“I can’t get another one. I really need this car to last longer for me. Is there anything you can do to keep it running, um, cheaply for me?”
He watched the expression on her face. Her voice sounded desperate but she looked put out. “I’m afraid that if I get one thing working, that will be a catalyst for other things to go wrong, and it would just nickel and dime you to death.”
“Can’t we just do little things just to keep it going? I can do without a lot of things, but I need transportation in case I have to go out of town.”
Yep, there’s definitely desperation in her voice. He watched her draw in an intake of air.
“Well, okay, I’ll give it an oil change, a tune-up, and I’ll add antifreeze because you’re low on that. We’ll see how long it works, hopefully long enough that you can look at another vehicle to buy, but I can’t make promises.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “Okay. When do you think it will be ready?”
“It should be ready by late afternoon,” Chris answered.
After she turned and walked out of the shop, Aaron, his oldest son, came up and sat down at the bar stool behind the counter, shaking his head. “Why didn’t you tell her it’s dead and there’s nothing we can do for it, Dad?”
“Well, she seems pretty adamant on needing it to last a little longer, so if I can buy her some more time, I’ll try to do that.”
His son rolled his eyes. “Hmm, hope it’s not gonna cost her more than it’s worth.”
* * * *
With nothing else to do until she got the call about the job, Janice started walking toward the motel. She saw what looked like a small apartment complex in the shape of an upside down letter L. The rental office was in the center of the complex. The sign in the middle of the front lawn said Arrowhead Apartments, and there was a small Vacancy sign under it.
Janice went into the office, and the person behind the counter looked up and said, “Hello. Welcome to Arrowhead Apartments. What can I help you with today?”
“I was checking to see if you have an apartment for rent.”
“Yes, we do. It’s a furnished one, but if you don’t need furniture, it can be taken out. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes, please.” Janice wasn’t ready to make a move until she found out if she’d gotten the job, but it didn’t hurt to look.
The lady took her down to apartment two, opened the door, and walked in with Janice following behind. The apartment was small, but just the right size for Janice. It had a nice living room with a bay window. There was a couch, chair, and television, and a kitchenette with a small table and two chairs. There was also a back door entrance to the apartment which led to the parking lot, where two parking spaces were clearly marked for the apartment. It was a two-bedroom apartment, the back bedroom being the larger of the two. There was a bed in the larger bedroom, but the smaller bedroom was empty.
“Rent is two-fifty a month, security deposit required, and no pets, no loud music after nine, and no wild parties.”
This would do it for me. I could live here. I have the security deposit already, I can’t have pets as I’m allergic to them, when I listen to music it’s on my MP3 with earphones, and have no friends. Sorry extent of my life.
“I’ve applied for a job here and as soon as I hear whether I’m hired or not, I’ll come back and put a deposit down and move in, if that’s okay with you.”
“Yes, there is an application process. Would you mind filling it out for me and I can process it? If you don’t get the job, or change your mind, you’re not under any obligation.”
“Okay,” Janice replied.
“What position did you apply for?” the lady asked. “By the way, my name is Norma.”
“Hi, Norma. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Janice Meyers.” Janice held out her hand to shake Norma’s.
Norma smiled and said, “Nice to meet you too.”
“I’ve applied for a library assistant position.”
“Oh yeah, Lillian Caldwell. She’s a nice person. You look like someone she would hire,” Norma commented.
They walked back to the office and Norma gave Janice an application and she filled it out and handed it back to her.
Janice left and walked to the motel. As she entered her room, her cellphone rang. It was the Colstrip Library number. “Hello,” Janice answered.
“Hello, Janice. This is Lillian Caldwell. I’m calling to offer you the job, if you really want to take something that you’re obviously overqualified for.”
“Oh, please, yes. I’d like to take the job,” Janice said happily.
They discussed the pay, which was minimum wage, but it was a start. Since it was Wednesday afternoon, they agreed that Janice could start on Monday. That would give her the time she needed to rent the apartment, move in, and get her car fixed.
She called Norma at Arrowhead Apartments. “I got the job, so I’m ready to sign the lease agreement if my application has been approved.”
“Yes, your application has been approved. Why don’t you stop by about two and we’ll get everything all set?” Norma said happily.
“Okay, I’ll be there.” Janice was relieved that she not only got the job, but was able to find an apartment too.
At two that afternoon, they got all the papers signed and Norma gave her the keys. “If you have any problems at all with the apartment or your neighbors, be sure to let me know.”
“I will, thank you,” Janice replied and walked out of the office.
Janice received another call from the auto shop telling her that her car was ready. She walked back to the shop and picked up her car, and then she drove to her motel room, packed her bags, and checked out. She had brought nothing with her except her clothes which took up the back seat, front passenger seat, and the trunk of her car.
After getting settled in her apartment, she called her sister, Amy, in Michigan.
“Hi, Janice,” Amy answered her cellphone.
