Teaberry Blossom Time, page 11
Evan eyed the metal end of the line curiously before taking off in a run toward the corner of the deck.
“Whoa, slow down, Buddy. That’s it, walk, don’t run. It takes a while for the line to come out.”
Seth waited until Evan made it to the corner.
“Okay, now you’re going to hold the end down on the ground.” Seth watched as Evan dropped to both knees. “That’s it. You need to press the end into the ground and hold it tight for me.”
He could see the determination on Evan’s face as he held the metal end down.
“I’m going to lift the line and bit and let it snap back down. Are you ready?” Seth waited for the nod before pulling. The line went flying as Evan let go.
“That’s okay, Buddy. Let’s try it again. Hold the end down. Real tight, okay?”
This time, Evan held the metal clip on the end with one hand and the line with the other. Seth pulled it and snapped. He didn’t get the tight line he was hoping for. The blue line that magically appeared on the ground was a little blurred. It would do.
“Okay, you can let go now. We’re going to do it on the side of the deck next.”
Evan dropped the line and stood. The knees of his jeans were soaked through.
“You need to carry the end of the line over to that corner,” Seth rolled up the slack as he followed Evan around the corner to get the shorter side of the deck.
“We’re going to do it again, same thing. You ready?” Seth watched as Evan dropped to his knees again and held the line down with both hands.
“Okay, here it goes.” Seth snapped the line. He began reeling the line in. “Okay, I’m going to put some more chalk on the line before we make the next snap.
“How do you do that?” Evan ran over to Seth to watch.
“I have to turn this. Here, you do it.” Seth handed it to Evan and pointed. “You need to turn this, right here. Like when we go fishing.”
Evan made several turns before pausing to swipe at his nose. He continued for several more then checked to see if Logan was next door. He wanted to know if his friend could see him working with Seth. He rubbed at his ear before reeling some more. Finally, the line was completely reeled in.
“Good job. Now we’re going to do this last line over here by the deck. Then we’ll check and see if dinner is ready. Okay?” Seth handed Evan the metal clip on the end of the line and motioned for him to walk to the other corner of the deck.
Evan nodded enthusiastically as he dropped to his knees and held the freshly-chalked string down with both hands. After Seth made the snap, he signaled for Evan to let go and began reeling the line back in.
“Good job, I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Evan stood and wiped his hands on his shirt as Jessilyn appeared at the sliding glass door. She tapped on the door to let them know dinner was ready.
“Oh, boy!” Evan ran up the steps of the deck. He pressed one hand against the glass and grabbed the door handle with the other to force the door open.
“Mom, I helped Seth.”
Jessilyn looked over at him as she carried a casserole dish to the table. His hands and face were covered in blue. There was even some in his near white hair, the dark color showing easily. There were smears the size of his hands down the front of his shirt.
“I know, I watched you. Good job.”
Seth walked in and closed the sliding glass door behind him.
“Smells good in here. C’mon, Buddy. We need to get cleaned up.” Seth corralled Evan to the bathroom at the end of the hall.
Jessilyn had everything on the table when they returned. Both of them were now clean. Evan had on a different shirt and all traces of blue were gone. His face was now a little red in some places where he must have scrubbed harder.
“Can I go over to Logan’s after dinner?” Evan asked.
“Not tonight. Logan and his mom have plans.” Jessilyn saw her son’s frown. “Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time to play with him tomorrow. You’ll be over there all day.”
Evan’s frown turned to confusion for a moment until he remembered.
“Spring break!” he yelled.
Jessilyn picked up his plate and began filling it.
“Maybe once you get a little older, you’ll be able to come to work with me at the nursery,” Seth said. “You can help me there like you do at home.”
Evan nodded as he reached for his plate.
“If yesterday was any indication, we’re going to be swamped there during spring break,” Seth said.
“I hope so,” Jessilyn said as she watched Seth fill his plate. “You need the business.”
“How busy will you be this week?” he asked her.
“The mayor will be gone on vacation. It isn’t usually a busy time for us but I do have that project with the off-road trail to deal with.” Jessilyn took the serving spoon from Seth.
“Is there a problem with it?”
“Looks like it’s generated some interest. I guess it’s just a matter of deciding which way we want to go with it. I doubt we can manage to please everyone in the end though.” Jessilyn put the serving spoon back in the casserole dish when she was done. “Just like the bidders for the nursery. There can only be one winner.”
