I mirrored Cady’s frown. Lawson could’ve dropped Charlie off with me instead of sending him to the school’s early care program. “Well, you’d better go find him. He’s probably been missing his best pal.”
That was all Cady needed. She took off running, her pink glitter backpack slapping against her back.
Once she disappeared, I hurried to Maddie’s SUV and slid inside.
“What did the queen bitch have to say?”
I grimaced. “Some snarky comment about me still not having a car.”
“That woman needs a life,” Maddie mumbled as she headed out of the lot.
“You aren’t wrong. How are things with Nash?”
A soft smile spread across her lips as she glanced down at her ring glimmering in the morning light. “Really good.”
“Love seeing you happy like this,” I said softly.
“Do not make me cry. I’ll boob punch you.”
I snorted. “I’ve been officially warned.”
She pulled into the lot at the body shop and parked, looking over at me. “I want you to have this kind of joy.”
“I’m happy. I’ve got Cady and the animals and amazing friends.”
Maddie studied me for a moment. “Don’t you want more? A partner? Ridiculously hot sex?”
I choked on a laugh. “I don’t know, Maddie. I’m not sure I’m built for it. It’s not the easiest for me to let people in.”
But memories from last night and this morning flashed in my mind. Stolen seconds with Roan. His tenderness with Cady.
Maddie was quiet for a moment. “You ever going to tell me why that is?”
My stomach twisted like a tightly wound ball of yarn. “It’s not important.”
Maddie reached over and squeezed my hand. “If it has marked you like this, it’s important. And I’ll be here to listen whenever you’re ready to share.”
I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth. “Thank you.”
I didn’t deserve her friendship, but I was grateful for it all the same.
“Got your back. Always.”
I glanced over at her. “Same goes. Even when Nash steals the last of your ice cream.”
Maddie barked out a laugh. “Us doing battle over the last of the ice cream is something no one wants to get in the middle of.”
“Consider me warned.” I opened my door and climbed out, rounding to the back passenger seat. I unhooked Cady’s booster seat. “Thank you so much for carting us around the last two days.”
“Please, I got Taylor Swift sing-alongs and promises of glitter manicures. I’m a happy camper.”
I laughed. “You and Cady are a match made in heaven.”
Maddie grinned at me. “She’s my girl.”
I adored how my friends loved her. “See you later.”
Maddie gave me a wave as I shut the door and started toward the office. Footsteps sounded on the pavement, and I jerked.
The younger mechanic stopped in his tracks. “Sorry, ma’am. I was just gonna take that for you and put it in your wagon.”
I sent him a wobbly smile. “Guess I’m a little jumpy this morning. Thank you.”
“It’s no problem,” he said, taking the booster seat. “I’ve got a little sister who still uses one of these. I’m an expert at taking them out and putting them in.”
“It is a science.”
He chuckled. “First time I tried, I was cussing up a storm.”
“You and me both.”
He laughed as he jogged back toward an open bay.
I let out a breath. “Get it together,” I whispered to myself.
The electronic bell dinged as I opened the door. Jim looked up from the reception desk. “I’m just finalizing your paperwork. Good news is that it wasn’t nearly as bad as it first looked.”
The tension that had held me captive for the last few days released a fraction. “Really?”
“Really. We got you a new set of tires and fixed those corroded cables. Just cleaned up everything here and there.”
“How much do I owe you?” I braced.
Jim scanned his sheet. “With the discount for letting me take my time and the used tires, the total comes to six-fifty.”
I blinked. I thought for sure the work would be in the multiple thousands. “That’s it?”
He bobbed his head in a nod. “That’s it. Jake’s bringing it around front now.”
I pulled my wallet out of my purse and found my debit card, handing it to Jim. “Thank you.”