The Chance (Thunder Point #4)(25)

“He said she was avoiding the stop sticks and went off the road.”

Eric shook his head. “I think if you could see and avoid stop sticks, the police would find a better option for disabling a runaway car. But this isn’t my business. You’ll figure it out....”

“But you think you know what happened?”

Eric looked upward and put his hands in his pockets. “The bruise on the woman’s face bothers me a lot. Looks like she got coldcocked.”

“Maybe she had to put the seat back to get out of the vehicle?”

Eric gave that thought little time. “Anything’s possible, I guess, except the car’s on the driver’s side and it would be hard to reach the controls, but the passenger’s seat is forward,” he said. His gut told him the man was driving, at least a little drunk, got into it with the woman and during a fight that got physical, saw cars stopped right ahead, right in front of him, and swerved, going off the road. He hadn’t made it to the stop sticks. “Why don’t I just load that car while you think about it.”

He had a feeling he’d be taking it to an impound lot.

Six

Eric sent Laine a text at 6:30 a.m. to say he was back at the service station. And that he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He didn’t call because he didn’t want to wake her and didn’t ask if he could come over, even though the thought of curling around her warm body was enough to get him excited. Instead, he changed his clothes and prepared to work at least through the morning. He could call her later, maybe set up something for the evening. But waiting was hard. He wanted to get back into that soft bed. Now.

While he was still alone at the station, when no one could observe his silent struggle, he tried having a conversation with himself about exactly what kind of relationship he thought this might be, where it could go, what he should do with it.

Then he told himself to shut up. Who the hell cared? Everything he felt when he thought of her was good. God, they fit together perfectly. They had all the same moves. Only a stupid fool would look that gift horse in the mouth.

Besides, he had work to do. The police had impounded the SUV with one blown tire but Eric inherited the small truck the early morning fisherman was driving. The deputy gave the fisherman a lift to North Bend and Eric had to find four new tires. He couldn’t wait to hear what happened to the couple with the SUV. Though he believed he knew.

To his surprise, Justin showed up at seven. “What are you doing here?” Eric asked.

The kid kept his head down, which was typical Justin fashion. “My mom didn’t feel so good so she decided to skip church. I called Norm and told him I could handle the morning.”

“What’s up with your mom?” he asked.

“Just a bug,” Justin said. “No biggie. My brothers are home if she needs anything.”

This wasn’t the first time Justin’s mom had needed him because she wasn’t feeling well. “Seems like she’s sick a lot,” Eric said.

“She’s a little sickly, yeah, but she’s tough.”

“Is your dad around to help?” Eric asked.

Justin gave a short huff of laughter and averted his eyes. “They’ve been divorced since I was twelve. He doesn’t come around.”

Eric hadn’t known that. It hadn’t occurred to him to ask. “That puts a lot of responsibility on you and your brothers.”

“We’re up to it,” Justin said, moving away to get one of the work suits off a peg to put on over his blue shirt and pants. Eric was a real stickler about clean work clothes and Justin’s were always perfect—clean and pressed. His mother was consistent about that much. That was a good sign.

“Your mom work?” Eric asked.

Justin shook his head. “You turn on the pumps?”

“Yep,” he said. “If you can manage, I should find some tires for this truck. I’m going to put it up on the lift then drive to Bandon.”

Justin frowned. “What happened?”

Eric explained about the stop sticks and for the first time since he’d hired Justin, the kid almost laughed his ass off. He thought it was hilarious that the police screwed up and Eric began to wonder if Justin had a problem with cops. It wouldn’t surprise him; he was a surly kid. But he took the bonding moment to laugh with him.

“Will they get fired? The cops?” Justin asked.

“Nah. But their department will have to pay for the repairs. And I imagine they’ll have great drama about it. Could be some punishments involved. So, you ever see him? Your dad?”

Justin sobered and glared at Eric. “He left us. Why would I want to see him?”

“Gotcha,” Eric said. “Listen, I don’t have a lot of practice at this, but if there’s ever anything you need that you’d, ah, ordinarily ask a father for, you can always try me. I’m a helpful guy.”

“That’s okay,” he said.

“I have a seventeen-year-old daughter,” he reminded Justin.

“Right. I’m good.” And then he turned away to get busy cleaning up around the pumps and in the garage.

“Well, that was awkward,” Eric said quietly to himself.

Justin had worked for him for a couple of months and he was dependable, but ornery. Eric had suspected there were problems at home but he had no idea what kind. A single mother was a hint; they were probably under a lot of pressure. But it seemed like at least once a week his mother was sick. Maybe she was a drunk, Eric thought. Maybe she was chronically depressed. Whatever it was, it wasn’t doing positive things for Justin’s attitude.