***
“It was so nice of you to do this,” Kelly Parker said to her daughter-in-law as she joined her in the kitchen.
“I’m hoping some fences can be mended.” Megan turned from the stove to give Kelly a hug.
“That would be nice,” Kelly agreed as she looked around the kitchen. “What can I help with?”
Megan took stock. “I think we’re pretty good. I had a lot of peppers in the freezer from last year’s garden so I went with stuffed peppers. They should be ready.”
“They smell wonderful,” Kelly said.
“I was going to make mashed potatoes to go with them but decided I was in the mood for potato salad. I hope no one minds,” Megan said with a grin. “It’s in the fridge if you want to get it out.”
“The pregnant woman gets to choose the food. Besides, you’re doing the work.” Kelly opened the fridge. “Todd will be happy, anyway. I don’t usually make it to be honest. Too much work. I hate having to cook the whole potatoes. You have to wait for them to cool before you can skin them and cut them up. It’s a pain and takes forever.”
“I cheat,” Megan confessed as she transferred some freshly baked buns to a basket.
“How do you cheat with potato salad?” Kelly set the large container on the kitchen table.
“I use red skin potatoes so that I don’t have to bother peeling them, for one thing. I also cut the potatoes into chunks before I cook them. It doesn’t take long at all to cook them that way. The hard-boiled eggs and potatoes get done around the same time. By then, I have the veggies diced up to put in. It probably takes less than half an hour altogether, especially if I’m just making a small batch for two of us.”
“That does sound easier. Don’t tell Todd yet. I want to give it a try. If he likes it, I’ll tell him he owes me for doing all that work.”
Megan laughed. “The only trick is to make sure you don’t cook the potatoes too much. I like them soft, so it isn’t a problem for me but they can get mushy pretty quick if you aren’t careful.”
Kelly picked up the potato salad and turned toward the dining room.
“It sounds like more of us are arriving. I’ll take this out and come back for more. Do you want everyone to just put what they bring in the dining room?” Kelly asked.
“Please. Sounds easier.” Megan took out some hot pads and put them on the counter. When she heard a noise behind her, she turned to find Gabe standing in the kitchen.
“You look like you had a rough night.” It was the nicest way Megan could think to phrase it. He really looked like someone ran him over with a car then backed up and did it again.
“I feel like I had a rough night. Coffee might help.” Gabe took a seat at the table.
Megan opened the oven door and lifted out the tray of stuffed peppers. After setting it on the hot pads, she went over to the coffee maker and turned it on.
“I understand Dan spoke with you about Sal,” she said.
“Yeah.” Gabe dropped his head into his hands and propped his elbows on the table.
“He said that you weren’t arguing with him,” Megan continued. “Can you tell me what you did talk about.”
“Not much. I didn’t stay long. He listened to me talk about LeAnn.” Gabe began rubbing his head. “Told me I should stick with the garage. Try to make a go of it.”
“Did Sal say much else?” She asked.
“Like what?”
“Did he mention anyone else being out to see him?” she asked.
“No.” Gabe pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes. “I was leaving when they got there, so he didn’t have the chance.”
“Someone came while you were there? Who was it?” Megan wondered why he hadn’t mentioned it before.
“Yeah. I have no idea who it was. I didn’t recognize the car.”
She thought back to what Owen had told her at the grocery store. “Was it dark colored? Maybe blue?”
“It was.”
“Can you describe it more?” she asked.
Gabe could. Down to the engine inside the car. The only thing he couldn’t tell her was the license plate number.
“The coffee is done,” she told him as she texted the info to Erica.
Chapter Twenty
The neighborhood where Rodney Ladd lived was a newer development. It had a lot of young couples with families. Many of the kids were taking advantage of the break from school and were outside playing. Megan parked on the street in front of Rodney’s address and approached the house. A man in his early thirties stepped out before she reached the front door. He stopped when he saw her approaching.
“Rodney? I’m Megan Parker. I was hoping I could ask you some questions.” She stopped in front of him.
His eyes dropped to her stomach. “Are you Dan’s wife?” he asked.
“Yes, that’s right.” Owning the feed store meant Dan was fairly well-known in Teaberry.
“What kind of questions?” he asked.
