Page 12 of All Autumn
She rolled her eyes. “We’re not getting busted. It’s my car and my samples. I have every right to retrieve my stuff.”
We settled into silence for a few miles, but I didn’t like it. Autumn wasn’t the silent type. “Are you going to be okay?” That was a stupid question to ask a woman who’d only hours ago caught her husband balls-deep in another woman. And the idiot hadn’t even bothered to lock his office. I didn’t doubt every employee in the dealership knew exactly how Brian spent some of his lunch hours.
“Maybe after I bleach my eyes so I can stop seeing . . .” She trailed off, shook her head, and turned her face to the window.
I had no idea what to say to a hurting woman, but what was there to say? Time heals all wounds? Maybe true but lame.
“Where would your car be?” I asked as we approached the dealership.
“Turn on the access road before the building. Go around the back, behind the service area.”
When I came to the end of the access road, I stopped and stared at the fence that I estimated to be eight feet tall. “Um, Autumn? You have a key for that lock on the gate?”
“Nope.” She got out of the car.
When Autumn was twelve years old, she’d decided she wanted to go to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Why? So she could ride the Tennessee Tornado roller coaster. The reason? Because she’d never ridden a roller coaster and was determined to correct that wrong.
Her father refused to take her, but did that stop her? Not even. She convinced Jenn, Natalie, and Savannah that they should hitchhike to Pigeon Forge. The other girls wanted to ask one of their parents to take them, but Autumn was pissed at her dad—what else was new?—and had made up her mind that she’d show him.
Exactly what she thought she was proving by hitchhiking to Tennessee, I’m not sure, but that was what she’d said. “I’ll show him.” Autumn could and can talk just about anyone into anything—witness me sitting here about to break into a fenced-in area with a big NO TRESPASSING sign. The first person to come along had been Hamburger Harry, our infamous moonshiner. He called Jenn and Natalie’s father, who was our mayor at the time, and the Great Dollywood Caper ended before it even began.
The point was, when Autumn makes up her mind, either get out of her way or throw in the towel and join her. I sighed as I got out of the car.
I stopped next to her. “What’s the plan here?”
She tilted her head, staring at the top of the fence. “I’m going to climb it.”
Like that was going to happen. “No, I’ll do it.” When she smiled at me as if I were her hero, I had the stray thought that I’d like to wake up in the mornings to that smile. That kind of thinking had to stop.
“Here’s my spare key. In case the car’s locked.”
“There’s not a vicious junkyard dog hiding under those cars, waiting to chew my leg off, is there?”
“For goodness’ sake, Connor.” She snatched the key out of my hand and was halfway up the fence before I could stop her.
Autumn had always been able to climb like a monkey, but I wanted to be her hero on a day that heroes in her life had been sorely lacking. Before she managed to get out of reach, I grabbed her by the waist and lifted her off the fence, putting her feet back on the ground. Taking the key, I scaled the fence.
Her car was right in front, the doors unlocked. Tree branches were still caught in the engine, and the way the front was split in half almost to the windshield reminded me how close she’d come to being seriously hurt or worse. I didn’t want to think of a world without Autumn in it.
A few minutes later I tossed her sample case over the fence and then made my way to the other side. As soon as I jumped down the last few feet, Autumn threw herself at me.
“You’re the best friend ever,” she said, wrapping her arms around me, giving me a hug.
Since recently becoming aware that my childhood friend had grown up without me paying attention, the last place she should be was in my arms.
“Well, isn’t this cozy?”
We both froze long enough to widen our eyes at each other. Then I swear I saw flames ignite in her pupils. I dropped the arms I had wrapped around her back, stepping away as if I’d done something to be guilty of when all I’d been doing was hugging my friend. Okay, there might have been some lecherous thoughts going on when she was pressed against me, but Brian didn’t know that. Truthfully I wished I didn’t know that myself.
Autumn put her hands on her hips, glaring at her husband. “What the hell are you doing here, Brian?”
“Because I own the ground you’re standing on?” He lifted the flashlight he held, shining it into Autumn’s eyes. “Breaking and entering isn’t a laughing matter.” Then I got the flashlight treatment. “Don’t think you’re walking away from this either.” He pointed the flashlight at the top of a pole. “See that camera up there? I’ve got all the evidence on tape. The police are on the way as we speak.”
Ass. “All she did was get her samples out of her car. She didn’t steal anything.”
“Don’t care. And it’s not her car.” He stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Autumn. “Autumn, you need to stop your silliness. You’re my wife, and—”
“Which I plan to correct as fast as possible. Stop being a stupid jerk, Brian.”
