by Grey, Chloe
“Why do you think that?”
“Neither of us have had easy lives, and we’ve spent a long time talking to each other about what it was like. Chase relied on me for support as a friend, but when we got closer, I think it was hard for him to balance both. I can be both his girlfriend and his best friend, but right now, he’s not opening up to his best friend. I don’t blame him too much, though.” Meaghan wrinkled her nose. “It’s the sudden move back out here, reconnecting with his mother. Having to grow up, I guess.”
“Do you think his mom may know more about what’s going on?”
Meaghan pushed her drink aside, shaking her head. “I have no idea what’s been going through Chase’s head, because he hasn’t been talking to me. To be honest, I’m not certain he’s thinking straight. He doesn’t want to end up not being able to take care of us. I think right now, he’s in survival mode. He’s not thinking about what’s going to come afterward.”
“Men,” Debbie grumbled before taking a gulp of her gin and tonic.
“Well, I’m sure they feel the same way about us a lot of the time,” Meaghan joked.
“Probably. I need to talk to Joey. I can’t keep this a secret from him, because it isn’t fair. But I have no idea how to bring it up.”
“How do you think he’s going to react?”
“He’s not going to be happy. I don’t think he’ll be angry with me, though. He might even help me if I admit to him how I still feel.”
“Are you sure about it? Could it just be something left over from before?”
“I have considered that. Being in love with someone I don’t really like isn’t what I wanted. I think it’s for real. You’d think, at my age, I would be able to deal with things like this. You’re twenty-one years old, and I’m asking you for advice,” she added, as if unable to believe it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“I know you didn’t, and I understand.” She gently tapped her friend’s back to reassure her.
“I guess you’re never too old to go through an emotional crisis.”
“Of course not.” Meaghan knew better than to be insulted by Debbie’s comment. In her shoes, she might’ve said the same thing. “At least you’re willing to talk about it with him. In my situation, there doesn’t seem to be any talking. Just constant avoidance.”
“There was a time when the thought of talking to someone about what I was feeling made me freeze up,” Debbie admitted. “I finally learned how to talk things through. I can’t imagine how hard my life would be if I had no one to talk to.”
Meaghan thought of Aunt Jennifer. Growing up, she and Chase had been the only two people she could turn to. In many ways, they still was. She and Debbie listened as the live band lit into their next number. She tapped her shoe against the bar, rocking gently to the soothing beat.
“I’m not very good at dealing with things alone.” Meaghan paused, thinking. “Sounds silly, really. I grew up in such a dysfunctional situation. You’d think it would be the opposite. But Chase and I always understood each other, and I could always rely on him.”
“I hope you can figure things out together,” Debbie said.
“Me too,” Meaghan agreed. But her words were lost in the harried sounds of the guitar, and the strong voice of the lead singer. She let the music take her away, help her forget.
She needed to talk to Chase. Maybe it was time he opened up. Coming to think about it, maybe she needed to come clean too.
***
When Meaghan arrived at work the next day, Jeff was night manager for the shift again. He was doing that more often lately. He was not letting up in his attempts to get closer to her, either. The way he looked at her made her feel awkward around him. He probably wasn’t going to give up until she agreed to go out with him.
As she made her way to the staff room, she told herself she was only reading into things. He couldn’t possibly care that much about her, not when there were other women he could date. What was the point in waiting for her?
Biting hard on her bottom lip, she made her way into the dining room, remembering at the last moment to put on her profession smile. Debbie was on shift. That was a relief. Having Debbie to talk to would make working with Jeff a lot easier tonight. Debbie would watch her back, and stood up to Jeff often. She waved to her friend on her way to her first table.
She stepped up to a table where a lanky middle-aged man in a business suit was seated. He continued to study the menu when she greeted him, and almost seemed annoyed.
“You do have coffee, right?” he grumbled.
“Yes, we do, sir.” Maybe it was her voice, or her warm smile; regardless, the man seemed to soften.
“I’ll have a black coffee,” he said.
“Be right back.”
She stepped up to the coffee machine, where Debbie was filling mugs.
“Did Joey take it well?” Meaghan asked as she grabbed a cup.
“Yeah, he really did.” Debbie shook her head as if in disbelief. “I told him yesterday morning, while the kids were watching cartoons. I knew he’d be careful of his reaction around them. He didn’t get angry. He just listened, before telling me he’d be by my side no matter what I decided. We were never just a couple. We’re best friends, Meg, and that means I can talk to him about anything.”
“I’m so relieved to hear, Debs. That makes such a big difference, being best friends.”
“I think you’re right about that. I can’t be certain what I have with Joey is true love, but it’s more than what I had with my ex. I’m going to stay with the man I married, the man I love, the man I can talk to about anything.”
She rubbed her friend’s shoulder. “Sounds like a good plan, hun.”
Meaghan filled the coffee mug and took it to the customer. He seemed giddy with the prospect of caffeine. He wasn’t ready to order yet, so Meaghan headed back to the counter.
