Summer Down South

by Lily Hayden

  She popped the trunk, dragging all her luggage on to the ground and dug out the spare wheel. She manoeuvred the bulky wheel to the ground and awkwardly rolled it to the side of the car, wishing she hadn’t chosen to change into short-shorts. The burst tyre was on the traffic side and as she bent down to begin removing the wheel, a passing car honked its horn appreciatively. The blast was accompanied by a yell, that sounded a little like “nice ass!” and, annoyed, she slipped her shirt from her arms and tied it around her waist.

  She’d changed a wheel a couple of times before. It was nothing she didn’t know how to do, but as she searched the trunk, she realised with growing irritation that there was no jack in the car. She tore the vehicle apart, looking under seats and every floor panel for the tools to fix this, but to no avail.

  This was just fucking great.

  She slid back into the vehicle and reached for her phone, dialling the hire company.

  “Your call is very important to us.” Came the automated voice followed by a blast of piano music.

  Frustrated, she slumped in the seat, anxiety levels rising steadily with her irritation. She could really do without this. If she missed her flight, she didn’t know what she would do. Her credit card was already stretched to the max.

  “Your call is very…” The chirpy robot interrupted the tinny melody, before the line went dead.

  Ella pressed her hands against her mouth, muffling her scream of annoyance, before redialling. A series of beeps told her the line was busy and she fought the urge to throw the phone into the passing traffic.

  She heard a low rumbling sound and she glanced in the rear-view mirror to see a tow-truck pull up behind her. Her heart jumped in hope before remembering her maxed-out finances. She couldn’t even afford recovery, she realised. She had no choice but to wait for the hire company to answer and sort this shit out. She watched as a man in overalls hopped out of the truck and made his way towards her. She glanced at her reflection, fluffing her flat hair. If there was a chance she could flirt her way out of this, she was taking it.

  “Hey.” The dark-haired man called as he swaggered over to her. “Need some help?”

  She pasted on her best damsel-in-distress smile. “Do you have a jack? I need to change the wheel and the stupid hire company haven’t put one in the car?”

  Her eyes caught the nameplate stitched across the chest of the overalls and she felt her heart skip a beat as she recognised it as the name of Jason’s auto-shop.

  Was this fate? Jason rescuing her again, however indirectly.

  The man walked a lazy loop around her vehicle and surveyed the damage and the spare wheel before grimacing.

  “I hate to be the one to break it to you,” He picked up the wheel and rolled it next to the car. “That ain’t even the right wheel.”

  Ella felt her chest constrict with the stress of the day.

  “Seriously?” She asked, panicked. “I’ve got a flight to catch. I can’t miss it!”

  “I can get you on the back of the truck.” He offered, rolling the wheel back to the trunk. “We’ll have the right size back at the shop.”

  “Uh, how much do you think that’s gonna cost?” She asked, desperately weighing up her options.

  She had just about enough to cover it and she knew the auto-shop wasn’t too far away. She could be on hold trying to get through to the useless hire company for hours for all she knew and so she accepted his offer, jumping into the cab as he hoisted her little car onto the truck. She tried to focus on the practicalities as they drove the short distance back into town, but she could feel her pulse quickening as they approached the shop and she couldn’t help the frisson of excitement she felt at the chance of seeing Jason after all.

  As much as she tried to suppress her own romantic make-believe, her mind was already running away with her. She could see it now: Jason would wander out from the back and see her, time would stop (obviously) and, in slow motion, they would move towards each other before he took her in his arms and declared his undying love. She grinned foolishly at her little fantasy and her rescuer shot her a strange look. She hurriedly rearranged her expression to one of a normal human being who was anxious about catching her flight on time.

  They pulled off the freeway and Ella could see the turning up ahead. Her eyes travelled to the spot where she’d hit the sidewalk earlier and she couldn’t help wondering if it had all been part of fate’s plan to bring her back when the driver shouted out, interrupting her thoughts.

  She followed his gaze to a plume of smoke in the direction of the auto-shop. Vehicles were moving slowly past the turning, rubber-necking at whatever was going on and blocking the road. He pulled the truck up on to the sidewalk and jumped out, racing over to the scene without saying a word. Frightened, Ella followed him. Her hair and the tails of her shirt whipped out behind her like a cape as she darted through the slow-moving traffic. She could smell the acrid burning of rubber and the smoke was thick and heavy. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she turned the corner to find out what was going on.

  A crowd had gathered at the edge of the street, holding each other back as plumes of smoke billowed from a building halfway down the block. She could hear sirens blaring in the distance and she weaved her way through the crowd.

  “Stay back.” Someone warned her. “The yard next to the auto-shop has gone up.”

  “Get back! Get back!” She heard someone else yell and all of a sudden, they were being pushed back into the road.

  The sheriff had turned up and was forcing the traffic to move and the bystanders to get across the street for safety.

  “Is anyone in there?” Ella heard someone ask.

  She turned and saw two men wearing identical overalls. She recognised one of them as her tow-truck driver, his expression grave with concern.

  “Jason made us all get out when next-door started smoking.” The other man said. “Gloria’s in doing the books. He went through to the office to get her, but then the whole place went up.”

