Page 5 of Excitable Boy
Chapter Two
Fortunately, Shayla didn’t have to call an Uber. When she checked in with the office to see if someone could go cover the meeting for her until she could get there, one of her coworkers volunteered to do it. Also, another coworker, her friend, Suzanne, offered to come pick Shayla up and run her home. Which, considering their office was only five minutes away, would likely be a lot faster—and cheaper—than an Uber.
Shayla was able to get a garbage bag from the coffeeshop and used it to pack what little she had in her car. The responding deputy took down all her information for the accident report and gave her a case number for her insurance claim, which she’d already started via her phone app. As she removed the Civic’s key from her keyring to hand to the wrecker driver, she fought the urge to burst into tears.
This really was good-bye, because, yeah, the insurance company would likely total it out.
The wrecker driver even removed the license plate from the back for her, which only cemented Shayla’s maudlin mood as she tucked it into the garbage bag with everything else from inside the car.
As Suzanne drove her home, Shayla fought the urge to grumble. “I didnotneed this today. Thanks, again, for the ride.”
“No worries. Did you call Tony already?”
“Yeah. I think he’s not-so-secretly happy about it. He’s been bugging me to go car shopping for an SUV. In his words, one at least as big as his. He’s always disliked my Civic. Said it’s too small.”
Suzanne snorted. “That sounds like your hubby. He is protective.”
“I don’t know why I’ve been fighting him on this. I mean, I know he’s right. We can afford it. I just didn’t want to spend the money when mine was perfectly fine.”
“Because that car was a symbol of your freedom. Of reaching adulthood. Hell, of survival. Especially after everything you endured with your ex. Doesn’t take a headshrinker to figure that out.”
“True. I didn’t think about it like that.”
“I mean, you strike me as a very rational person,” Suzanne said. “But it’s not just about being smart with your money. The first car purchase is always a big deal emotionally. I know it was for me.”
When Shayla reached home, she had to retrieve her keys for Tony’s SUV from the bedroom before she could head to work.
Again.
As she adjusted the seat and mirrors and steering wheel, she realized she hadn’t driven the SUV in a couple of weeks, at least. He’d asked her to drive it, but her car was usually closest to the front door, and she was used to driving hers, plus it didn’t feel right driving it when he wasn’t home.
It reminded her too much of how long it’d been since she’d seen him. She hadn’t driven it in over three weeks.
In fact, it’d been a lot longer than that since she’d driven it, at least before the last time Tony had been home. The last person to drive it had been Tony, while he was home a few weeks ago.
She sucked in a ragged breath and struggled against the sudden onslaught of tears threatening to spill.
Damn, I miss him so much.
Except she didn’t have time to sit there right now and throw herself a pity party.
Now she was running nearly an hour behind. Although by the time she was almost to the county admin center, she had to admit she did enjoy driving Tony’s SUV. The CRV was a mid-sized vehicle, not a huge, honking penis replacement. Just large enough they could put the back seat down and tote a spanking bench to a private Suncoast Society party.
Why’veI been fighting him on this?
Itwasnice not to feel like she might get run over by drivers not paying attention. She could see better, too, sitting up higher.
Okay, maybe he’s got a valid point.
She reached the county admin building and found a parking spot before hurrying inside. When she quietly slid into the seat next to Michael, her coworker, he handed her a sheet of notes on lined yellow paper and leaned in close so he could whisper to her.
“Next time I volunteer to cover one of these for you, do me a favor and kill me first, huh?” But he smiled.
She winced. “Sorry. I know it’s boring.” She was one of the few people in her office who genuinely enjoyed these things.
“Well, at least it’s being televised. They said the video will be up about an hour after the meeting ends, so you can watch what you missed in case my notes aren’t any good. Hopefully I didn’t miss anything important.”
Relief filled her. Sometimes it was hit-or-miss with the county’s IT department on how long it took meetings that appeared on their county local access channel to be archived and viewable online after the fact.