“Have you made any headway with Chase?” Debbie asked, as she came through with a few empty trays.
“Not yet.”
“You’ll have to soon enough.” She grabbed a few plates and piled them onto a new tray.
“I will, soon. At least I don’t have to worry about involving another guy. Thank God.” Meaghan turned around to briefly survey the restaurant. They were beginning to fill up. It was a busy time.
“What about Jeff?”
The name startled her. Was it that obvious he was interested in her? “No,” she said. “He’s a nice guy, but I only love one man right now. I wish Jeff would respect that and look elsewhere.”
She headed back to the table she was waiting on, and thought of Jeff in the meantime. If he kept asking her out, she would have to raise it with Chase soon. Keeping that from him wasn’t fair to either of them.
The businessman sat sipping his coffee. He looked a lot more relaxed than he’d been when he first arrived, and had taken out his laptop to work.
“Would you like something from the menu, or is it just the coffee?” she asked.
“I think I’ll have dinner, please.” He was tapping away on his computer, not looking at her. Eventually, he shot her a brief smile as if he felt guilty for ignoring her. He belted out the two entrees from the menu and focused back on what he was doing.
She scribbled the order on her notepad. “Anything else?”
“Not for now. Thanks.”
“I’ll be back with your food soon, sir.”
As she stepped toward the kitchen to put in the order, she felt a hand on her arm.
“Hey, Meg,” Jeff said, giving her a warm smile. “I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing.”
“Not bad, Jeff.” She smiled back, tapping the order into the machine. “How about you?”
“I’d be better if you’d agree to go out with me.”
“Now is not really the time,” she said. “But…”
“But what?”
“I think you need to understand I’m with someone I’m madly in love with. That’s not go
ing to change, Jeff.”
“How would you know if you haven’t given me a chance yet,” he pressed, sliding his hand up and down her arm.
Meaghan pulled away. “Jeff, I work for your father, and I’ll be honest. This is becoming uncomfortable, working with you with these constant advances.”
He blushed. “Hey, can you blame me? Look at you. You’re gorgeous. I can be the guy who treats you like a princess.”
“I need to get back to work, or your dad’s going to fire me for not doing my job.”
“Don’t worry. I’m a patient man, Meaghan.” Without another word, he hurried off to check on the kitchen staff.
For the rest of her shift, she wondered if she’d made the right decision, not telling Chase about Jeff before this. She had a horrible feeling about it. Plastering on a smile, she made her way to her next table.
Chapter 11
On his day off, Chase walked to the cluster of shops a few blocks from the apartment. Meaghan had once admired a beautiful necklace there, and the glimmer in her eyes made him smile. He wanted to surprise her with a gift.
Working at the auto shop was still uneventful. No one had asked him to do anything illegal. He told himself to stop thinking about it any longer. He knew nothing, and put in an honest day of work every day.
He would quit when the summer was over. Once he’d finished his first degree program, he considered going to a trade school for a diploma in automotive technology. He was already studying engineering, but this job working on cars made him realize this was what he really loved doing.
He saw no reason why he couldn’t study to become a certified technician. Maybe he could open his own shop one day. A legal one. Until he moved back to San Diego, going to college was an escape from home. Now, San Diego was becoming his home. Things were different. He reassessed his reasons for choosing engineering in the first place, and found himself rethinking the path he was on. He had to remind himself to take it one step at a time. The answer would come.
Inside the small jewelry shop, glass cases glimmered in the sunlight, and soft music played from hidden speakers. Getting the necklace for Meaghan was a big step for him. He wanted to show her how much he cherished their friendship—and his growing love for her.
“Good morning,” the saleslady said in a chipper tone. “How can I help you?” She straightened her suit jacket as she emerged from behind the counter.
“I was hoping to buy one of the necklaces you have in the window.”
“Which one were you after?” The woman grinned.
“That one, please,” he pointed. “With the jewels going down the middle.”
She stared at him for a moment, but hid any reactions. “Special occasion?”
“You could say that. It’s for my best friend. I want to buy her something different. Something that says I love her no matter what happens.” He stopped, feeling his chest tighten.
Smiling, she went to get the necklace. “I think that’s wonderful.”
She handed him the necklace for him to take a closer look.
“I’ll take it.”
She cocked her eyebrow at him, and stopped for a moment. “You’re certain you want this one? It’s three hundred and fifty dollars.”
“Yes, I am. She’s worth it. And it’s perfect. She was eying it when we passed your shop a couple weeks ago.”
“Okay.” She carefully placed the necklace in a stylish box, and rang it up on her cash register.
After he paid and left the shop, he considered stopping by the restaurant to surprise her with the gift, but couldn’t remember when her shift would finish. He walked back to the apartment. He’d give it to her tonight. Right after telling her the auto shop was probably a chop shop.
