I smiled at the silence. It was comforting like a sort of blanket trying to lull me to sleep.
Caw! A crow swept through the yard, picking a worm from the grass.
A second later, my phone went off.
My moment of peace and quiet had been short-lived. Accepting this fact, I took my phone from my pocket. The name Hazel Sperrin was at the top of the screen, followed by her latest text: Hey, hope you had a safe trip. Are you still dropping by the shop this afternoon?
That’s the plan, I texted back.
Alright, was her response. When first we started texting, we could go back and forth for most of the night, chatting about just about anything. Recently, she had become a little distant — her texts much shorter than they used to be. More than once, I asked whether something was wrong — whether she wanted to talk about it, but she always argued that she was fine, just fine. I was starting to worry, but I figured now that I was back in Elk Haven she’d feel more comfortable opening up to me. I could understand how some things were better dealt with face-to-face than over text.
When I arrived at the shop, I found Hazel underneath the hood of an old pickup truck. She was so deep into the nuts and bolts of the thing that her feet weren’t even touching the ground. I couldn’t help the chuckle. “Should I get you a step stool or would you rather I give you a boost?”
She lifted her head just enough to see me. “Neither, but if you could hand me that wrench, I’d appreciate it.”
“This one?” I asked as I held the tool in my hand. “Damn, this is heavier than I thought.”
“Dad likes to invest in quality tools,” she answered. “Costs a bit more up front but it saves us money in the long run.” She was tightening something, her face screwed up with concentration.
“Do you know that there’s grease on your face?” I asked.
“There’s always grease on my face. Occupational hazard.”
I smiled. “It’s good to see you again.”
She jumped down and wiped her hands with the nearest rag. “You know, I had my doubts about you.” From a mini-fridge, Hazel grabbed a couple of bottles of pop. They were glass bottles, too. She twisted the caps and handed one my way. “When you rolled up in that twenty-million-dollar car, I thought that maybe I was dreaming. Then you left that paycheck in my hands and it felt like even more of a dream. But then the Chevelle showed up at my door and you started texting me. I’ll have to admit, you were smooth about the whole thing. First, you’d just ask me about the car and how the project was coming along, and then you started asking me more.”
“I didn’t think you had a problem with me striking up friendly conversation,” I said. “If I’m not mistaken, you always found the time to text me back, even during the middle of the night.”
“You were a paying customer. I didn’t want to lose any future business by being rude.”
“Is that all it was?” I asked. “And here I was thinking I was getting special treatment.”
The corner of her lip twitched upwards. It wasn’t quite a smile but it did light up her eyes just enough to let me know that my teasing was being well-humored. “Come with me,” she said before moving toward a vehicle covered by a tarp. “Would you mind?” She tilted her head toward the back of the car. “It’s easier when two people do it.”
Together, we removed the tarp, revealing the beautiful Chevy Chevelle hiding underneath. I whistled like someone catcalling a woman in the 50s. “Damn,” was all I could say. “You did all of this?”
“I can’t take all the credit. Dad helped me from time to time, but yeah, I did most of it.”
“Can I hear her run?”
She threw me the keys.
I caught them and got behind the wheel. The interior had been completely refinished as well with leather seating and a wooden dash. I ran my hand along the sleek finish before turning the key. The engine roared. I could feel its power running through the entire body. Unable to resist, I revved the engine. The sound was deafening and that’s exactly what I liked to hear.
“Roll it into the sun. I think you’re going to like what you’re about to see.”
I did as I was told. The midnight purple paint came alive. The pearl made it shimmer and gave it a sense of movement. And the silver pinstriping? Oh, it brought the whole car together. “Man, this is something else. I expect this kind of quality coming out of my shops and to think you managed it with just you and your dad.”
She took a seat on a nearby crate. “Yeah.”
I stopped drooling over the car just as soon as I heard the tone of her voice. Something was wrong. I walked up to her and took the crate right beside her.
She looked confused. “Shouldn’t you be looking underneath the hood? You’ll want to see the block I installed. Something of a bitch to find but —” She fell silent when she felt my hand on her arm. “What are you doing?” There was an edge to her voice, but I was glad to see she hadn’t pulled away.
“I know something is bothering you.”
“I’m fine.”
“We both know that’s not true and I can understand if you don’t want to pour out your heart to me because outside of texting, you don’t really know me on a personal level. I get that, but don’t keep lying to me and telling me that you’re fine when you’re not.” Her expression softened but she