She could see the look of caution in his eyes.
“About your bid for the nursery. I understand that you were hoping to buy it. You know about Sal’s death, right?” she asked.
The caution turned to something else but flashed by so quickly she couldn’t make it out.
“That wasn’t right,” he said as he crossed his arms.
“No, it wasn’t. Did you talk to Sal before he died?”
Rodney looked past Megan to a car passing down the street. He waved before looking back at her.
“Yeah. I ran into him in town one day,” he said.
“Can I ask what you talked about?”
He shrugged. “It’s no secret. I already told the police. He didn’t seem to want to talk about selling the nursery. We talked about the train show a little. He said he was planning to go.”
“You’re a fan too?” she guessed.
Rodney smiled. “Occupational hazard, I guess. Anyone who likes engineering and robotics is probably going to like trains.”
It raised another question. “I was wondering about that.”
“You mean, would I have kept my teaching job if I’d gotten the nursery?” he took a couple of steps toward his car. “Hard to say. I was hoping it would supplement my income during the summers mostly.”
Megan could tell that she was keeping him from something.
“Thanks for your time,” she said.
“Not a problem. Maybe Dena can help you with whatever it was you wanted to know.” He reached to open his car door.
“Dena? Dena Baker?”
“Yeah, I guess it is Baker now. It wasn’t back when we were in school together.” He stood next to his car, the door open.
“You saw her with Sal?” That didn’t match with what Dena had told her.
“Yeah. She was talking to him before I ran into him.”
***
He knew the Jammin’T would be packed during spring break. It was why he’d suggested they meet at the Station Pub & Grill instead. Rhys took a seat in a booth on the bar side so he wouldn’t have to wait. Ian joined him a minute later.
“I grabbed some menus on my way in,” Ian said as he took a seat.
“I already know what I want,” Rhys said as a waiter stopped by their booth.
“I’ll have the pulled pork sandwich with Jalapeno peppers,” Rhys said.
“Make it two.” Ian handed his menu over to the waiter. “Sorry I’m late.”
“What was it this time?” Rhys rested his arms on the table.
“One of the pillows on the couch. She shredded it.”
“You might want to look into obedience school,” Rhys suggested.
“Do they even have those around here?” Ian asked.
Rhys shrugged. He had no idea.
“Did you hear anything else?” Rhys asked.
“No, I’m happy to say. Sounds like they didn’t have one last night.”
Rhys thought about it. “Maybe that’s just because they’re off school all week.”
“Yeah, I figured the same thing.” Ian leaned back as the waiter returned with glasses of water for them.
“They probably figure they have all week to drag race,” Rhys said after the waiter left.
“That’s what I’m worried about. Without school, they’re probably going to be staying out a lot later at night.”
“What do you want to do?” Rhys asked.
“What can we do? We’re trying to monitor as many of the country roads as possible. That’s where they usually decide to race.”
“At least it’s staying light later now. Maybe that will help.” Rhys knew he didn’t sound convincing.
“I guess. Not sure it’ll help us catch them, but it might make it a little safer for anyone else who happens to be on the same road.”
“Well, we’ll be on shift shortly. We’ll do what we can do.” Rhys watched the waiter walk toward them carrying a tray.
“Might not hurt to try to talk to some of them,” Ian said.
Rhys thanked the waiter as he set their plates down.
“What do you mean?” he asked Ian as he reached for his sandwich.
“You know, maybe we can see if there’s been any talk of the racing at school.”
“They’re not at school,” Rhys pointed out before taking his first bite.
“Yeah. That might make it easier. We know where some of them work.” Ian bit into his sandwich.
***
Gabe descended from the upstairs apartment slowly. He didn’t appreciate the food that Megan had sent home with him yesterday until he realized he didn’t have anything else in the apartment to eat and he was low on money. The jobs he’d been getting were few and far between.
Maybe Dan was right. Maybe it was time to try some advertising. The sound of a car pulling in stopped him. He waited until Dena parked and got out before walking over to her.
“What brings you by?” he asked.
“I figured I owed you some money for fixing my car.” Dena reached into her purse and took out a twenty. “It isn’t much, but I’ll give you more as I get it.”
Gabe looked at the hand she held out. He knew she couldn’t afford to give him the money any more than he could say no.
