The Hero (Thunder Point #3)(66)

First, he’d never had big bucks, so that wasn’t going to be a problem. But he also hadn’t had that much time, owning his own business. Then everything in his life started to change, and it felt like a chain reaction had begun. His relationship had fallen apart and he was on his own again. His auto body and restoration shop had grown successful and someone wanted to buy it—for an offer impossible to ignore. There was a small service station with potential that had been for sale for months in Thunder Point and he had come to look it over. For the second time.

But that family he had run from so many years ago lived here. He liked the idea that he could see more of Ashley; maybe watch her cheer a game or two, maybe be in the crowd when she graduated. But he wasn’t sure Ashley, or Gina for that matter, had any interest in seeing more of him. Even though everyone had settled into their lives, having the biological father show up could really bring attention to the fact that Ashley had been born out of wedlock. And her father was an ex-con.

Eric went to the service station and had his Jeep SUV gassed up. He pulled over to the side of the station and went into the garage to have a chat with Norm Sileski who had owned and worked this station for about forty-five years. He had a couple of grown sons who didn’t want it. It was far beneath Eric’s standards—it was run-down, dirty, greasy, broken down and weathered. But it was the only game in town, had room on the lot to expand and Norm did most of the car repair in town. Eric suspected people got their gas other places when they could; he was a little high-priced. He’d looked over the P&L reports—Norm made a decent living.

And no one knew better than Eric how to turn a run-down dump like this into a first-rate business. He’d already done it once in Eugene. He’d expected to be there for the rest of his life. But then some rich guy who wanted a chain of body shops came along and...

“You need new pumps there, Norm,” Eric said.

“Need new everything, Mr. Gentry,” he said. “But I’m not putting another dime in this place to pretty it up. I’m headed for seventy years old. Fast.” And then he grinned. “You buy this place, I’ll turn a wrench for you part-time as long as I’m upright.”

“You don’t want to enjoy your retirement?”

“Yes, sir, I do. If Mrs. Sileski has her way, I’ll be going on cruises and traveling to countries where I don’t speak the language. Just gimme a wrench.”

Eric laughed at him. He asked a few more questions—who were his employees, mechanics, cleanup crew; had he ever kept a tow truck at the station; who was his distributor? They chatted about the weather for a little while. Eric asked Norm if he’d lived in Thunder Point his whole life and how he liked it. “Like it fine if you can take having everybody and their brother in your business all the time.”

Hmm, Eric thought. That might be a downside, especially for someone like Ashley. And her mother.

He was a little early when he got to the McCain home to pick up Ashley. The place was alive with activity. Mac was rushing off with his son, Ryan. Eve McCain and her boyfriend were taking the youngest, Dee Dee, to her dance class, Gina was still at work. Everyone said hello, shook his hand and carried on. And Ashley was ready. “This is a typical Saturday,” she said. “I usually have cheer practice, but we won last night’s game and that bought us a day off.”

“Hungry?” he asked.

“I’m starving, but I never shop after food. Can you make it another couple of hours? Two at the latest?”

He thought he might faint by then. Of course if he had his hands in an engine or was in the paint bay or hammering out a classic car bumper, he could forget to eat. But, trying to play the good father, he was going shopping.

“No problem,” he said. “Just lead the way.”

Eric hated shopping. He usually went about twice a year—once for a bunch of clothes, underwear and socks and the second time to buy Christmas presents. But there was something about shopping with the daughter he hadn’t known he had that was a whole new experience, and it was energizing. She tried on everything; she was very particular. And as if she was spending her own money, she was painfully frugal. She turned away many items even after he said he could well afford them. Her choices were mostly sale items. In the end she had a very full shopping bag for a grand total of $247.68. Most girls her age would have taken advantage of an opportunity like this. After all, he owed her.

“Shoes?” he asked.

“I’m good.”

“Lunch?”

She laughed. “Starving. There’s a Red Robin around the corner.”

They got a booth and wasted no time in ordering. And while they waited for food, Eric asked about school and about Frank, two things he asked about whenever he talked to her. When he’d first learned of Ashley and first met her she’d been going through a painful teenage broken heart—her serious boyfriend had gone off to college and found himself a new girl, throwing Ashley into a very vulnerable depression. That was, in fact, the reason Gina came looking for him. She’d been so worried about Ashley she thought it made sense to find out if things like depression ran in Eric’s family.

And then in one of those fateful episodes no one can plan or even guess, one of the people to help her pull out of it was Crawford Downy’s younger brother, Frank.

“Frank is good,” she said. “He already has scholarship offers. He calls himself a nerd, but he’s not really. Well, yes, I guess he is. But he’s so interesting and so cute I forget about that. Besides, he’s the nicest person in the world. And to think I wouldn’t even really know him if Downy hadn’t dumped me.”