  Ella’s heart stopped at his words. Without thinking, she darted forward, slipping beyond the makeshift cordon while the sheriff’s back was turned. She could hear the sirens of fire-trucks close by, but the smoke was growing heavier by the second. As she raced towards the scene, she could hear the crackle of flames and feel the intense heat. She could see the source of the ignition, the yard behind the chain-link fence where a car was blazing fiercely. The flames were so high, they had caught the roof of the auto-shop, devouring the left-hand side of the building.

  “Jason!” She yelled out, stopping short of the doorway.

  She felt like she was trapped in a nightmare. One moment, she’d been leaving Texas, a little poignant over not working things out with a really great guy and now she was stood on the sidewalk, watching terrifying flames tearing through a building, with the man she loved trapped inside.

  The man she loved.

  The thought of Jason, the man who had been there for her, trapped, maybe unconscious in the burning building with nobody to help him was heart-breaking. She looked over her shoulder.

  Why wasn’t anyone going in after him? Where the hell were the fire-trucks?

  She knew, in her head, that barely two minutes had passed since they had pulled over and seen the fire. Everything was happening so quickly, yet she could feel with dogged surety that they were running out of time. She threw one more glance up at the flames curling menacingly around the edge of the building, and without thinking about what she was doing, she pulled her shirt from her waist, wrapping it around her face, ducked her head and disappeared into the side entrance.

  The side entrance led to the front desk and waiting area. To the left was the motor entrance to the body-shop and behind was the vast workshop beneath a high roof. The office was a tiny portacabin right at the back of the workshop. The right-side of the shop wasn’t on fire but it was heavy with smoke and she recoiled, unable to see clearly for more than a couple of metres ahead.

  “Jason!�
� She yelled, her heart twisting with dread.

  She darted through the corridor, coming out into the workshop. Here the smoke was thick, and she could see flames devouring the opposite wall, curling around the back of the workshop. The fire popped and crackled as the blaze tore through the shelves lined with flammable goods and utter dread stopped her in her tracks as she saw the fire catch hold of the little cabin that doubled as office-space.

  She pressed the shirt tighter to her face, spluttering as the toxic fumes filled her lungs. The fire was so hot and her skin, barely covered in the thin tank top, was burning from the heat. She raised her arms in front of her face as something on the other side of the workshop exploded. She squinted through the smoke, determined to not give up, but she could barely breathe, and she could see that there was no way of getting through the fire to the office.

  She could feel herself growing light-headed and she knew she had to get out of here while she still could. She hesitated. She knew it was impossible, but the thought of Jason terrified and alone tore her heart into inconsolable pieces. There was another sharp crack, followed by a bang and it echoed in the eerie shadows of the fire. She turned her head to see the flames seemingly leap through the air and something fell from the ceiling, fiercely igniting a stripped-back vehicle in the middle of the workshop.

  Something moved behind the wall of fire and her heart almost stopped as a figure burst through the flames. Through the smoke, she could make out a woman and Ella darted forward, seeing the figure stooped and gasping for breath. Without thinking, Ella threw her arms around the woman and dragged her into the safety of the corridor. She could feel the woman growing heavier in her arms and wondered which one of them, if not both, was starting to lose consciousness. Her eyes were burning from the smoke and she forced one foot in front of the other, fighting the dizziness that was threatening to overwhelm her.

  Her limbs were so heavy, and she felt like she was dragging the woman now. Ella could see the door ahead of them. She was so close, but every part of her body was hurting, screaming at her to just lie down and give up. She gritted her teeth and from somewhere deep inside, she found the energy to push ahead the last few yards, every muscle and organ physically hurting from the exertion.

  She saw the door burst open just as the corners of her vision began to swim and hands were grabbing her, pulling her, but that’s all she remembered and then everything went black.

  She came back around as she was being carried out into the street. She felt the fireman dump her into another set of arms and she blinked slowly, uncertain for a moment where she was or what had happened. Everything flooded back to her in the next second and, panicked, she tried to stand but her legs were still unsteady beneath her.

  “You need to sit down, honey.” A calming voice was ordering her, but all she could think of was Jason and she fought against the arms, twisting towards the burning building.

  “There was a man…” She managed to stutter, hearing her voice raspy and raw.

  “Ssssh.” The voice soothed. “The firefighters are here. You did a good job. You saved Gloria.”

  Ella felt a stab of guilt as she realised she had been so focussed on Jason, she hadn’t even thought about the poor woman who she had dragged out with her. Ella felt herself being manhandled onto a stretcher. She wanted to fight the hands that were trying to get her to lie down, but she was weak and dizzy. She heard a shout from outside the auto-shop and she used every last ounce of her strength to turn towards the noise.

  She saw someone emerge from the building. Her heart leapt into her mouth as she made out a shirtless man, his chest streaked with soot. His shoulders were slumped, but his head was searching for someone in the crowd.

  “Gloria.” She heard the familiar voice and pure joy at the sound burst through her weariness.