She saw his hesitation. “You can’t run a business if you don’t charge your customers. Trust me, I know all about that.”
“That’s just the thing. I’m not sure I am running a company,” Gabe said.
Dena dropped her hand, still holding the twenty.
“There’s a lot of potential here. The building is solid. The parking lot isn’t the greatest.” She looked at a few areas where the asphalt had worn away. “It isn’t bad right by the building though. That’s where most people would be parking. It shouldn’t cost as much to patch just those areas that need it the most.”
Gabe didn’t look convinced. “No one’s been beating down my door.”
“Why would they if you aren’t even sure you’re open for business? It’s a small town, remember? People are just waiting to see what you decide.”
“You think?”
Dena walked past him into the garage and looked around. “Where’s the office?” She turned and began walking toward it without waiting for an answer. When she opened the door, she saw the room was completely empty.
“How are you doing your paperwork?” she asked when he stopped behind her.
“What paperwork?”
She held up the twenty again. “You have to track everything. There are taxes for one thing. You’ll need to collect and submit them.”
Gabe looked at her dubiously. “I don’t know anything about all that.”
Dena tucked her twenty back into her purse as she walked back to the bays in the garage.
“Maybe we could work out a trade of sorts,” she suggested.
“What do you mean?”
“I know I owe you money for working on my car. I could work a few hours in your office to get your bookkeeping started for your business.”
He stared at her.
“Don’t thank me now. You’ll understand how important it is at tax time.” Dena turned and began walking back to her car. “I’ll be back soon.”
Gabe watched as she pulled away. Another car coming from the other direction slowed and pulled into the lot. Four young kids got out. Gabe walked over to meet them.
The driver nodded as Gabe reached them.
“I hear you know a little about making cars faster,” the kid said.
***
Julia took another armful of clothes down from the hook in the dressing room. She moved around the shop returning them to their racks as more girls entered the store to shop. Julia recognized them from school. She saw Giselle greet them and offer assistance. Julia hung the last garment and met Giselle up at the front counter near the cash register.
“So far, spring break is looking good for business,” Julia said quietly.
“Thanks to you,” Giselle replied. “They’re all coming in to see the new stock we got in.”
“Let’s hope it sells,” Julia said as she watched the girls walk around the store.
“Whoa, slow down, Buddy. That’s it, walk, don’t run. It takes a while for the line to come out.”
Seth waited until Evan made it to the corner.
“Okay, now you’re going to hold the end down on the ground.” Seth watched as Evan dropped to both knees. “That’s it. You need to press the end into the ground and hold it tight for me.”
He could see the determination on Evan’s face as he held the metal end down.
“I’m going to lift the line and bit and let it snap back down. Are you ready?” Seth waited for the nod before pulling. The line went flying as Evan let go.
“That’s okay, Buddy. Let’s try it again. Hold the end down. Real tight, okay?”
This time, Evan held the metal clip on the end with one hand and the line with the other. Seth pulled it and snapped. He didn’t get the tight line he was hoping for. The blue line that magically appeared on the ground was a little blurred. It would do.
“Okay, you can let go now. We’re going to do it on the side of the deck next.”
Evan dropped the line and stood. The knees of his jeans were soaked through.
“You need to carry the end of the line over to that corner,” Seth rolled up the slack as he followed Evan around the corner to get the shorter side of the deck.
“We’re going to do it again, same thing. You ready?” Seth watched as Evan dropped to his knees again and held the line down with both hands.
“Okay, here it goes.” Seth snapped the line. He began reeling the line in. “Okay, I’m going to put some more chalk on the line before we make the next snap.
“How do you do that?” Evan ran over to Seth to watch.
“I have to turn this. Here, you do it.” Seth handed it to Evan and pointed. “You need to turn this, right here. Like when we go fishing.”
Evan made several turns before pausing to swipe at his nose. He continued for several more then checked to see if Logan was next door. He wanted to know if his friend could see him working with Seth. He rubbed at his ear before reeling some more. Finally, the line was completely reeled in.
“Good job. Now we’re going to do this last line over here by the deck. Then we’ll check and see if dinner is ready. Okay?” Seth handed Evan the metal clip on the end of the line and motioned for him to walk to the other corner of the deck.
Evan nodded enthusiastically as he dropped to his knees and held the freshly-chalked string down with both hands. After Seth made the snap, he signaled for Evan to let go and began reeling the line back in.
