Page 62 of Forever Endeavor

“I don’t want to catch up on four decades in front of the whole wide world. I hate the thought of being a blubbering mess on camera. Can’t we simply have a cup of coffee somewhere private?”

She sighed. “I’m sorry, Cal. I wish that was possible, but you heard Fielder. Things are much more complicated.”

“Not if you can reach her before Fielder does,” Sonny chimed in. “She lives in Madison, right? That’s only five hours’ drive from here, four and a half if you’re really motoring.”

“Sonny, yes! That’s brilliant!” she chirped brightly. He could see her wheels turning. “That gives us 48 hours to track Liona down, drive to Madison for a private reunion, then have enough time to get back before Fielder finds out. Piece of cake. Only one problem. We have no way of getting there.”

Shit on a stick. Sonny knew full well she had a set of wheels at her disposal. He hadn’t planned on confessing this early, but the jig was up. He gently tugged on her arm. “Uh, can I speak to you outside, please?”

He led her a few feet away from the cabin. If she was going to yell at him, best it didn’t happen right in front of Cal again. “What’s up?”

“You do have a way to get to Madison.”

Her mouth turned down into a sour frown. “I am not driving an entire day in that stinky, rusty bucket of bolts if that’s what you’re about to suggest.”

“No, not the tow truck.” Stalling wasn’t going to make this easier. Better to just blurt out the truth and get it over with. "Take your car.”

“My car? But how? It’s still in the shop.”

“Yeah, it’s in the shop,” he said, forcing out a sheepish smile. “But it’s fixed and ready to go. I replaced the PCM from the factory. It’s reprogrammed and perfectly drivable again.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I planned to, it’s just that with everything going on, I didn’t get around to it.”

“Oh really?” She planted her hands on her hips. “Exactly how long has it been fixed?”

“I dunno. Not long.”

She scowled. “Sonny. Tell me.”

He shrugged. “A few days, maybe.”

“A few days! You had the gall to keep this a secret after the way you berated me for keeping the truth from you?”

His heart thumped. “I know, babe, and I’m sorry.”

She folded her arms tightly. “Damn right you should be sorry,” she growled. But wait, what was that? An upward twitch in the corner of her mouth? A mischievous twinkle in her eye?

“What?”

“What, what?” The smile she’d holding back slipped and a Cheshire grin curled her lips.

“Aw, shit, Billie. You knew about the car.”

“Yeah, Gurdeep told me. But I wanted to hear it from you, so I let you keep thinking that you were stringing me along.”

“I wasn’t stringing you along. I just—”

“Just what?” Yup, she was going to make him say it.

“I wanted you to stick around a little while longer, that’s all.”

She beamed. “I know, and we can talk about that later. But right now, you’re certain that my car is safe to drive to Madison?”

“It’s good as new. You can come by the shop to pick up the keys and we’ll settle up.”

“Settle up? But I thought you said everything was covered under warranty.”

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