Page 52 of Take My Heart
She looks at me like she’s surprised or confused, or maybe both. ‘I um .?.?. I just thought maybe we could do something. But I understand that you need to work. I’ll just watch TV.’
‘What did you want to do?’
She shrugs. ‘I don’t know. Maybe go out in the snow again? It’s so beautiful, the way it’s coming down with those big fluffy flakes.’
I smile at her. ‘You’re saying you want to go play in the snow?’
She smiles back. ‘Not play. Just go out in it. I’ve never done that. Well, not unless I had to. But last night, being out in the snow was actually fun. I was thinking maybe we could do it again, you know, just for something to do.’
I’m surprised she wants to do this. When I met her yesterday she was so damn uptight and worried about everything, and a day later, she’s loosened up, doesn’t care how she looks, and wants to go out in the snow.
‘Let me see if I can get the plow going, then we’ll figure it out from there.’
She goes to the living room while I head out to the garage. I open the garage door and see a drift of snow that’s at least three feet tall. The weather guy predicted a foot of snow, but there’s got to be at least 16–18 inches by now. And it’s not slowing down.
As I’m getting in the truck, my phone rings. I see Jason’s name and almost don’t answer.
It rings again and I pick it up. ‘Hey, what’s going on?’
‘I was going to ask you the same thing. Why haven’t you been answering my calls?’
‘I’ve been busy,’ I tell him, but the truth is I’m avoiding him, knowing he’s going to ask if I’ve paid my bills. ‘I don’t know if Nick told you but the plow isn’t working.
‘Yeah, I heard. So what are you going to do?’
‘I’m working on it now. If I can’t get it going, I’ll have to wait for the part to come in. It’s supposed to be here on Friday.’
‘Friday? It’s Sunday, and it’s a freaking blizzard. You could be making a fortune right now.’
‘Yeah, I know, but there’s nothing I can do. If it’s broken, it’s broken. I can’t get the part around here. It’s a special order.’
Jason sighs. ‘This is why you should’ve had an extra part on hand.’
‘I didn’t think I’d need it. Shit like this almost never happens.’
‘Shit breaks all the time. Think of all the times Dad was fixing the equipment for the orchard. You have to assume shit will break. You can’t be taking risks. Your whole business depends on the plow working.’
‘Like I don’t know this? You sound just like Nick, but at least he didn’t yell at me like you are. He just told me to order the part, which I did.’
‘Nick doesn’t have money in this.’
‘Don’t start with that shit. When you agreed to help me, you said you’d stay out of it and let me run things my way.’
‘If things were going well, yeah, but they’re not. You’re in over your head and if you don’t do something soon, we’ll both be broke. That house was supposed to be sold months ago. I getthat you’re behind on the renovations, but I can’t keep putting money into it.’
I wish I’d never taken his money. The last thing I wanted was for my brother to use up all his savings to help me and then I lose it all. This was supposed to be an investment, for both of us. But instead, Jason’s been helping me pay the bills for a house that isn’t even close to being ready to sell.
‘What do you want me to say?’ I get out of the truck and walk around, too angry and frustrated to sit still. ‘I can’t do anything. I can go out there with a shovel but it’ll take forever. I’ll only be able to get a few driveways done. And it’s still snowing. Anything I do now will just be covered again in an hour.’
‘Are customers calling you, wondering where you are?’
‘No. I sent out an email letting them know I wouldn’t be out until the snow stops. I didn’t mention the plow. I wanted to work on it more before I did.’
‘I’m surprised no one’s complaining.’
‘Mr. Roberson did, but you know how he is. He complains about everything.’
‘If you don’t get that part until Friday, Mr. Roberson won’t be the only one complaining. People are going to call up another company, probably Santi’s. He hired more people this year and added a couple trucks.’
