“She seemed pretty damn certain when I talked to her.”
Frowning, Cole looked again at the clock. “When did you talk to her? We only discussed…her employment…last evening.”
“Yeah, well, all four of her tires were slashed last night. Since Rowan was stuck at the restaurant doing inventory, he called me to pick Everly up and drive her home.”
Cole clutched the phone and shot out of bed. Fury roared through him.
“That bitch,” he hissed.
“Jesus, Cole. You need to—”
“Not Everly. Rebecca. She had to be the one to slash the tires.”
“The woman you were dating earlier this year?”
“Yes.” Cole kicked an upholstered chair in the sitting area of his room. “Goddamn it. I could kill her right now.”
“Cole, what the hell is going on? Is this woman a danger to Everly? How did she know where Everly works?”
The question made Cole go still. Just how much did Rebecca know about Everly? Did she know where she lived?
“Rebecca was pissed at me yesterday because I refused to get back together with her. I didn’t know that she was aware of Everly until last night. She mentioned that she’s been out to my house, but I didn’t think—”
“If this crazy woman slashed Everly’s tires, I think we need to inform the police.”
“Wyatt, we’ll need proof before we go making a legal deal out of this. Is the parking lot monitored by cameras?”
There was a sigh on the other end of the phone. “Not the part where Everly parked.”
“I’m sure Rowan called the police last night. Have they found any evidence pointing to who did it?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t think there’s anything we can do,” Cole said, running a hand through his hair. “Look, Rebecca was pissed off and jealous. She thought Everly and I were in a relationship. Now that she knows things are truly over between us, she’ll go in search of her next victim and leave us alone.”
“You’d better frickin’ hope so.”
Cole walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. “I need you to text me Everly’s address.”
“Why?”
“Because I owe her four new tires and one hell of an apology.”
Chapter 16
One of the great things about living in the city was that nothing was terribly far away. Everly only had to walk a little over two miles to Gerald’s Auto Body to pick up Champ on Sunday morning. Although the shop wasn’t normally open on Sundays, the owner, Gerald Barnaby, had offered to come in after church so she could get her car. Since she took Champ exclusively to Gerald’s for servicing, she was a regular in the shop. Gerald’s offer was another nice thing about living where she did.
The weather cooperated for her trek, bringing sunshine and a warm front. It was in the low fifties as she made her way to Gerald’s around noon, but it would warm up to the sixties later in the day. She was grateful for that. They were predicting rain with possible ice the next day and snow again within the week. Newscasters were making a big deal about all of the unseasonable snow they’d been getting, wondering if they might actually have a white Christmas.
She used the walk to help clear her mind. Her night had been restless, filled with images of Cole lashing at her. Filled with anger and resentment. Filled with painful memories that she struggled to put behind her.
In the end, she hadn’t slept more than a few hours. She felt it now in her grainy eyes and tense shoulders. The beautiful day couldn’t ease her exhaustion, but it did put her in a better frame of mind.
When she got to the shop, she saw Champ up on the lift inside the garage. All but one tire had already been replaced. Gerald was working industriously on the fourth.
“Hi there, Mr. B,” she said as she walked up.
“Howdy, Ms. Everly,” he replied, pausing in the process of removing a lug nut. A smile lit up his dark, creased face. Sunlight shone on his bald head, revealing a light coat of sweat. Wiping a hand on his dark coveralls, he shook her hand. “Sho’ is a shame, what them vandals did to ol’ Champ here.”
“I know,” she agreed.
An expensive shame
, she silently added.
So much for splurging at Bath and Body Works for Christmas
.
“Don’t make no sense,” Gerald said, shaking his head. “Well, I’ll have ‘im ready for you in a few minutes.”
“Thanks so much, Mr. B.”
She walked over to the small waiting area that doubled as Gerald’s office. It smelled like coffee, motor oil, and Glade air freshener. Settling into a plastic seat, she pulled out her phone. She had a text from Wyatt.
How r u? Got Champ?
She typed back,
Not yet. At shop. Soon, tho.
A few seconds later, his reply chimed in.
K. Keep us posted
.
