Page 18 of Your Carriage Awaits in Crumbleton
‘Wait… what?!’ gasped Michelle. ‘You’re not telling me these are your complimentary cars?!’
‘Not normally,’ said Danny, smiling as he met her sparkling eyes. ‘But this time, I reckon I can make an exception.’
‘Really?!’ said Michelle again.
He watched as she reached out a tentative finger and stroked the glossy paintwork again. ‘Really. I mean, I guess you’d rather not have to rely on your mum’s bike?’
‘Good guess!’ chuckled Michelle. She reached around and patted her mud-splattered behind. Danny did his best not to stare at the point of contact. ‘But… won’t your Dad mind?’
Out of nowhere, a shard of ice hit him in the chest. Sure, his dadmighthave a problem with him lending one of their prized collection to a Singer, but…
‘I’m sure he’d be fine with it,’ he muttered, his voice suddenly tight.
‘Should we maybe ask him… just in case?’ said Michelle, a small frown appearing on her face. She reached down and patted Elvis’s head, clearly seeking comfort.
Danny knew how she felt.
‘Not possible, even if we wanted to,’ said Danny. ‘Dad’s in hospital at the moment.’
‘Oh.’ Michelle looked poleaxed. ‘I’m really sorry… I…’ she trailed off, clearly struggling with what to say next.
Danny decided to let her off the hook. ‘I’m hoping he’ll be out soon. He had a fall and broke his wrist. Turns out it was a mini stroke.’
‘Oh, Danny,’ gasped Michelle, ‘that’s rubbish!’
‘Yeah. It is a bit shit,’ he sighed. ‘Scared me witless, if I’m honest.’
Even as he said it, something in Danny’s chest seemed to loosen. He’d been so busy trying to hold everything together at the garage, he’d barely had the chance to process how he felt about it all.
‘Is he… himself?’ said Michelle. ‘Sorry, I don’t know anything about what happens when…?’
‘I know what you mean,’ said Danny. ‘I think he’s been lucky—if you can call it that. He seems to be his usual, cantankerous self.’
‘That must be a relief?!’
Danny nodded. ‘Weirdly, the broken wrist was a bit of a blessing. If it wasn’t for that, he probably wouldn’t have bothered going to the hospital. They insisted on the scans, and that’s how he found out about the mini stroke. They’re making sure he’s on the medication he needs… so that’s a positive. I think it could have been a lot worse.’
Michelle nodded, still looking horrified. ‘Sounds like you’ve had a rubbish time. I’m really sorry I’ve added to your stress.’
‘Don’t be daft,’ said Danny. ‘It’s not like you asked to break down. Anyway, I’m sorry for offloading.’
‘Okay, nowyou’rebeing daft!’ said Michelle, shaking her head. ‘And… I know we don’t really know each other that well, but if there’s anything I can do to help, just shout… okay?’
‘Why, you volunteering to nurse Old Man Dalton when he comes home?’ said Danny.
‘If that’s what you need, then yes,’ said Michelle, her voice serious. ‘Mind you, I’m not sure having a Singer in the house would be particularly good for his blood pressure.’
‘You might have a point,’ said Danny. He smiled at her, but it felt heavy and exhausted. The past few days had really taken it out of him. ‘You know… thereissomething you can do for me.’
‘Name it,’ said Michelle.
‘Well, if you’re set on the Buick – will you take me out for a test drive?’ he said. ‘I could do with a quick break from this place.’
‘Me? Drive it?’ said Michelle, eyeballing the car again and looking nervous. ‘Is it hard?’
‘The opposite,’ said Danny. ‘She’s an automatic and handles like a dream. If you ask me, I reckon you two might be made for each other.’
‘You’re really sure you don’t mind me borrowing it?’ said Michelle, still looking torn.