“Hi, Amy. How are you and the kids?”
“We’re doing fine. How are you doing? I’m concerned about you.”
“I’m doing okay. I’m in a little town called Colstrip in Montana. I got a job at the local library as a library assistant, and I found a nice small apartment that I just moved into.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?”
“Yes. I need to be left alone. I couldn’t take being in Aspen anymore.”
“Are you doing okay physically?” Amy asked.
“I feel okay.”
“Are you eating?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I don’t know why you wouldn’t consider coming back to Michigan to be near us. We’re the only family you’ve got.”
“I know, but I just felt that I needed to do it this way, and by myself. I know you’re there and willing to take me in if I need a place to stay. If this doesn’t pan out, I’ll consider coming back to Michigan. I just wanted to check in with you and let you know where I am.”
“I’m glad you called.”
“How are the kids?” Janice asked.
“They’re fine. Branden is taking music lessons to play the tuba so he can be in band when he’s in junior high, and he’s driving us all nuts. Dan is more interested in playing football.”
“At his age?”
“Yeah, he and his dad are really into the football craze.”
“How’s Brian doing?”
“He’s good. He’s been working extra hours at General Motors, so it makes it hard for me to have sitters while we’re both at work.”
“Are you still working at Detroit Medical Center?”
“Yeah, lots of overtime, as usual. I got certified and I’m now the head RN in the emergency room.”
“Congratulations! I don’t know how you do it—overtime, family, a life…”
“It’s not always easy, that’s for sure,” Amy replied.
“Is it more money for you?”
“Yes, it’s quite a significant increase in our incom
e, which is good.”
“Well, I know you’re busy, so I’m going to go for now. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, sis. Call me with updates, and if you need someone to talk to.”
After ending the call Janice went to the kitchen to grab something to eat.
Janice was glad she had her sister. Their parents died several years ago in a car accident, and all they had was each other. They didn’t always get along when they were kids, sibling rivalry and all that, but as they grew into adults, they became very close. Janice would never had gotten through the horrible ordeal that she went through without her sister there to help her. It also helped that her sister was a nurse, and she was able to stay and care for her in the hospital and do the extra things that the nursing staff couldn’t or didn’t have time to do.
Chapter 2
Monday morning Janice started work at the library. After getting the necessary paperwork out of the way, Lillian showed Janice how the system was set up, which was the standard way that most libraries were set up. She had Janice go ahead and log in the new books, put the bar codes on them, and put them on shelves. Janice spent the whole week logging in books and learning where everything was at.
A couple of days later, Janice’s car wouldn’t start and she had to walk to work. Before she went to the library, she stopped by Colstrip Auto Care.
“Hi there, Janice. What can I do for you today?” Chris asked.
“Hello. I’m still having problems with my car.” She prayed he could get it running for her.
“Really?” He didn’t seem surprised about it. He flipped the sign around to Open. “What seems to be the problem?”
“It won’t start.”
Chris walked around behind the counter.
She thrust her chin up and looked him squarely in the eye. Why does he have to be so damn good looking? She found herself wondering what it would be like to be in his arms and kissed by him. She impatiently pulled her drifting thoughts together and willed herself to stay focused. She did not want, nor should she even be thinking about, this man in front of her.
“I really need this car to last me for a while. I can’t get another car right now. Please, will you see what you can do to get it running for me again?” By this time, her voice sounded shaky. She needed to get herself under control. She had been told that this man was the best, the only mechanic in town, and he didn’t appear to be too interested in doing the job. What am I going to do now?
He was quiet for a few minutes. “Let me take a look at your car and see if I can get it started for you. If not, I’ll have it towed in and see if I can find the problem and fix it.” He smiled faintly.
Janice let out a little sigh of relief. “How much will that cost me?”
“Well, I won’t know until I look.”
“Oh, okay.” She told him where her car was at and gave him the key. And this time she was careful not to touch him.
* * * *
Chris allowed his eyes to scan down to her feet, where she had sneakers on, and then back upward. He noted she was dressed in a blue suit. After she walked out, he watched her as she crossed the street and disappeared into the library.
Chris walked back to his office. The car seemed to work better after he gave it an oil change and tune-up, and the service engine soon light went out after he added the coolant. He had hoped that he’d seen the last of it.
He took off a half hour later to go take a look at her car. From what he could tell, it was the starter, and he’d have to have it towed in to replace it. He called Tony’s Wrecker Service and had the car towed in.
After towing it into the garage, he had Aaron get under the hood to see what he thought the problem was. He confirmed what Chris had thought. He called Janice at the library and told her, and she authorized him to put a starter in. Keeping in mind that she said she had very little money, instead of a brand new starter, he went over to Clancy’s Junkyard to see if he could get a good used one off of an old car there. He found what he was looking for, took it back to the shop, and put it in.
