe I'm an idiot and I forgot how to turn a car on? Mother. Fucking. Nothing. The damn thing doesn't even turn over. Picking up my phone, I plan to use it as a flashlight to look under the hood until I see that it's at a whopping 4%. I snort at myself because even if I had all the battery power in the world, I would still have no idea what to do with anything under the hood of my car. This is what mechanic brothers are for.
I rack my brain, trying to decide who to call. It's almost 3 am, so my gran and brothers and sisters will all be asleep. Maybe one of my coworkers? But they’ve all booked it out of Sonoma by now...
Luis! He's the only person who I know for a fact will be awake. No doubt he's elbow deep in baguette dough right now, but the bakery is only five minutes away. He could rescue me and be back at the bakery in less than 15 minutes and I can just crash in Olive's old apartment above the bakery.
I lock the car doors, just to be safe, and call Luis. He doesn't answer the first time and my phone is down to 3%. I can't help thinking about the four charged battery packs I have sitting in a drawer at home. They're so helpful now, aren't they? I try Luis again and thankfully he answers on the second ring.
"What's up, homeslice?" he asks. I can hear music blasting in the background, and I guarantee he was singing at the top of his lungs until I called.
"Hey, my Jeep won't start. I'm stranded outside Blue Ruin and my phone battery is about to die. Can you pick me up?" Rain is pounding on the roof and windows of my car, so loud I have to cover my other ear just to hear him.
Luis sighs, but I hear him turn off the music. "I'll be right there. Stay in your car and lock the doors."
"Worry wart," I tease him.
"Lilah, if anything happens to you before I can pick you up, your Gran would skin me alive."
Laughing, I promise to keep the doors locked and thank him before hanging up the phone. Leaning my head back, I close my eyes, willing myself to relax while I wait for Luis.
Gran would never skin her next-door neighbor alive. After our dad abandoned us with Gran, Luis became almost like an adoptive father to us. He even took Julia to her Father-Daughter dance in fifth grade. His two boys, Mateo and Javier, were like extra brothers that came and went as they pleased. They still do, come to think of it.
With all of us kids out of her house and Luis' two sons out of the state, Luis and Gran have become closer than ever. And by close, I mean they've been pranking each other on the reg, and getting drunk together on Saturday nights. I’d appreciate it more if they didn’t target me for their prank calls.
Looking out the window at the sign for Blue Ruin, it's weird to think this was my last night at the bar. I'm happy enough to leave it behind, but I've been doing it for so long that I feel a little... un-anchored. Which is silly because I have so much work between the bakery and getting the coffee going.
A couple minutes later, I see Luis' headlights as he turns into the parking lot and parks alongside me. Not a moment too soon; I'm freezing and dying to get warm. I grab my stuff and hop into his car.
"You're a lifesaver!" I tell him before I'm blinded by another car pulling into the parking lot with its high beams on. Jackass. The driver uses the lot to turn around and go back the way they came, and I resist the urge to flip them off for scorching my retinas.
"Anytime," Luis says, patting me on the arm. "Jesus, you're freezing!" He turns up the heat before turning all the vents in my direction.
"Thanks," I say with a shiver. "I'll just crash at Olive's tonight," I tell Luis. He chuckles and shakes his head.
"Nah, I'll drop you off at your place. I'm ahead this morning and I've got 45 minutes left on the rise for the baguettes, anyway. You called at the exact right time."
"How are the boys?" I ask as I hold my icy fingers in front of the blasting hot air.
Luis chuckles. "Oh, you know them. Mateo is getting into trouble every time he gets shore leave, and I don't think Javier ever stops working."
We're outside my bungalow five minutes later and Luis watches to make sure I get inside ok. After admitting to making inebriated threats to Ben's mower, I suspect no one will ever drop me off and leave without making sure I'm inside again.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and for a second I'm worried Luis got in an accident or someone's been hurt, but when I look at the screen it just says, "Unknown Number." I growl and silence it. There is a special place in hell for telemarketers that can't even keep it to business hours.
I peek out the window at Ben's house. He's been so quiet the last couple days. Not a power tool or weed whacker to be heard. It has been glorious, even if I am slightly disappointed to lose the eye candy. Maybe he took my threats seriously? I laugh at myself as I change into my pajamas and toss Martini the Bear on the bed. I doubt that man takes anything seriously. Least of all me.