Noah (The Mitchell/Healy Family #1)(15)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I kept my promise to my mother, but somewhere deep inside I often wondered about what he’d said. I knew it wasn’t possible, but it still kept me from being confident about it.

“It’s just something I do to pass the time I guess.”

“So no encore performance?”

“Nope,” I answered while feeling embarrassed.

He pulled out his wallet and tossed a hundred dollar bill across the counter. “This should cover my meal, drinks and your tip. Thanks for the song, darlin’.”

I watched him walk out, and after swooning over his words again, I went after him. “Wait! You can’t tip me this much. You’ll come back hunting for your change in the morning.”

“Doubt that!” He pulled out his keys and touched the keypad on the actual door to unlock his truck. I couldn’t help but notice that it was extremely nice. It was a four-door, obviously brand new and fully loaded. He leaned in and started the truck with just a push of a button. “Which way is north?” he asked.

I started to lift my finger in the direction, but knew he was in no shape to drive. “Your truck is really nice. Can I see what the new keys look like?”

Since he was drunk I knew he’d fall for it. As soon as he handed me the key ring, I tossed it as far as I could into the grass. “Please don’t hate me for this, mister, but I can’t go home with a clear conscience if you’re out there driving. Sleep it off and when the sun rises you will find your keys.”

“My truck won’t let me drive it without the keys. I need to get out of here. What the f**k?” He looked like a kid that lost his puppy.

I started to walk away, but he somehow caught up to me and came walking into the bar.

I turned around to realize he was a lot closer than I thought. Our eyes met and I got that warm feeling again. “Nothing is more important than your life. You may hate me right now, but you’ll thank me tomorrow. If not, you know where to find me to chew me out.”

“Shiiit! Fuuuuck!” He stomped back outside and things got quiet.

Not wanting to deal with the stranger for any longer, I hurried and turned out the lights after locking away the money in the safe.

I locked the front door again, so that he couldn’t come back in, and exited out the back. Quietly, I crept to my car and tried to start it. Unlike his fancy machine, my vehicle was twenty years old and didn’t always want to start. I tried a dozen more times and finally realized that I’d not only flooded the engine, but the battery had also died. My head fell against the steering wheel. “What else can go wrong today? Come on, Momma, help me out here.”

Three attempts to call my boyfriend turned out with three voice messages. His house was too far to walk and there wasn’t exactly any place inside to lay my head down, unless it was the dirty floor. I couldn’t call my uncle for two reasons. The first was that the bar was supposed to stay open until at least one. The second was that I’d been staying with my boyfriend for the past four months, and I knew he’d be pissed since he hated him so much.

Deciding that my car was the best option, I reclined my seat and closed my eyes. This night couldn’t possibly get any worse, and this was going to guarantee it.

Shalan

A knock on the window scared me to death. There he was, the stranger with the perfect teeth and southern drawl. “You need some help?”

I kept the window rolled up. “I’m fine. Just waiting for the tow truck,” I lied.

“I can give you a ride if you help me find my keys.”

His ploy to get his keys back wasn’t going to work on me. “I don’t get into cars with strangers, especially ones that have been drinking.”

“Come on. I need to get on the road. I’ll pay you. Would that change your mind?”

I rolled over in my seat, trying to pretend he wasn’t right outside begging me to help him. I hated that I’d put myself in this situation, again. At least this time I wouldn’t have to see this guy ever again. By morning he’d have those keys and be gone.

For a little while it got quiet, so silent that it made me wonder if he’d passed out in his truck. I sat up when I heard someone curse. In the field next to the parking lot I saw him crawling around searching for those keys. One dim light lit the back of the lot, and I saw the shimmer of metal about four feet from where he was searching. Though it was far away, I had a feeling that it was his keys and he was getting way too close to finding them. I exited my car quietly, focusing on the keys and not the man. I kept my eyes on the item shining in the overgrown grass and recovered them before he could see what I was doing.

“Hey, you found ‘em.”

I put them behind my back. “I can’t let you drive. Now, I don’t know you, and you certainly don’t know me. Let’s keep this as cordial as possible for the sake of my sanity. I’m really trying to do a good thing here.”

He put both hands in the air. “You’re the boss, but I can promise you that my truck has workin’ heat and a comfortable ride home. I mean you no harm, just tryin’ to do my part for someone in trouble. Where I come from we help out our neighbors.”

“We aren’t neighbors, sir. You could be a criminal for all I know.”

He chuckled and shook his head, as if my comment were the funniest thing he’d heard in ages. “Look here, I just want to get out of this town and move on. We don’t have to be neighbors or even friends. I’m offerin’ you a ride home on a chilly night. That’s all. Either way, I’m goin’ to get my keys and be on my way.”

I felt like he was invading my space as he took a step in my direction. I held my hand up for him to not come any closer. “Hold up! I’m starting to feel uncomfortable being out here all alone. If you come any closer I may have to scream.”

He cocked his right eyebrow and looked around. “Like anyone would hear you.”

“They would. Noise travels,” I lied. We happened to be in the quietest town that existed on the planet.

He took another step closer to me. My breathing increased. It scared and excited me at the same time. Sure, being alone in the back of the bar parking lot with a stranger was a terrible move on my part, but at least if he was a murderer or worse, I’d die by the hands of someone that was as hot as a man could ever be. “Just give me my keys. I’m not as drunk as you think I am. It’s been over an hour since I had that first bottle of water. Trust me, I’ve driven home way worse than this.”