“Good job, I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Evan stood and wiped his hands on his shirt as Jessilyn appeared at the sliding glass door. She tapped on the door to let them know dinner was ready.
“Oh, boy!” Evan ran up the steps of the deck. He pressed one hand against the glass and grabbed the door handle with the other to force the door open.
“Mom, I helped Seth.”
Jessilyn looked over at him as she carried a casserole dish to the table. His hands and face were covered in blue. There was even some in his near white hair, the dark color showing easily. There were smears the size of his hands down the front of his shirt.
“I know, I watched you. Good job.”
Seth walked in and closed the sliding glass door behind him.
“Smells good in here. C’mon, Buddy. We need to get cleaned up.” Seth corralled Evan to the bathroom at the end of the hall.
Jessilyn had everything on the table when they returned. Both of them were now clean. Evan had on a different shirt and all traces of blue were gone. His face was now a little red in some places where he must have scrubbed harder.
“Can I go over to Logan’s after dinner?” Evan asked.
“Not tonight. Logan and his mom have plans.” Jessilyn saw her son’s frown. “Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time to play with him tomorrow. You’ll be over there all day.”
Evan’s frown turned to confusion for a moment until he remembered.
“Spring break!” he yelled.
Jessilyn picked up his plate and began filling it.
“Maybe once you get a little older, you’ll be able to come to work with me at the nursery,” Seth said. “You can help me there like you do at home.”
Evan nodded as he reached for his plate.
“If yesterday was any indication, we’re going to be swamped there during spring break,” Seth said.
“I hope so,” Jessilyn said as she watched Seth fill his plate. “You need the business.”
“How busy will you be this week?” he asked her.
“The mayor will be gone on vacation. It isn’t usually a busy time for us but I do have that project with the off-road trail to deal with.” Jessilyn took the serving spoon from Seth.
“Is there a problem with it?”
“Looks like it’s generated some interest. I guess it’s just a matter of deciding which way we want to go with it. I doubt we can manage to please everyone in the end though.” Jessilyn put the serving spoon back in the casserole dish when she was done. “Just like the bidders for the nursery. There can only be one winner.”
***
“It was so nice of you to do this,” Kelly Parker said to her daughter-in-law as she joined her in the kitchen.
“I’m hoping some fences can be mended.” Megan turned from the stove to give Kelly a hug.
“That would be nice,” Kelly agreed as she looked around the kitchen. “What can I help with?”
Megan took stock. “I think we’re pretty good. I had a lot of peppers in the freezer from last year’s garden so I went with stuffed peppers. They should be ready.”
“They smell wonderful,” Kelly said.
“I was going to make mashed potatoes to go with them but decided I was in the mood for potato salad. I hope no one minds,” Megan said with a grin. “It’s in the fridge if you want to get it out.”
“The pregnant woman gets to choose the food. Besides, you’re doing the work.” Kelly opened the fridge. “Todd will be happy, anyway. I don’t usually make it to be honest. Too much work. I hate having to cook the whole potatoes. You have to wait for them to cool before you can skin them and cut them up. It’s a pain and takes forever.”
“I cheat,” Megan confessed as she transferred some freshly baked buns to a basket.
“How do you cheat with potato salad?” Kelly set the large container on the kitchen table.
“I use red skin potatoes so that I don’t have to bother peeling them, for one thing. I also cut the potatoes into chunks before I cook them. It doesn’t take long at all to cook them that way. The hard-boiled eggs and potatoes get done around the same time. By then, I have the veggies diced up to put in. It probably takes less than half an hour altogether, especially if I’m just making a small batch for two of us.”
“That does sound easier. Don’t tell Todd yet. I want to give it a try. If he likes it, I’ll tell him he owes me for doing all that work.”
Megan laughed. “The only trick is to make sure you don’t cook the potatoes too much. I like them soft, so it isn’t a problem for me but they can get mushy pretty quick if you aren’t careful.”
Kelly picked up the potato salad and turned toward the dining room.
“It sounds like more of us are arriving. I’ll take this out and come back for more. Do you want everyone to just put what they bring in the dining room?” Kelly asked.
“Please. Sounds easier.” Megan took out some hot pads and put them on the counter. When she heard a noise behind her, she turned to find Gabe standing in the kitchen.