  She felt her feet swivel from the stretcher to the ground and she was propelling herself on shaky legs towards him. He turned towards the movement and his mouth fell open in shock as the slender blonde, face, arms and legs filthy from the smoke, barrelled towards him. He caught her in his arms, his eyes full of confusion.

  “Ella!” He exclaimed through raspy coughs. “You were inside?”

  “I went looking for you.” She told him, her heart racing from the exertion.

  She ran her hands over his face and his arms, savouring the solid feel of him. She saw his hand was burned and she winced, feeling tears springing to her eyes.

  “You’re hurt.” She choked, wildly whipping her head around to find the medic she had just ran from.

  “It’s ok.” He said, but she could see he was in pain. “The metal was hot. I had to use my shirt to open the door to get Gloria out. Did…”

  His voice faltered, and she saw the fear in his eyes as he completed his question.

  “Did she make it?”

  Ella nodded her head, desperate to extinguish the terror in his beautiful, grey eyes.

  “She did. She lost consciousness, but she got out. They’ve got her in the ambulance.”

  She saw him visibly relax and she pressed herself tight against him, needing to feel his presence. Before he could ask anything else, the medical personnel descended upon them. Ella hung by his side, shaking off their efforts to get her back on the stretcher.

  “I’m ok.” She insisted. “I want to go with Jason…”

  She looked at him shyly, suddenly realising that she didn’t even know if that was alright with him.

  “If that’s ok with you?”

  “Miss,” The medic interrupted, with a look of concern. “You inhaled a lot of smoke helping that lady out. You need to get checked out.”

  “You pulled Gloria out?” Jason turned to her and took her hand in his uninjured one.

  His eyes sparkled with unshed tears. Seeing Jason so vulnerable was the undoing of Ella and she felt heavy tears spill from her own eyes, washing a path through the engrained dirt streaking her cheeks. Jason’s mouth fell open and he pulled her awkwardly towards him.

  Now she had started, she was unable to stop the racking sobs that broke from her chest.

  “Ssssshhhhh.” He pressed dry, cracked lips to her forehead, holding her against him. “It’s ok now.”

  “I thought you were dead.” She sobbed, feeling herself shaking in his arms. “And I really, really fucking like you, Jason.”

  Her muddled outburst made him laugh and the sound was so pure and happy that she laughed back. She knew she was putting herself out there, but she couldn’t help it. The thought of leaving him and then losing him had made her realise how much he meant to her.

  “I really fucking like you, Ella.” He murmured gently to her. “You didn’t call me back, remember?”

  “Well,” She sniffed, half-smiling, half-sobbing still. “Does this count as returning your call?”

  He let go of her hand for a moment to tilt her face up to his, looking down into her clear, blue eyes.

  “Risking your life for me and Gloria definitely counts.” He grinned down at her. “So, we’re back on?”

  She thought about her flight leaving later that day, her broken-down car on the back of a tow-truck and her maxed-out card that would struggle to stretch to even one more night in a crappy motel, and she realised she didn’t care about any of those things. She’d figure it out later.

  “If you want me?” She smiled shyly.

  He bent his head, lowering his mouth to hers and she felt the fireworks explode in the pit of her stomach as he answered her question without saying a word.

  Leap of Faith

  Taylor cruised all the usual spots that she could think of. In a little town like this, there weren’t many options. She’d abandoned her useless phone so calling or texting him was out of the question.

  What was she going to even say to him? She wondered, as she executed a wide turn in the middle of the road to head back towards the swamp.

  She drummed her hands against the steering wheel.

  I’m sorry that you had to see picture
s of me making out with my ex. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about my awful weekend.

  She cringed. It sounded awful when she put it like that, but everything had happened so quickly with Noah and she hadn’t deliberately misled him. Noah didn’t strike her as a jealous guy, but seeing her splashed all over twitter was probably a lot for a new boyfriend to take in. It was all so new, she hadn’t even had chance to warn him about her crazy family.

  God, I’ve been planning to go to Costa Rica with the guy and he knows nothing about me.

  She slammed on the brakes, suddenly feeling very unsure about this all. Noah wasn’t like other guys she had ‘dated’. Although, actually, now she came to think of it, she’d only ever really dated Deon: everyone else had just been a passing fling. She had never chased after a guy before figuratively, let alone in an actual van. She toyed with the idea of heading back to the centre and just forgetting about it. By tomorrow, it would be yesterday’s news. Or Venice would have dropped a diss track and Taylor’s sisters would be cashing in on the likes. She almost managed a smile at the thought.

  She thought back to the conversation she’d had with Noah the morning they had gone out alone in the boat. What had he said to her? Something about how she wasn’t “another little rich girl”. She felt her cheeks grow hot. Right now, it felt like that was exactly what she was.

  No. She decided, gritting her teeth. She owed it to Noah to at least explain and apologise.

  Determined, she revved the engine and drove to the final spot that he could be. She peered into the distance as she approached the jetty. Her stomach fluttered with nerves.

  She had no problem jetting off to work with strangers in any corner of the globe or giving presentations in front of packed-out rooms, but putting her heart on the line and risking rejection? That was a new ball game, entirely.

  Stay or go?