Page 40 of Suits and Spark Plugs

“You seemed to be having fun talking to him.”

“You weren’t even there. You’d left with that boy,” I defended myself.

“No, I was still there. I saw you laughing together. I know it was about me and that accident. I’m not still mad.”

“You’re not?” I blinked.

“No. So, you were being really friendly with him.”

I shot her a smile to hide my extreme discomfort. “I’m a friendly person. Most people would say that about me.”

“You can be.” She made a face.

I let my head fall forward and sighed. “Ouch. To answer your question, I barely know the guy.”

“Do you think he likes you?”

My head shot back up, and I looked at her with a startled expression. My heart suddenly felt like it was slugging hard through mud as something about her suggesting Connor was into me made my breathing feel tight. “That’s a definite no. Also, I’m dating someone.”

She shrugged. “Who you don’t actually love.” I flinched a little as she went on. “Am I wrong?”

I looked away again. “I don’t know, but I’m trying to figure that out.”

She nodded and conversation drifted into other topics. Yet my mind felt off center and a little worried. Had I been flirting with Connor that day? Or even worse, was he flirting with me? I hoped not. The very thought caused my feet to sweat.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The snow fell so heavy and deep two days later that the power went out on my block. The house quickly became an ice box. I envied Mom and Sadie, who were warm at work and school, but it was my day off and I was alone and cold.

I bundled up on the couch in pajamas with blankets and a bright orange scarf wrapped around my head, covering my ears and neck. Knit gloves did their best to keep my hands warm while I flipped pages in my math textbook and wrote numbers in a lined notebook. I had to study. My mid-terms were coming up, and I was desperate to pass them. Not only did I not want to waste time by having to retake classes, I couldn’t afford to pay twice for something I should have done right the first time. I had dreams. I had places to go. I wanted to be truly independent.

As the hours passed and the sun moved across the sky, I slid a chair over next to the window, hoping to catch some afternoon light, but the draft coming through was miserable. Daylight was running out, and my toes could have cooled down a kettle of hot tea. I needed somewhere warm and quiet to go. My car. I could sit in the car and turn it on for a few minutes here and there just to keep it warm inside. Of course, this wasn’t going to help with the lack of light, but I didn’t think that far ahead in the moment.

I gathered my things, including the blanket and scarf, and ran through the snow to my little car. I had to scrape off the door so that snow wouldn’t fall in when I opened it, but soon I was inside. Thanks to the recent repairs it started right up. It didn’t take too long before delicious curls of heat began to blow over me. I sighed in happiness and set a timer on my phone to shut the car off after three minutes.

When the alarm beeped, I shut the engine off, but after only ten minutes of studying without the heater running I realized that the car was colder than the house had been, and it was getting dark. My solution was no solution at all. I couldn’t use the lights inside when the car was off or I’d drain the battery, and I couldn’t waste gas and kill the ozone by idling my car for hours. I took the blanket off, buckled up, and started Old Reliable. Time to find a place that had power where I could get my work done.

I hadn’t shoveled the driveway yet, so the car slipped and slid out into the street. Thankfully it finally found traction in the roadway and I headed toward town. First stop was the diner. I pulled into the parking lot, and while it was clear Jake’s had power, one glance inside told me it would be a bad choice. Another snowy day, especially one where many homes had lost power, meant every booth was packed. I could risk going in to the employee lounge, but Jake would take one look at me and put me to work, pajamas, orange scarf, and all.

I drove past the library, but there was a sign saying the power was out and they were closed. In desperation I tried a church. Locked and dark. My mind knew that Mainstreet Mechanic was my last choice. It was close to the diner and most likely on the same grid. I pulled to the side of the road and went over my options again, because I thought I’d possibly rather freeze to death and fail my mid-terms than see Connor. Especially after the conversation with Sadie that had left me feeling strangely achy.

Thinking of Connor led to thinking of Blaine, so I called him, wondering if his apartment would be an option. “The power is out, and I’m freezing, and I need to study,” I said before he had a chance to say hello.

“Good evening to you too,” he cracked.

“Sorry. Hi, how are you?” I tried to slow down my words.

“I’m good.”

“Good. So, um, I don’t suppose you’re up for a visitor who will be very silent?”

It was an unusual request. I’d only been to Blaine’s apartment building once, and I hadn’t gone inside. He didn’t reply for a moment, and I figured it was because I’d caught him by surprise.

“I’m sorry, babe. I guess you didn’t hear that the pass is closed?” he replied.

Ugh. I hadn’t heard. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Is there nowhere else you can go?”

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