Another Try

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

~5 years later~

I sat in the office at the shop watching the guys clean up and close up for the night. I took over managing J&A's Auto Repair almost a year and a half ago after Jimmy finally decided he'd had enough of this place. He always told me he thought of me like a son so when the time came to give it up, he knew exactly who he wanted to run the place. We stay pretty busy. We've built up quite a name over the years so there is always steady work and the money is always good.

It's almost 5 on a Friday night and I know the guys are itching to get out of here and start their weekend so I let them go early. It's been a slow Friday and we're only open for another half hour so I doubt anybody will be coming in. I spend some time in the office finishing up paperwork and ordering parts for the next week. The summer is beginning to wind down so our business is about to pick back up with all of the college kids about to head back out.

I was just about to lock up when I hear a banging on the front door. I wait to see if maybe they'll just leave but the banging continues. I walk over and throw the overhead door up and find a very pissed off Raegan.

"Rae, what are you do-"

"We have a problem.." she says, interrupting me completely. "So I might have kind of ran over something on my home from work and I might have a flat tire.." she rambles, picking at the imaginary lint off her shirt.

I bite my lip, trying to stifle the laugh threatening to burst out before composing myself.  "Pull it in here and let me take a look" I tell her before heading back into the shop.

I walk over the tire rack and pull the size tire I'll need for her 4Runner. It is a more than common occurrence for her, so I learned to just keep her tire in the shop at all times. I grab everything else I need from the parts room before heading back to the garage to start on her tire.

We make easy conversation, catching up on how our week had been and what was planned for the weekend. Raegan really was my saving grace these last 5 years.  After Hadley left, Rae helped me pull myself together. I spent a few months drowning myself in alcohol before she finally had enough and helped me get my shit together. We spent more than enough nights talking about everything that happened and I finally found the strength to pull myself back together again. To be honest, I owe my life to her. I know Hadley still keeps in touch with Rae but she knows that it's better if I don't know any details. Rae let me know that Hadley was ok, and she had moved out of state but that was all I would let her tell me. I didn't need to know.

"She called me last night" she said casually. I rolled my eyes before getting up to put her tire back on

"Rae, you know I don't need to know this" I warned, placing tire back into the truck. I busied myself putting the lug nuts back on.

"She asked about you Jase..."

That was enough to stop me in my tracks. I felt my body tense as I sat trying to make sense of that she had just said. In the 5 years since she left, she's never asked about me. Well, not that I know of at least.

"What did you tell her?" I asked as I got up and walked to my office. I was definitely in need of a drink now. I plopped down in my chair and reached into the mini fridge under my desk, grabbing 2 beers out. Rae followed me in and found a seat on my desk right in front of me. She opened her beer and took a sip before continuing.

"I told her you were great. Had a hot little girlfriend that I've tried to steal from you time and time again and that you're better than ever." She said with a cheeky grin. She always had a way of lightening the mood when she knew things were about to get serious.

"Oh hell yeah!" I laughed before asking "What did you really tell her Rae?"  She and I both know that there's no other girlfriend. I may be better than I was but I'm not exactly ready to date again. The ring I bought is still in my truck. At the moment, it's hanging around my rear view mirror on the chain with my dad's dog tags. Constant reminder of the life I could have had, I guess. Rae takes another swing from her bottle before answering me.

"I told her you were good. That you that taken over the shop here and that you'd bought you a house. I left out the part about the two-month long slump you were in when she left. And I definitely didn't tell her that you still had the ring you told everyone you pawned."

I couldn't act surprised she knew. She's been in my truck so many times that there's no way she hadn't seen it. I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of it and I can admit that now.

"I couldn't do it Rae," I said quietly. I knew I wouldn't have to explain any more than that. She's been here through it all. She knows how bad it was.

"I know Jase. It's okay" she says, pulling me in for a hug. "I need to warn you though, I have a feeling she may come back. And I don't want you to be caught off guard if she does," she whispers to me.

I nod my head, letting her know that I understand. Little does she know I've got a turning in my gut that this is only the beginning of the trouble heading our way.