Page 5 of Finding You

“Actually, yes,” she said firmly. “Win over my trust, offer to help and thenBAM!Next thing you know, I’m tomorrow’s headline.”

His eyes went a little wide. “Wow. You’ve got it all worked out.”

She shrugged.

“Okay then. I guess this is where I wish you luck and…get on my way.” He turned back toward his truck and made it all of three feet before she called out to him. Turning back to her, he waited.

“Fine, so maybe you’re not a serial killer. But I’m stuck here and you’re telling me I can’t drive the car. My cell phone’s dead and I don’t have a charger and…shit. I’m pretty much screwed here.”

It would have been rude to agree, but it was on the tip of his tongue to do just that. “My shop is kind of far from here, but I can call one of my guys and have someone come and get you. I know it’s a little out of your way, but it’s the best I can do.”

MacKenzie chuckled. “Beggars can’t be choosers, right?”

“Let me grab my phone,” he said and then stopped. “Or…could we please go sit in the truck? Maybe you don’t mind standing out in the rain, but right now I feel like it’s going to take hours before I feel dry again and I’ve still got an hour’s drive ahead of me.”

Without waiting for an answer, Devin walked over and climbed into the truck. It took a full minute for him to shift around until he was comfortable and cursed at how his wet clothes were going to mess with the leather interior. Knowing there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it, he flipped on the seat warmers and moved the cooler to the back seat. Letting out a long breath, he reached for his phone to call the shop.

“Sweetbriar Auto Care. Will speaking. How can I help you?”

“Hey, Will. It’s Devin.”

“Hey, boss. Don’t tell me you’re calling to check on us again? I just talked to you an hour ago!”

Devin laughed and when he noticed MacKenzie slowly walking toward the truck, he found himself holding his breath. She silently climbed in beside him and he jacked up the heat to help her warm up.

“Listen, I just got off the I-81 and came upon a broken-down car. Could be the head gasket. Classic Mustang–sixty-five or sixty-six,” he guessed, and then looked over at MacKenzie.

“Sixty-six,” she confirmed.

“Sixty-six,” he repeated to Will. “I need you to send a tow truck out here to come and get it.”

“I’d love to, Devin, but there was a multi-car pileup just this side of Draper and both our trucks are on site there. It’s been pretty chaotic. I’ll send someone as soon as I can, but you’re looking at four to five hours before I’m thinking they’ll even start heading your way.”

A curse escaped Devin’s lips before he could stop it, and he noticed MacKenzie’s defeated posture. “Keep me posted, Will. Call me as soon as you have a truck free and we’ll take it from there.”

“Can do.”

Devin hung up and sighed, combing his own wet hair away from his face. He turned to MacKenzie. “I don’t have a truck available right now, but…”

“I heard,” she said wearily.

“Why don’t we go and grab something to eat and meet my truck back here when it’s available?”

“I don’t want to leave the car here,” she said with a hint of desperation. “A car like that?” She shook her head. “Uh-uh. Thanks but…I’ll stay here with it. Send your truck over when he’s free.”

“MacKenzie, I’m not going to leave you here.”

“Can’t we just use your phone and…you know…Google something and call someplace else? Someplace that maybe has a tow truck available now?”

“We can, but they’ll charge you a fortune to tow it all the way to my shop. Whereas I’m not going to charge you since I’m going to be the one fixing the car. It’s part of the services we offer, and…”

“Ugh, seriously, dude,” she groaned. “I’m not gonna be picky right now. The car just needs to be dealt with. Sooner rather than later.”

Devin seriously felt a headache coming on. Sure he could just call some random mechanic they found online, but the thought of someone else messing around with that Mustang just didn’t sit right with him. It was the kind of car he’d always wanted to work on, and seeing the state of disrepair it was in just made him want to do it all the more.

And the thought of saying goodbye to MacKenzie already wasn’t something he was willing to deal with right now either.

He looked at his watch and sighed. It was getting late; the sky was getting darker and the rain seriously wasn’t letting up. His options were limited, but…

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