“You look like you had a rough night.” It was the nicest way Megan could think to phrase it. He really looked like someone ran him over with a car then backed up and did it again.
“I feel like I had a rough night. Coffee might help.” Gabe took a seat at the table.
Megan opened the oven door and lifted out the tray of stuffed peppers. After setting it on the hot pads, she went over to the coffee maker and turned it on.
“I understand Dan spoke with you about Sal,” she said.
“Yeah.” Gabe dropped his head into his hands and propped his elbows on the table.
“He said that you weren’t arguing with him,” Megan continued. “Can you tell me what you did talk about.”
“Not much. I didn’t stay long. He listened to me talk about LeAnn.” Gabe began rubbing his head. “Told me I should stick with the garage. Try to make a go of it.”
“Did Sal say much else?” She asked.
“Like what?”
“Did he mention anyone else being out to see him?” she asked.
“No.” Gabe pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes. “I was leaving when they got there, so he didn’t have the chance.”
“Someone came while you were there? Who was it?” Megan wondered why he hadn’t mentioned it before.
“Yeah. I have no idea who it was. I didn’t recognize the car.”
She thought back to what Owen had told her at the grocery store. “Was it dark colored? Maybe blue?”
“It was.”
“Can you describe it more?” she asked.
Gabe could. Down to the engine inside the car. The only thing he couldn’t tell her was the license plate number.
“The coffee is done,” she told him as she texted the info to Erica.
Chapter Twenty
The neighborhood where Rodney Ladd lived was a newer development. It had a lot of young couples with families. Many of the kids were taking advantage of the break from school and were outside playing. Megan parked on the street in front of Rodney’s address and approached the house. A man in his early thirties stepped out before she reached the front door. He stopped when he saw her approaching.
“Rodney? I’m Megan Parker. I was hoping I could ask you some questions.” She stopped in front of him.
His eyes dropped to her stomach. “Are you Dan’s wife?” he asked.
“Yes, that’s right.” Owning the feed store meant Dan was fairly well-known in Teaberry.
“What kind of questions?” he asked.
She could see the look of caution in his eyes.
“About your bid for the nursery. I understand that you were hoping to buy it. You know about Sal’s death, right?” she asked.
The caution turned to something else but flashed by so quickly she couldn’t make it out.
“That wasn’t right,” he said as he crossed his arms.
“No, it wasn’t. Did you talk to Sal before he died?”
Rodney looked past Megan to a car passing down the street. He waved before looking back at her.
“Yeah. I ran into him in town one day,” he said.
“Can I ask what you talked about?”
He shrugged. “It’s no secret. I already told the police. He didn’t seem to want to talk about selling the nursery. We talked about the train show a little. He said he was planning to go.”
“You’re a fan too?” she guessed.
Rodney smiled. “Occupational hazard, I guess. Anyone who likes engineering and robotics is probably going to like trains.”
It raised another question. “I was wondering about that.”
“You mean, would I have kept my teaching job if I’d gotten the nursery?” he took a couple of steps toward his car. “Hard to say. I was hoping it would supplement my income during the summers mostly.”
Megan could tell that she was keeping him from something.
“Thanks for your time,” she said.
“Not a problem. Maybe Dena can help you with whatever it was you wanted to know.” He reached to open his car door.
“Dena? Dena Baker?”
“Yeah, I guess it is Baker now. It wasn’t back when we were in school together.” He stood next to his car, the door open.
“You saw her with Sal?” That didn’t match with what Dena had told her.
“Yeah. She was talking to him before I ran into him.”
***
He knew the Jammin’T would be packed during spring break. It was why he’d suggested they meet at the Station Pub & Grill instead. Rhys took a seat in a booth on the bar side so he wouldn’t have to wait. Ian joined him a minute later.
“I grabbed some menus on my way in,” Ian said as he took a seat.
“I already know what I want,” Rhys said as a waiter stopped by their booth.
“I’ll have the pulled pork sandwich with Jalapeno peppers,” Rhys said.
“Make it two.” Ian handed his menu over to the waiter. “Sorry I’m late.”
“What was it this time?” Rhys rested his arms on the table.
“One of the pillows on the couch. She shredded it.”
“You might want to look into obedience school,” Rhys suggested.
“Do they even have those around here?” Ian asked.
