Page 13 of Lady Luck's Kiss
“Well vent away, my dear!”
“I think I’m finished unloading on you.”
“Beer-thirty tonight?”
“Good gravy, Beth. Are you an alcoholic? I think I have one beer a week and that’s on a rough day. I’m at two so far this week and feeling pretty bad about it.”
“Meh. What else is there to do in Suburbia?”
“Point taken. Sure. I’ll boo-hoo my evening away in alcohol with you. Bring jammies in case we are beyond driving.”
“M’kay, Mom. Seriously, I know better.”
“I know, I know.” Charlie spotted a tow truck pulling into her parking lot with a large Ram truck on a hook. It looked pretty roughshod and she could see fluid dripping from underneath the front of the cab.
She disliked the tow truck driver because he always pushed for a date with her, but a smile here and there brought her steady business. She needed the work but it made her feel like a tease, something she wasn’t in the slightest.
“Hallelujah! Work just came in on a hook. I gotta go! See ya, bye!” Charlie rushed out and hung up the phone. Flying out the door of the garage, she smiled and waved.
“Whatcha got today, Buddy?” Charlie greeted.
She held back a grimace as he spat a wad of tobacco out of his window. Buddy’s Wrecker was the only towing facility in town and unless the vehicles had body damage, he dropped them off here first. He was just itching for a chance to go out with her.
“Mercy, Charlie! If that is how you greet me, I might think you were sweet on me!”
Biting back a groan and shiver of disgust, she saw that he had tobacco bits stuck in his wide, toothy smile. Buddy was nice and polite, but he wasn’t Jack for darned sure. Sweaty hairand a dingy ball cap hid his receeding hairline. The coveralls he wore daily did not hide a thing. They were pulled tight across his slightly expanding middle and looked like they’d not seen a washing machine in years.
“Just saying hello to a longtime friend who brought me a present on a hook,” she replied amicably and hoped he would take the hint. Buddy’s smile dropped and was replaced with a frown.
“Friend? Girl, you know we could clean up in this town together, right? Between those weirdoes at the fire station singing and hanging off the truck as they drive down Main Street like it’s some sort of production to those know-it-alls in Yonder. I swear, sometimes it’s like we’re the only ones who know whatworkis sometimes…”
“Buddy, I appreciate it as always. I just really am not looking for a relationship and you know that. You’ve always been there for me anytime I’ve needed you.”
“Yep. Just wish you’d need me in other ways, too,” she heard him mutter aloud as he stepped out of the truck. She wasn’t sure if he intended her to hear him or if it was a slip of the tongue. He was getting bold in the last few weeks. She had just kept pushing him away and would continue to do so. Especially until he got the hint and separatedbusinessfrompleasure. She swallowed back a gag thinking of Buddy and the word ‘pleasure’ in the same sentence.
I think I’m gonna be sick…
“No owner today?”
“Nope. AAA dispatched me out to the sticks to get this one. Fuel pump,” he said simply as he worked on removing the truck from the hook. Charlie grinned. According to Buddy, they wereallfuel pump issues or batteries and that was very rarely the case. Unfortunately, once he told the owner it was a fuel pump,it made it tough for her to convince them otherwise because she was a girl.
Stereotypical, yes.
Honest? Absolutely.
“Does it crank?”
“Yeah, you should be able to get it in there on a lift.”
“Great.” That would make it so much easier to find out what was going on with it. If she had to push it, she’d need Buddy’s help. The last time he helped her push a car, he ended up hanging around for an hour before he was called out again. She just wasn’t up to the small talk today.
Opening the door, she breathed deep the woodsy smell and sighed. She just adored that scent. Clean and fresh. Turning the key, she heard the truck give a mighty groan and then nothing.
“Thought you said it cranked?”
“I thought it did. Lemme give you a push and you steer. Got any coffee, Charlie?”
“Yep. Sure do. Did you get the owner’s info?”
