Page 32 of Off the Wall

Ugh. Now he’s reading my mind. Like he genuinely wants to know how I’m doing, and he’s giving me an out if I’m actually not all right. Which is good, because in this moment I feel about as broken as this thirty-year-old Lincoln.

“Is your name really Cash?” I blurt.

He huffs out a small laugh, and for some reason the sound makes me feel a tiny bit better. “Yep. Literally Cash. On my birth certificate and everything.”

“That’s some pretty high expectations your parents put on you, huh?”

He lets out a chuckle. “You havenoidea.”

“By the way, how did you know my real name’s Eleanor? The other night? At Vincenzo’s?”

“I found an invitation on the floor by the mailboxes with your apartment number. I slipped it under your welcome mat.”

“That was you?”

He nods and sends me a smile.

So. Dr. McBoxer Briefs is officially nice.

Chapter Ten

Cash

Nori Sinclair is a fidgeter.And I know this because in the two minutes she’s been in my truck, she’s tucked her hair behind her ears, adjusted the straps on both her shoes, and now she’s playing finger drums on her knees.

I get it, though. The situation with her car looked fairly bleakbeforethe tow truck guy from Spring Valley Auto showed up. He barely glanced under the hood before telling her she’d not only blown a gasket, but the blown gasket had probably warped her engine. He said he’d tow her car to their garage, and they’d get a repair estimate to her in the next day or two. Nori mumbled something about eating ramen for the rest of her life, then I’m pretty sure I heard her sniffle. Now she’s got her hair hanging in her face as she gazes out the window.

I can’t tell if she’s crying or not.

Either way, I’ve got at least one heartstring tugging for her.

“You want to stop by a rental car place?” I cast a glimpse at her now that Oldford Park is in the rearview. “You’ll need something to drive until your car’s fixed.”

“No thanks.” She breathes out a sigh. “This blown gasket situation is going to take a big enough chunk out of my bank account without adding the cost of a rental. When my brother finds out about all this …”

Her chin droops as her voice trails off. I can’t help wondering if the issue with her brother has something to do with the unlucky backstory Sandra’s friends were whispering about.

“I get it,” I say. “Family can be a little much sometimes.”

“They can bea lotmuchsometimes.” She turns toward me, and I notice a tiny freckle above the curve of her lip. “Is it weird that I feel … like his love isannoyingright now?” As soon as the words are out, she slams her mouth shut.

“No, seriously. I understand,” I say, so she knows I’m not judging her. “My parents mean well, but they can make just about anything I’m going through that much harder. My brother, Cullen, is pretty much the only one who really gets me.”

“Cullen?” Nori puffs a breath out through her nose. “You’re kidding? My best friend and I are obsessed withThe Twilight Saga.”

I shake my head. “Well, my brother was Cullen way before the series. Cullen is my mom’s maiden name.”

“Huh.” She wrinkles her nose. “Does he hate it?”

“My brother? Nah. He loves everything about his life.”

“Lucky him,” she says under her breath. Then she starts working her lip with her teeth. I get the sense she’s stressed about more than her old Lincoln, but I’m not about to pry. “So, I know it’s only temporary, but how will you get around without your car?”

“My work’s only about two miles from home, so I guess I can walk there.” She hitches her shoulders. “I’ll just take the bus if I need to go anywhere farther.”

“That’s a lot of walking.”

She sighs. “I don’t have much of a choice.”

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