Chapter 1
Chapter One
“Come on, come on,” I encouraged my car. It began to sputter at a red light, and I was afraid it wouldn’t make it to my destination, my former job. I was on my way to collect my final paycheck after being unceremoniously fired two days ago. I had spent the last two days looking for another job, but had no luck.
As soon as the light turned green, I eased my foot off the brake, only for my car to stall and die in the intersection. How embarrassing!
A cacophony of horns blared as I tried over and over to get my car to start. It was dead, picking the perfect spot in the middle of the main intersection of the town for all to see. Feeling overwhelmed, I could no longer keep my emotions from taking over. The tears fell, and I sobbed out loud that I was sure everyone outside of my car could hear me.
Someone tapped on my window, and my heart leaped in my throat. Glancing up to where they tapped, my face had gotten redder. There was a handsome dark-skinned man staring down at me with a soft gaze and a kind smile. He motioned for me to roll the window down.
Feeling like I was a sobbing mess, I wiped my eyes and nose on my shirt sleeve and rolled the window down halfway.
“Car trouble?” he asked softly.
“Car trouble, boy trouble, life trouble,” I admitted too freely.
“I have my tow truck and could take your car to my shop. It isn’t far.”
“I can’t afford the tow or the repairs.”
“It’s no trouble with me, but there may be trouble with the police headed this way since you’re in the middle of the intersection, blocking traffic.”
My head craned around him and then turned to glance out of my windscreen. How could I have forgotten that I was still blocking traffic? “I’m sorry,” I sniffed, returning my attention to him.
“My name is Reece.”
“Missy,” I replied, my eyes finding his. They were a beautiful shade of golden brown that brought me a sense of warmth.
“Why don’t you hop in my cab, Missy, and I’ll just load your car up.” His voice was soft and caring, and I wanted to hug him for being so generous and helpful.
“Okay,” I replied. I rolled the window back up and grabbed my purse as he pulled his tow truck in front of my car and backed up.
I felt the tears threaten to fall again as I got in his truck, wondering how I was going to pay for the repairs. Not only did I not have a job now, but I also didn’t have a place to stay. I was living in my car until I could afford to get my own place. No one wanted to hire me, even though they had a sign saying they were looking for employees. I had plenty of experience in customer service and clerical, so I wasn’t sure what the problem was.