* * * *
Janice had started a literacy program to help people who wanted to learn to read. She had spoken with Lillian about it, who thought it was a wonderful idea and gave her permission to do it. It was the first day of class and she was surprised that she had twenty people signed up. She spent the morning working with the group. Then the first part of the afternoon she spent logging in more books.
At four that afternoon, it was time for her to go in and meet with Lillian. She walked into Lillian’s office while she was talking on the phone, and Lillian motioned for Janice to have a seat.
Janice looked around Lillian’s office, thinking about the days when she sat on the other side of the desk as the head librarian. Janice had turned two libraries similar to this one into state-of-the-art libraries. She lived for jobs like this, and she loved it. Lillian had told her that the town was slow to change, and that the council members and the mayor himself were not really willing to move out of their comfort zones. So Lillian felt they were going to have to proceed cautiously. Janice had other thoughts about how she would approach that problem, but it wasn’t her call.
Lillian finally ended the call, and then hung up the phone and looked at Janice. “Sorry about that. I had some last minute things to take care of. I called you in for this little meeting because I have some bad news for myself, but it could be good news for you.” She smiled sadly. “I have to leave Colstrip, permanently and head to California. My dad has Alzheimer’s disease, and he needs someone to care for him, and since I’m the only child, I’m the one that has to do it.”
“I’m so sorry, Lillian. Is there anything I can do for you?” Janice asked with concern.
“No, thank you. I’ll be turning in my resignation Monday, and I think you would be an excellent candidate to take over for me. I’ll not only recommend that to the mayor and to the council members, but I’d also be willing to give you a good reference if you’d like.”
“Of course I’d be glad to fill in for you while they search for another candidate, but I don’t know if I want the job. I…need to think about it.”
“You don’t think you’ll be staying?” Lillian asked, surprised.
“Well, I think so. I guess I haven’t thought about it much. I’ve been so tied up trying to get settled, trying to keep my car running, and getting used to a small town.”
Lillian looked out the window and said musingly, “It can be a great place to live, and it can also be a pain in the neck. Everyone knows everyone’s business, and gossip spreads like wildfire here,” Lillian added, laughing. “You think about it and let me know, okay?”
“Okay.” Janice nodded.
“In the meantime, I’ll be sure to talk to the mayor and the council members to have them let you fill in until they hire a replacement.”
* * * *
A week later, Janice stormed into Chris’s shop, frustrated and a bit peeved. “I thought you fixed my car. Are you really trying to help me or are you ripping me off?”
“Well now, calm down,” Chris interjected quietly.
“Don’t tell me to calm down. The car is down the street. It stopped right in the middle of the road! Everyone was honking at me, and I can’t get it to start!”
“Okay, let me get a tow truck out to your car and have it towed in.”
“I don’t have the money to keep paying for tows,” she said, her voice shrilled.
“If it’s something I did or didn’t do, I’ll cover the cost of the tow. Now, just go on to work, and I’ll let you know what I find, okay?” Chris tried to calm her down.
She glared at him. “I ought to stay here and watch every move you make on that car,” she said heatedly, trying to rein her anger in.
He let out a sigh. “You can do that. But since you don’t know a thing about cars, it would seem pretty ridiculous, don’t you think?” he asked, his brows raised.
“It would make you nervous and you’d feel fu
nny about trying to mess up the car again, wouldn’t you?” she asked pointedly.
Chris stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, smiling. “Well, first of all, I told you the car was not salvageable and that it was going to nickel and dime you. Secondly, I have other customer’s cars to work on and I’m not going to stand here arguing with you. If you want to stay here and wait until I can get your car in on the hoist, then fine. Stand over me. I won’t stop you. But if you want to go to work, I’ll call or stop by to see you when I find the problem. That would be more sensible.”
“Don’t try to patronize me.” Her temper flared.
“I’m not—” he started then stopped, turned, and proceeded to go back to work on the car he had been working on before she barged in.
She stood there for a few minutes, her mouth opened, and then she slowly turned and stalked angrily to the library to go to work.
Janice couldn’t decide what it was about him that unnerved her. The fact she was at his mercy, his sensuality, or his arrogance. Each time she saw him, she felt that warm tingling sensation through her body. She kept remembering the first day she collided with him and how wonderful it felt being in his arms. But him being the only mechanic in town left her at a disadvantage she didn’t like.
* * * *
Chris had the car towed in and took a look. It turned out there was a short in the ignition switch. A stupid thing he should have looked at, or thought he had looked at before. He fixed it for her free of charge.
Later that day when Janice came in to get her car, Chris was busy with Mary Barton, an elderly lady who’d brought her car in for him to look over before her impending trip. Chris told her, “Your car is fine, and you shouldn’t have any problems on your trip.”
“Thank you, Chris,” Mary said.
After everything was taken care of, he gave her his arm, and they walked out together to her car. He had to chuckle to himself when she brought her car in for him to service. She had a huge Buick and she was a little bitty woman, barely able to see over the steering wheel.
Book of Love Page 2