When he got inside, he hid his purchase at the bottom of his dresser drawer. He plopped down on his bed for a moment, reeling at the thoughts in his mind. She would grill him for sure. She would probably demand that he quit immediately. If he told her everything, was there a chance she would turn him away? Maybe she’d think he had known all along. He didn’t think it was possible to totally destroy what they had built over the years—over something like this?
***
If it weren’t for the fact that three night shift mechanics were suddenly unavailable, Chase would never have been asked to help out that night. David had also tried to sweeten the request by offering him double-time pay, and even threw in the compliment that Chase was one of the best technicians the shop had.
Meaghan was still at work, so he reluctantly agreed. He knew the time was coming when he would have to tell Meaghan the truth. How he was going to explain it—especially going in tonight—was something he’d figure out while he was checking out what really happened late at night. In the morning, he’d tell her the whole truth about what he discovered. Or just before school started. They really needed the money.
The shop turned out to be a different place at night. It was full of high end cars, completely restored antique cars, chromed up touring bikes, all of them looking like there was not a thing wrong with them. Could they be stolen? He wasn’t sure he wanted the answer to that, but deep down, he knew. And when David told him to work fast on removing anything that could be used to identify them, he was positive.
“Why remove the VINs, David?” he asked, trying to act naïve.
“They’re going to Russia. It’s a big order from a friend of the boss out there. If the VINs are on them, he’ll pay a bigger customs fee.”
Chase couldn’t hold back the question anymore. “Are these stolen cars, David?”
“Bud. All these VIN numbers need to be removed. Just do it. And don’t ask questions you don’t really want to know the answer to, got it?”
Chase did as he was told when David walked away. He made up his mind to quit and explain to his mother he couldn’t work there anymore. He wondered whether his mother even knew what went on there at night. For all he knew, she might have been thinking her husband was a legitimate businessman. He’d have to ask when he saw her next. Whatever the case, it was time to move on. Double pay was good, but knowing this was illegal was the hardest part. So he thought—until he saw the drugs.
He had made the mistake of going into the back room to look for David. What he found instead was Oliver and Jose, standing beside David, sorting bags of white powder.
“What the hell! Shit. I didn’t know you ran drugs from here,” he said to them in a hushed tone. “You guys can’t be serious.”
Jose turned and studied Chase, as if trying to figure him out. “You’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would, man.”
“Dude. You said it was a totally legit job you were hooking me up to. Not this…” He couldn’t find the words.
Jose leaned forward on the counter and adjusted the gloves he was wearing. “Take it easy, man. No one asked you to come back here. Just look the other way, and leave it alone.”
Chase guessed the gloves were to make sure they didn’t leave behind fingerprints, but he had no clue. “I always knew everything would change if I agreed to come in for a late night shift. Now I know I wasn’t wrong. What happens with those packages?”
“We put them in those cars you’re working on,” Oliver answered. “Jose, start getting all this stuff into the spots we talked about.” He turned to Chase. “Get back to the work. You never saw this.”
Nodding, Chase left the room, with Jose behind him. He got back to removing VIN numbers. There were far more cars there than he thought possible, but it explained why they’d be there for the entire night. He watched Jose hiding the coke packages. Some of them were small enough to be tucked away in places no one would ever look. Others, he had no idea where Jose would stash them. He assumed Jose knew those places better than the police did, given they may have been doing this for a while.
“You’re doing well, Chase.” David placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s as though you’ve done this before.”
“Never. And I won’t do it again, no matter how g
ood the money is. I fix cars. I’m not a criminal. I’ve never broken the law. I hate the idea of doing things like this, man.”
“So do I, but it pays the bills. In the end, that’s the only thing that matters.”
Chase turned to look at David. “How did you end up working here?”
“Friends in the wrong places.” David smiled. “You have friends in the wrong places, too, otherwise you wouldn’t have ended up here.” Their heads turned to Jose, still holding a few bags of contraband.
“I heard doing a night shift makes it harder for you to leave.”
“As far as they know, you know nothing. Nobody needs to know you were here. I’m not getting you trapped in this if you have another option. You’re far too good a mechanic to be stuck in a place like this for the rest of your life.”
“Thank you, I guess.”
Laughing, David shook his head. “I know what you’re saying. If I didn’t get myself trapped here, I would have been a manager in a dealership or something, or running my own shop. You’re good at what you do, Chase, and you’ve got a chance to do something sensible with your life, rather than working in a place like this. If I had the choice, I would have left it behind a long time ago. Unfortunately, I’m far too deep in all this.”
“What do you think I should be doing?”
“Get out of here as soon as possible. I know the money can be attractive. With the amount you’re making, I know it would be easy enough for you to tell your girlfriend she didn’t have to work any longer…if you could ever bring yourself to tell her the truth about what you do.”
“I think I should. At the same time, I know how she’s going to react. Chop shops hurt people.”
“Yeah, they do. That’s why I don’t want to be here. You have a chance. Take it. Make the break. I’m sure you’ve got more than enough in your pocket. Leave us in the past and make yourself a good life, with the woman you love. You don’t have to become one of us.”