Rhys shrugged. He had no idea.
“Did you hear anything else?” Rhys asked.
“No, I’m happy to say. Sounds like they didn’t have one last night.”
Rhys thought about it. “Maybe that’s just because they’re off school all week.”
“Yeah, I figured the same thing.” Ian leaned back as the waiter returned with glasses of water for them.
“They probably figure they have all week to drag race,” Rhys said after the waiter left.
“That’s what I’m worried about. Without school, they’re probably going to be staying out a lot later at night.”
“What do you want to do?” Rhys asked.
“What can we do? We’re trying to monitor as many of the country roads as possible. That’s where they usually decide to race.”
“At least it’s staying light later now. Maybe that will help.” Rhys knew he didn’t sound convincing.
“I guess. Not sure it’ll help us catch them, but it might make it a little safer for anyone else who happens to be on the same road.”
“Well, we’ll be on shift shortly. We’ll do what we can do.” Rhys watched the waiter walk toward them carrying a tray.
“Might not hurt to try to talk to some of them,” Ian said.
Rhys thanked the waiter as he set their plates down.
“What do you mean?” he asked Ian as he reached for his sandwich.
“You know, maybe we can see if there’s been any talk of the racing at school.”
“They’re not at school,” Rhys pointed out before taking his first bite.
“Yeah. That might make it easier. We know where some of them work.” Ian bit into his sandwich.
***
Gabe descended from the upstairs apartment slowly. He didn’t appreciate the food that Megan had sent home with him yesterday until he realized he didn’t have anything else in the apartment to eat and he was low on money. The jobs he’d been getting were few and far between.
Maybe Dan was right. Maybe it was time to try some advertising. The sound of a car pulling in stopped him. He waited until Dena parked and got out before walking over to her.
“What brings you by?” he asked.
“I figured I owed you some money for fixing my car.” Dena reached into her purse and took out a twenty. “It isn’t much, but I’ll give you more as I get it.”
Gabe looked at the hand she held out. He knew she couldn’t afford to give him the money any more than he could say no.
She saw his hesitation. “You can’t run a business if you don’t charge your customers. Trust me, I know all about that.”
“That’s just the thing. I’m not sure I am running a company,” Gabe said.
Dena dropped her hand, still holding the twenty.
“There’s a lot of potential here. The building is solid. The parking lot isn’t the greatest.” She looked at a few areas where the asphalt had worn away. “It isn’t bad right by the building though. That’s where most people would be parking. It shouldn’t cost as much to patch just those areas that need it the most.”
Gabe didn’t look convinced. “No one’s been beating down my door.”
“Why would they if you aren’t even sure you’re open for business? It’s a small town, remember? People are just waiting to see what you decide.”
“You think?”
Dena walked past him into the garage and looked around. “Where’s the office?” She turned and began walking toward it without waiting for an answer. When she opened the door, she saw the room was completely empty.
“How are you doing your paperwork?” she asked when he stopped behind her.
“What paperwork?”
She held up the twenty again. “You have to track everything. There are taxes for one thing. You’ll need to collect and submit them.”
Gabe looked at her dubiously. “I don’t know anything about all that.”
Dena tucked her twenty back into her purse as she walked back to the bays in the garage.
“Maybe we could work out a trade of sorts,” she suggested.
“What do you mean?”
“I know I owe you money for working on my car. I could work a few hours in your office to get your bookkeeping started for your business.”
He stared at her.
“Don’t thank me now. You’ll understand how important it is at tax time.” Dena turned and began walking back to her car. “I’ll be back soon.”
Gabe watched as she pulled away. Another car coming from the other direction slowed and pulled into the lot. Four young kids got out. Gabe walked over to meet them.
The driver nodded as Gabe reached them.
“I hear you know a little about making cars faster,” the kid said.
***
Julia took another armful of clothes down from the hook in the dressing room. She moved around the shop returning them to their racks as more girls entered the store to shop. Julia recognized them from school. She saw Giselle greet them and offer assistance. Julia hung the last garment and met Giselle up at the front counter near the cash register.
“So far, spring break is looking good for business,” Julia said quietly.
“Thanks to you,” Giselle replied. “They’re all coming in to see the new stock we got in.”
“Let’s hope it sells,” Julia said as she watched the girls walk around the store.
