Page 4 of Sunflower Persona (Classic City Romance #2)
“No. I’ve had a couple warning lights on for a few weeks.” Months, if I’m being honest with myself.
My face twists with a grimace and my chest heaves with a sigh. Everything about this situation could have been avoided if I had swallowed my pride and asked for help weeks ago.
“I can’t do anything to fix it tonight. I say we leave it. We can call a tow truck out to get it in the morning.”
“Fuck.”
That’s going to run me at least a hundred dollars.
Repairs might be minimal, or they could cost thousands—thousands I don’t have.
Hell, even the hundred is going to be tough.
If I shuffle around some money and only pay the minimum on a few bills, I should be able to pull it off and still be able to pay my rent on time.
That’s assuming I’m still able to get to work.
Even if I can, I’ll never be able to afford the repairs, and I sure as hell can’t finance a new car.
Nausea turns in my gut as real panic takes hold. I’m so goddamned screwed. One fucking misstep, and I’m going to be dragged back down to the bottom again. No, below the bottom. At least when I took that blow to my knee, I had no control over the outcome. This, though, is all on me.
“Hey. Earth to Gage.” Karis snaps in front of my face. “Eyes on me, asshole.”
Her sharp words are the lifeline I need to pull myself out of my spiral.
“You good?” she asks. Unusual gentleness softens her impish face.
“I’m fine.” I grunt out the lie.
“Sure you are. Come on, let’s get you home.”
She picks her helmet off the ground and heads back to her bike.
I’ve always hated that thing. Partly because it’s a death trap and partly because she never lets me drive.
Tonight, I don’t have it in me to give her shit about it as I follow her and straddle the seat behind her.
She’s always tiny, but sitting between my legs, she feels dainty and fragile.
If I told her that, she would kick my ass into next Sunday.
Wrapping my arms around her adds another layer to the awkwardness. As much as I love the woman, this isn’t a position I want to be in with her. It’s far too intimate. She is practically my sister—not that I have a real sister to compare it to—but I wouldn’t want to hold my brother like this either.
When people talk about riding a motorcycle, they often talk about the exhilaration and sense of freedom they feel.
I think they are full of shit. A deep pool of dread churns in my chest the entire ride back to the apartment.
Images of us splayed out on the street, bloody and broken, flash through my head until we finally come to a stop in my run-down complex.
A dog barks from a nearby window as I hop off my ride, and the telltale aroma of weed drifts from somewhere in the back.
Home sweet home .
To my surprise, Karis cuts the engine and follows me up the creaking wooden stairs to my unit. I should have seen this coming—it’s in her nature to meddle.
Familiar darkness greets me as I push open the door. Normally, I wouldn’t even bother with the lights, but for my friend’s sake, I fumble for the switch and flood the room with a dim orange glow.
“So what’s the game plan?” She flops onto my ratty old couch and props her booted feet up on the coffee table like she owns the place.
“Don’t have one.” I pull out two beers from the empty fridge and crack them open.
My grocery budget has been limited over the past few weeks. Money is always tight this time of year. When classes aren’t in session, business is as dry as the Sahara. Now that the students are back on campus, things will pick back up.
I hope.
“Don’t lie to me. I know you’ve been running through scenarios since before you called me.”
And none of them have shown me a way out of this mess. All I can see is a chain reaction that ends with my life in pieces.
With a sigh, I join her and take a sip from the chilled can, but the contents are tasteless on my tongue. Karis doesn’t push me any further—she knows it won’t get her anywhere.
“The only solution I see is getting another job. But without a car, that’s pretty much off the table.
I’m not sure how I’m going to keep up with the ones I already have without reliable transportation,” I say, then take the last bitter sip.
The alcohol works to take the edge off my desperation, letting me actually think.
“See if you can get a job downtown, then. That way you only have to figure out the commute once. Preferably a morning shift, like a coffee shop or that bagel place on Clayton Street. You can walk to the gym between shifts in the morning and shifts at Cutter’s.”
“That still leaves getting to work and back home.”
“Take the bus? Or a rideshare? I know that’s an extra expense, but it’s better than not making money at all.”
Fuck. She’s right.
If things get desperate enough, I can probably stay with Morgan and James, but the last thing I want is to intrude on their honeymoon phase. I don’t think I would leave that without mental scars.
“I’ll give you a ride downtown in the morning, and you can ask around to see if anyone is hiring urgently. After that, I’ll give you a ride over to Double Teep so you can coach the brats. You can start stressing about things on Sunday.”
“Fine. You coming back bright and early?”
“Fuck no, I’m crashing here.”
Of course she is. It’s a good thing I kept her toothbrush from last time.
“Sure. I’ll grab something for you to sleep in.” Before I step into my room, I add, “Thank you, Kare.”
She waves off my thanks with her attention locked on her phone. That doesn’t make my gratitude any less real.
After I get her settled on the couch, I slip into my room for a short few hours of fitful sleep. Alone in the dark, my gloom finds me again, relentlessly reminding me that things will only get worse from here.