Page 50 of Crash
twenty-two
QUYNH
The phone was ringing off the hook. Quynh could hardly keep up with the phone calls. She’d already talked to Henderson twice this morning. He’d called early this morning to find out how much more time until Griffin would work on his vehicle. The second time, he’d called to flirt with her. She’d let him go by pretending to be called away by Griffin. She never met him, and he seemed awfully flirty with a complete stranger.
The weekend was approaching fast. Griffin and the gang, as she started referring to them in her head, were hard at work since they arrived this morning. They worked quickly, yet diligently, to get people back on the road. Already, they sent home two vehicles, and it was barely noon.
Quynh welcomed the busy pace. It kept her distracted from her roaming thoughts. She couldn’t keep thememories from last night from drifting in when she wasn’t busy.
She ended up staying the night. Griffin gave her a new toothbrush and thanked her for making the bed. He didn’t seem too upset about it, though she worried she had overstepped.
Before she even made it out of the bathroom, teeth freshly brushed, he’d tackled her into the bed. His eager antics made her laugh.
She wasn’t laughing for long when he made her see stars again with just his skillful fingers before they both collapsed into a restful sleep. Griffin’s alarm woke them up early this morning, rousing them from a deep slumber.
She’d woken up to find Griffin’s entire body wrapped around hers, almost as if he was afraid she’d disappear in the middle of the night. There hadn’t been enough time for them to fool around before starting the workday. Especially since she needed to hurriedly get back to the apartment to get dressed, escorted by a particularly grumpy Griffin.
He’d mumbled under his breath about how unfair it was to have to ignore his very impressive morning wood. She heard him grumble about how he didn’t get the chance to make her come again on his tongue before having to rush out of the house.
His grumblings only made her smile. She tried to soften the blow with soft kisses and hugs. He was hardlyappeased, but he went into the garage bay while she ran upstairs to get ready.
By the time she’d come downstairs, Julio and Sean were already hard at work. She’d opened the side door to shout a good morning, smiling at their answering response.
She ordered lunch to be delivered today from the local sandwich shop. It was too busy for her to step out to grab lunch for the guys. She knew if she didn’t order lunch, the whole gang would work through the day without a meal. Everyone deserved a lunch break, and at the pace they were all working today, they needed the fuel.
When lunch arrived, she’d made the announcement through the side door. She’d left the lunch on the counter. The guys came in shortly after washing the dirt and grime off their hands. The smell of motor oil and musk assaulted her senses as she kept her head down while the guys chattered.
By the way the hairs on the back of her nape stood at attention, she knew Griffin was standing close behind her. She pretended to be unaffected by him while he reached over her and grabbed a sub. While she wasn’t ashamed of what they were doing as two consenting adults, she didn’t want her personal affairs to be gossiped about, either.
Julio grabbed the turkey grinder while Sean opted for the meatball. She ordered a salad for herself whileGriffin tore open the wrapping for the Italian sub. They spread out around the reception area around her while they ate.
It was so nice to be a part of the team. Julio and Sean never made her uncomfortable. Though she knew by the knowing smirks and winks they’d toss at her that they were aware of the less-than-professional arrangement between her and their boss. If it bothered them, they said nothing to her.
Something she was very thankful for. She would probably die of embarrassment if it were ever brought up. Even if her deal with Griffin was temporary. And, though, technically, Griffin was her boss, it was unlike her to be involved in any type of scandal. Certainly, having an affair with your temporary boss, who also put you up in lodging while fixing your car at an unknown cost, was scandalous.
Sadly, it was probably the most rebellious thing she ever did in her entire life. As a teenager, she never had the urge to rebel, knowing how fragile her mother’s mental health was after having to move in with her aunt. She didn’t want to add to her burden. Instead, she followed all of her mother’s strict rules.
While she was too young to fully grasp it at the time, memories of her mother’s smile still haunted Quynh. The upheaval of leaving her father seemed to drain her mother of all joy and happiness.
Her mother used to smile all the time before theymoved. As a child, she took for granted how much her mother showed her love and joy. It was almost like the sunshine came from her heart. Mostly, Quynh recalled having a happy childhood. They were poor, but they were happy. Her mother worked at the local nail salon, often bringing Quynh with her to work while she did her schoolwork in the back.
She’d seen her father once in a while. He didn’t live with them in their small one-bedroom apartment above the laundromat. Her mother told her he was a businessman who was away frequently for business trips. She never elaborated on how the two met, but the infatuation was obvious.
Her mother’s world was shattered the day she realized Quynh’s father had another family. He never intended to marry her.
It was on a Sunday. Her mother took her to the park. It was a rare occasion since her mother was often working. But that day, she got out of work early. The weather was unseasonably warm for the winter.
When they arrived at the park, Quynh was so giddy about running around. She made her way towards the playground when she spotted a familiar figure in the distance. She squealed in delight and took off. Her mother yelled at her to slow down behind her, which she ignored. In her naïve mind, she thought her father was there to see her.
She’d run up to him, screaming, “Daddy, Daddy,” when he’d whirled around and spotted her. Instead of the delight she was used to seeing, there was a look of horror on his face. She didn’t understand what it meant at the time. After a moment, she realized there was a strange woman by his side.
The woman glared at her with so much venom it made her stop short, pigtails swinging. Her mother, who didn’t expect her to take off so quickly, ran after her. Her hands came around her shoulders, kneeling down to ask her what was wrong.
The moment her mother realized why she took off was permanently etched into her memories. Quynh pointed to her father. He pasted on a polite expression by the time her mother arrived. Her mother looked toward where she had pointed with confusion.
“Arthur?” Her mother dropped her hands from Quynh’s shoulders. “What are you doing here?”
Her mother’s thick accent was even thicker with her confusion.
