Page 134 of One Good Crash
Today had totally sucked, and the worst part hadn't even happened yet.
After that ski mask comment, I'd tried like heck to pretend that everything was fine, which of course, it wasn't.
Still, I'd been determined to not upset Allie further, which meant that I'd stewed silently all morning and then all afternoon while waiting for her to leave so I could make this little trip on my own.
No matter what happened, I vowed, I wasn't going to drag her further into my drama. Hell, I'd already dragged her halfway across the country. That was bad enough.
Finally, a couple of hours before nightfall, she'd left to run a few errands. And that's when I'd gone into action.
I'd thrown on shabby sweatpants and a paint-splattered T-shirt. I didn't even bother with the makeup. As far as my hair, I'd washed it, but that's about it.
And now, here I was, almost at my destination.
I gave the GPS a nervous glance. Was the driver even watching? Apparently not, because he passed the house without even slowing down.
I said, "You missed it."
"I didn't miss it," he said. "I'm just looking for a place to park."
"You don'tneedto park. They have a driveway."
"I don'tdodriveways.
Good Lord.
Finally, he stopped like five houses away and pulled off to the side. "That'll be nineteen dollars," he said.
"But wait," I protested, "I'm not even at the house."
He made a sound of annoyance. "What, you want me to back up?"
"Yes," I told him. "And you promised to wait."
"Waiting's extra."
"I know," I said through gritted teeth. "You already told me."
"And I'll need the money now," he said, "in case you don't come out."
"Oh, I'm coming out."
He turned to look at me. "Yeah. In a police car."
I was glaring at him, now. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Look around," he said. "This is a fancy-ass neighborhood. If you think they're not calling the cops, you're nuts."
I gritted out, "They're not calling the cops."
Or, at least, I sure hoped not.
Ignoring me, the guy said, "And remember, I'll need the waiting money, too."
"Fine," I snapped, digging out the bills and tossing them over the seat. "And don’t bother backing up. I'll just walk."
He made a scoffing sound. "Yeah, good luck withthat."
Okay, so I was wearing flip-flops. But people walked in flip-flops all the time. Theywereshoes, after all.