For a brief moment, she thought he meant him and Cole. Then she realized he meant him and Rowan. Why was that so deflating? She didn’t ever want to hear from Cole again after what he’d said and done.
Right?
“We’re all set, Ms. Everly,” Gerald said a few minutes later as he walked into the office. “Fortunately, we had the tires in stock. I’m gonna give you the all-seasons for the price of the standard radials. Can’t have you drivin’ on snow and ice without all-seasons.”
“You’re amazing, Mr. B,” she said, giving him her first genuine smile since the night before. “What do I owe you for the tow? I know it was after-hours. Thanks for agreeing to wait for me to pay you until today.”
They worked out the details and she paid him in cash for the tow, then wrote a check for the tires. It put a hefty dent in the savings she’d begun to accrue while working with Cole. She’d have to spend some time that afternoon refiguring the household budget now that she wouldn’t be getting that income anymore.
The thought produced a dull ache in her chest that had nothing to do with losing the money. She refused to acknowledge why.
With a last wave at Gerald, she drove Champ home. She was mentally putting together a recipe for dinner when she reached the house. Only when she pulled into the driveway did she register that her grandfather was sitting out on the front porch.
And he wasn’t alone.
Her heart thudded as she pulled in behind Cole’s car. It was one of several he owned. She wasn’t even sure what kind of car it was, but it wasn’t a domestic and it wasn’t cheap.
Regardless of what it was, why in the world was it parked in her driveway? She gripped the steering wheel to keep from reaching for the gear shift and throwing the car into reverse. Every part of her screamed to get away. But she didn’t want her grandpa confronted with dark memories from the past any more than she had been. What if Cole was talking about Aiden?
Reluctantly, she turned off the ignition.
“Hey, Evs,” Rayshawn greeted her as she got out of the car.
She looked at the end of the driveway and spotted her neighbor peeking out from behind the hedge that separated her grandpa’s driveway from the one next to it. A number of sneakered feet were also visible beneath the hedge. Fighting an unexpected smile, she locked and closed her door and made her way to the end of the driveway.
“What’s up, Ray?” She counted seven other kids behind Rayshawn, including his little sister. She knew all of them. “Hey, y’all.”
Keeping his voice low, Ray asked, “Evs, is that Cole Parker?”
She knew they were all visible to the two men on the front porch, but they were far enough away that they wouldn’t be overheard. She nodded.
“Seriously?” Rayshawn’s eyes widened, then he turned to his friends and said, “I tol’ y’all that was him. Evs, what’s he doin’ on your front porch?”
“I have no idea,” she said. Then, knowing better than to leave it at that, she went with, “I work with his brother.”
The kids all nodded and issued vague responses to this. She figured it satisfied their curiosity.
“He keeps lookin’ at you, Evs,” Rayshawn said. “Guess he wants to chat wit’ you.”
“Guess so.”
After looking at the ground and kicking a rock underneath the hedge, Rayshawn mumbled, “You think he’d throw a ball around wit’ us?”
She didn’t think any such thing, but she couldn’t bear to say so as she looked at their hopeful faces. “I don’t see any harm in asking.”
There was an excited murmur as the kids elbowed each other and jumped up and down. Rayshawn whooped and turned to run down the sidewalk. She guessed he was going to spread the word. She’d hate to disappoint them, but she’d be happy to play in a game at the ballpark around the corner to help make up for it.
Unable to put it off any longer, she turned and walked up the path to the front porch. She felt Cole’s eyes on her, but she refused to look at him. Just being near him again brought forth all of the emotion from the day before. She fought the desire to make a scene and shout at him until he left her alone.
Then she saw her grandpa’s face. He looked happier than she had ever seen him. She knew that Cole had unwittingly given him the thrill of his life. That realization put a big dent in her lingering anger.
“Pee Paw, shouldn’t you be inside getting ready for the Falcons’ game?” she asked, leaning down to kiss his cheek. “How long have you been sitting without your oxygen?”
He chuckled. “The TV is set to the channel and my ol’ lungs are hangin’ in there. I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to meet Cole Parker.”
“I’m sure you’re having a grand chat. I’ll leave you to it,” she said, reaching for the screen door.
