Page 40 of It Couldn't Be You
“Maybe you go start a business that’s all your own? Or start working on it.”
She sighed. “But I love this place. I love the customers. I love the location. I love the name. I love the history. I love our memories here. And I don’t have the capital right now, anyway. I’d have to go have a meeting with the bank, and it’d be a whole thing. I’m happy here right now. Not ready to break up with Coffee & Commas just yet.”
“You’ll know when it’s time to move on, or it’ll be sprung on you at a Christmas party,” I flippantly added.
“What were you wanting to ask Rose, anyway?” Katie asked, wrapping me up in a side hug.
“Oh.” My mind was blank. “I don’t even remember.”
Katie batted her eyes. “Any excuse to see this face, huh?”
I gave her a hug goodbye and then made my way out of the shop. I took in the twinkling lights, the smell of coffee and old books while the sun was getting lower in the sky outside the windows.
Maybe I was a persnickety writer scared to write for new eyes, but there was also a safety to this in-between space, where the lights twinkled, and I only answered to my best friend. I felt like I could stay there a while, just chatting at the coffee bar. If it wasn’t for that running wild mind of mine, itching to tell stories, opening up my Word Doc over and over.
It had been an unusually cold last week of January, and to our Texan surprise, we woke up to a blanket of snow on the ground. I looked out my window to see snow flurries still falling from the sky. It was a Friday morning, and I had the day off to run a bunch of errands. I went out in the snow a little hesitant and a little excited about being out in the weather.
I filled the back of my car up with groceries in the shivering cold then went to start my car so I could head home when my car wouldn’t start. The key wouldn’t even turn in the ignition, just a quiet hum when I tried to click it. I reached for my phone, opening Jordan’s contact by pure habit. I stopped myself before pressing the “call” button.
Jordan was my usual “help” call when it came to my car. Fixing and rebuilding cars alongside his dad had been a hobby of his since middle school. His ability to fix my car troubles had been one of our early bonding experiences when we were first dating.
We had been dating for about six weeks when I blew a tire. I was speeding along a country road and spun out—luckily, I didn’t hit anything—and my car came to a stop. But I was shaken. I scrambled for my phone and, with shaking hands, went to dial my parents, but they were off on a cruise. I scrolled through my contacts list, but then a message from Jordan came through.
I called him. He answered right away, then drove to my rescue. He held me close as I cried—and apologized for crying—and he replaced my tire for me.
“What’s your favorite ice cream?” he had asked me as I climbed back into my car.
“Coffee with chocolate sprinkles and whip cream,” I said.
“I’ll follow you home in my car so we can drop off yours. Then let’s go get you your coffee ice cream,” he said, all soothing and strong.
“Why are you always so sweet?” I asked him as he kissed me on the forehead.
I used to tell people that I realized he was the perfect man when he fixed my car troubles and then bought me ice cream.He knew how to meet all my needs,I would joke. A couple of years later, I was alone, my hands icy, holding my phone, unsure who to call now that my old go-to was gone.
I pressed my dad’s number, but no answer, to no surprise. He ran his own dentist office and was never near his phone. He probably was with a patient.
I called my mom, but no answer. I glanced at the clock. It was 11:39 a.m., and she was teaching an art class at the community center.
Katie was probably at work. Being coworkers now, I had pretty much memorized her work schedule. Plus, Tanya finally had her baby a few days ago, and I knew Katie had been busy with the meal train and meeting her new nephew. Gabriel popped into my mind. But he had an injured leg. He was hobbling around on crutches.
I wondered if I should just go ahead and call up Jordan. Aren’t we still friends? Didn’t this fall into the friends helping each other out category? I called Katie on the off chance her work schedule had changed, and she wasn’t with her new nephew.
“Hello,” she said distractedly.
“My car won’t start, and I’m stuck in the Target parking lot in the snow,” I said quickly.
“I’m at work,” she squeaked. “Maybe I can sneak out?”
“I just need your car so I can jump my battery. I’m pretty sure it’s the battery, and I know how to jump my car. I just need your running vehicle. You can sit back and then drive off.”
“I’m not sure. There’s one other person here, but it’s about to be the lunchtime rush…”
“I understand,” I said. “Would it be weird if I called Jordan? He’d just drive up and then leave. It wou—”
“It would be weird,” Katie said. “He might get the wrong message. You’re trying to have some space to get over the relationship. Plus,” she lowered her voice, “youdumpedhim. You can’t reject a guy and then call for his help a few weeks later. It’d be weird in just far too many ways.”
I groaned, “Fine. Are any of your younger brothers free? Or are they all at work?”
