The Best Is Yet to Come (20)

“I broke up a confrontation between Scott and another student earlier and he wasn’t happy with me. But he doesn’t know that I reported him to the dean…Besides, he’s at football practice.”

“You’re positive about that?”

Unsure if she was or not, she answered with a simple shrug.

“Call AAA back and tell them it won’t be necessary to send a tow truck.”

Although she heard him, he didn’t make sense. “But I’m going to need help getting the car to the tire store.”

“I’ll take care of it,” he said, in that no-nonsense way she’d come to expect from him.

“But—” she started to protest, and Cade cut her off.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to look a gift horse in the mouth?” He stared her down as if he expected an argument.

That was one of her grandfather’s favorite phrases. “Gramps,” she said, smiling at the memory of her taciturn grandfather. By contrast, her grandmother was the more nurturing of the two. They’d raised Hope and Hunter from the time Hope could remember. She had few memories of her mother and none of her father.

“Then you know what it means.” Even before he finished speaking, Cade went around to the trunk of her car. “Let’s get these groceries into my truck. I’ll drive you back to the cottage and then come deal with the tire.”

“You don’t need to do that…” Hope didn’t know why she was arguing with him, and yet she couldn’t help herself.

“Gift horse,” he said, reminding her of what he’d said earlier.

“Right.” If he was willing to do all that, she shouldn’t be looking for reasons to object. She certainly didn’t want to stand around in a parking lot for sixty minutes waiting for someone to come rescue her. Not when Cade seemed perfectly willing to help.

It took only a few minutes to load everything and less than five to deliver Hope to the cottage. He helped her cart in the bags of groceries, taking the porch steps two at a time as he made quick work of the task. Hope had called AAA to cancel the tow truck, grateful for Cade coming to the rescue.

As Cade drove off, Hope went to close the front door and noticed her landlady watching from the kitchen window on the other side of the yard. Just as she expected, her phone rang less than a minute later.

“Was that Cade Lincoln?” Mellie asked, and then added, “Again?”

Hope explained the situation.

“Someone purposely knifed your tire?”

“I don’t know if it was a knife or not, but it’s definitely flat, and clearly it wasn’t an accident.”

“Someone is apparently unhappy with you,” Mellie said, stating the obvious. “Or it could be a simple case of vandalism. Rare, though, in broad daylight.” Cade had basically said the same thing, dismissing any thought that it was a random act. He’d convinced her she’d been targeted, and Hope couldn’t help thinking otherwise, however uncomfortable.

“Cade stopped to help me,” Hope explained.

“So I see,” Mellie said, with meaning.

“He’s not so bad,” Hope felt compelled to tell her. She didn’t know many people who would go out of their way to lend this kind of assistance.

“Preston says the same thing, and my husband is a good judge of character. But if Cade gives you any trouble…”

“He won’t.” Hope was convinced Cade meant her no harm and felt the need to defend him. Knowing next to nothing about his background, she had little to go on other than the way he cared for the shelter animals. Yes, he’d been standoffish and uncommunicative, but Hope didn’t hold that against him. Learning that he was fulfilling his community service hours didn’t discourage her from being his friend. Everyone made mistakes; the key was learning and moving forward, which Cade appeared to be doing.

“I’ve got to get these groceries put away,” Hope said, using that as an excuse to end the call.

“Sure thing. Just know I’m keeping an eye on you.”

“No need, Mellie.”

“So you say. Fact is, I’m not willing to have you take any chances. If someone has a vendetta against you, then you need to be more aware of your surroundings and keep your eyes open.”

“I will, for sure,” Hope promised.



* * *



—

Nearly two hours passed before Cade returned. During that time, he’d removed the damaged tire, taken it to the tire shop, and had it examined and replaced. The shop called for her credit card number, which told her there was no saving the tire. Because it was a deliberate act of vandalism and not any flaw having to do with the tire or manufacturer, she was required to pay for the full cost of the replacement.

Cade must have bargained with the salesperson because she was given a discounted price for the tire. When she asked to speak to Cade, the shop owner gave him the phone. When he mentioned the name of the shop, Hope recognized it as the one close to the high school.

“It should have cost more,” she said, although she was grateful.

He grunted as if it was no biggie. “I got an employee discount. Remember what I said about a gift horse?” The abrupt way he spoke told her he didn’t appreciate her questioning him.

So Cade worked at the tire shop. “Okay, okay, got it. Thank you.”