“Everly.”
Cole’s voice made her jaw clench. She paused with her fingers gripping the handle. Not speaking, she finally looked at him.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
“I don’t think there’s anything to say. Thank you for spending time with my grandpa.”
She pulled the screen door open and prepared to flee. Her grandpa reached out and took her hand.
“Hold on, my girl.” He turned and looked at Cole. “I’d like to have a word with Everly, Cole. Would you please give us a minute? The game’s on inside.”
“Pee Paw…”
“No problem, Mr. Wallace.”
Cole rose and approached. Everly backed up and held the screen door open. When he turned the doorknob and opened the door, he held her gaze. She sensed he was trying to convey something, but she looked away. The door closed behind him.
“Come here, Everly.”
She complied, sitting in the plastic patio chair that Cole had just vacated. She placed her purse in her lap and occupied her anxious fingers by fiddling with the zipper.
“Now, I don’t know what’s goin’ on between you ‘n Cole,” he said, “and I reckon that’s your business. But I do know that you’ve blossomed since you started workin’ with ‘im.”
She looked up with a puzzled frown.
“I’ve seen you smile more often. Heard you laugh more often. Seen you act silly more often. All because of that boy.”
Now, she looked back down at her purse. Her throat tightened.
His voice was a low rasp. “You’ve never been young, my girl. You grew up too quick. Every day, my heart hurts seein’ you work so hard ‘n gettin’ no enjoyment outta life.”
A tear fell onto her purse. She brushed it off. A second one hit the rim of her glasses.
“Times like last night, when you went through all that with your car, those are the times I feel the most helpless. The most useless. I ain’t never been a parent to you. You’ve been a parent to yourself ‘n a caretaker to me. I want more for you.”
More tears fell. She wanted to argue with him, but she didn’t have the strength just then.
“You haven’t experienced life, my girl. Your childhood stopped eight years ago ‘n you leapt right into adulthood. Since you met Cole, I’ve seen you act more like a young woman your age should.”
She pulled another tissue from her purse and wiped her cheeks, then her glasses.
“Aiden was your age when he stopped livin’,” her grandpa said in the same quiet voice. “It would make my heart hurt less if you’d start livin’. I think Cole can help you with that.”
A handful of arguments ran through her head, but she didn’t voice them.
“Whatever happened ‘tween the two of you, I hope you’ll try ’n work it out. He’s a good boy who thinks the world of you. I think you should hear ‘im out. Will you, for me?”
When she looked into her grandpa’s eyes, she knew she couldn’t deny him. As much as she’d been hurt the night before, she could admit that she wanted to know what brought Cole out to her house. Eventually, she nodded.
“For us, Pee Paw. I’ll do it for us.”
Chapter 17
Cole stared at the television, but he didn’t absorb a single thing on the screen. His mind was on the conversation taking place on the front porch. He’d never felt this wretched in his entire life.
What would he do if Everly refused to talk to him?
While he waited, he looked around the tidy family room from his vantage point on the comfortable sofa. The wood floors looked original and well-maintained. An area rug in bold jewel tones covered the floor under an old wooden storage trunk that served as a coffee table. The sofa and single recliner were covered in beige micro-suede fabric and decorated with pillows in the same jewel tones as the rug. The entertainment unit was a fabricated wood type just big enough to hold the twenty-five inch tube television it supported.
A rectangular piece of stained glass hung in the window facing the front porch. Sunlight filtered through it and cast brightly-colored prisms across the room. Outside of a few pictures of Everly and some framed images that looked like old wedding photos of her grandparents, there wasn’t anything on the deep beige walls. Still, it was homey and cheerful.
When the door opened, he surged to his feet. His heart thundered in his chest as Everly walked in and closed the door behind her. She met his gaze with notable caution as she removed her coat and hung it in the small coat closet by the front door.
Had she been crying? Oh, God. He would rot in the lowest bowels of Hell.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted. Then he took a deep breath to help sound less spastic. “Everly, I’m sorry. I—”
“You can apologize in the kitchen,” she interrupted. He couldn’t read anything in her expression. “I have dinner to get on.”