Page 23 of Tide and Seek
I lifted my head, staring into his warm brown eyes.“Promise?”
“Yep.”He smiled down at me.“I promise.”
“Thank goodness you offered to come with me.I can’t even imagine what I’d be feeling right now if I’d come here by myself.I’d have to deal with all of this insanity on my own.”
His eyes flickered.“Oh, you’d have been fine.”
“No.You know how I am.”I sighed.“I’m fairly certain Deputy Gonzalez already hates me.Without you there, I’d most likely have insulted all those police officers out on the beach.I’d probably be in handcuffs by now or tucked away in a jail cell.You’d have had to come rescue me.”
He released me.“I’m sure one of your LA pals would have stepped in and saved the day.”
“What LA pals?”I laughed.
“C.J.or maybe… James.”His voice was way too casual.“Anyway, how about you give that car rental place a jingle, and let’s go eat.I’m going to go put on a shirt.”
I watched him head upstairs, frowning.He was trying to hide it, but something was most definitely bothering Royce.Maybe he regretted coming with me?Was LA just too stressful for him?Or perhaps he was simply uneasy because we’d found a dead body.That was certainly a reason to feel stressed.I was probably overthinking everything like I often did because I really wanted Royce to have a good time on this trip.
I decided the best option was to stop obsessing and call the car rental place.I gave the answering service at Tippity Top Car Rentals all my information.When she asked for my car of choice, I opted for a BMW sedan, and she assured me it would be dropped off within the hour.
While I waited for Royce to return downstairs, and for the car to be delivered, I texted Girdy to let her know what was going on.She was horrified to hear about the body on the beach, but also told me not to let that ruin the trip.She stressed how important time with Royce was for the health of our relationship.
Ever since Girdy had rented Royce’s house with her boyfriend Todd, she’d been reading lots of books on relationships.She’d always had a penchant for self-help books, but was reading even more than usual lately.Maybe living with Todd wasn’t all she’d hoped it would be?Or maybe she just really wanted things to go well.I affectionately pictured Girdy, feet up, a wine cooler beside her, reading gems likeHow to Share a Bathroom Without Committing a Felonyor perhapsI Love You, But I Need You to Stop Breathing So Loudly.
Royce came downstairs just as a car honked out front, signaling the arrival of the rental.When I opened the door, expecting to see the BMW sedan I’d requested, I instead found a young man in jeans and a white shirt with a yellow bow tie standing beside a bright red Hummer.
“Hello, I’m Reggie from Tippity Top Car Rentals,” the kid announced.
“Wait… what’s this?”I stared at the Hummer in confusion.“That’s not a BMW sedan.”
Reggie grimaced.“No, it’s a Hummer.”He gave a perky smile.“Isn’t she gorgeous?”
The vehicle was the complete opposite of gorgeous.It was big, boxy, and obnoxious.It had squared-off edges, bulging fender flares, and tires large enough to crush lesser vehicles to dust.The thick, upright windshield and flat hood gave it the aerodynamics of a brick.As if the beast of a vehicle weren’t already screaming “look at me,” the candy-apple red paint could have been spotted from the space station.
I stepped outside, eyes wide.“Um, no.I… I didn’t order that monstrosity.”
Reggie winced, his forehead shiny with sweat.“I apologize, Mr.Thornton.We were all out of BMWs, and so we upgraded you to this beauty.”He swallowed loudly.“At the same low, low Tippity Top price.”
“What in tarnation,” Royce said under his breath as he stood behind me, his hand on my shoulder.
“I can’t drive that,” I squawked, moving forward.“It’s like a tank.”
“The ride is surprisingly smooth.”Reggie held out the keys.“I’m afraid it was either this or a pink Smart Fortwo.But that one is so small, we thought this was a better option for you.I’m sorry we couldn’t give you your car of choice.There’s a beach volleyball tournament in town and our inventory was all spoken for.You’d be surprised how popular that event is.”
“Why’d the person on the phone ask me what car I wanted?”I asked irritably.“If… if you only had two cars to choose from, why bother asking for my preference?”
Reggie seemed to wilt.“The exchange who answers the phone has no idea of our inventory.They just take the customer information.Usually it’s no problem accommodating a customer’s request.”
“Well, I don’t want a Hummer.”
“Like I said, we don’t have any other cars.I believe the pink Fortwo has already been rented out.”He glanced toward a pickup truck idling a few feet away, presumably his ride back to the rental place.I got the impression he wanted to bolt, but he was too polite to leave when I was so obviously unhappy.
Royce rubbed my back as if trying to console me.“There are other car rental companies, Max.We could try one of them.”
Reggie didn’t seem to like that idea much and said quickly, “You could, but we’re the only local company that delivers.If you go with another rental place, you’ll need a ride to pick up your vehicle.That’s why Tippity Top Car Rentals is such a great choice.We bring the cars to you.”
“Sure, but not the car you ask for,” I muttered testily, snatching the keys from the kid’s hand.“I’m definitely not pleased.This is no way to do business.”
Sighing, Reggie looked beside himself.“I hate that you’re unhappy, Mr.Thornton.Customer satisfaction is very important to us.”He brightened, as if an idea had just occurred to him.“You know, the volleyball convention ends the day after tomorrow.If you’d like, I can arrange to swap out the Hummer for a BMW then.I’ll handle the whole thing.You won’t have to lift a finger.”
