Mechanic With Benefits

Chapter 1 - Haley

Ever have one of those days where it feels like the universe is messing with you?

It seems like that's every day for me lately.

But definitely today.

I take a deep breath and glance at the sky, noticing the sun is about to set, and pray karma will do me just this one little favor. "Come on, car. Start. You can do it girl."

I turn the key in the ignition as I whisper, hoping and praying my Mini Cooper will pop back on. I've got about six hundred more miles to get to my sister's wedding, and I'll be damned if I'm going to get stuck in the middle of wherever the hell I am right now for the night. Besides the tiny town I just passed, there's nothing but cornfields as far as the eye can see.

I rub the dashboard, hoping my soothing touch will convince the engine to start.

"Come on honey. Start for mama."

The engine makes a sound like a sad dog growling, followed by a thud and a strange, pathetic noise in the front part of the engine.

I sigh, then open my door and step out of the car. Look, I'm a positive thinker. I'm not someone who likes to feel sorry for herself. But it's plain to see that lately, none of my plans have been working out the way I figured they would.

Four months ago, I had a plan to marry my fiancé. That is, until I walked in on him fucking another woman.

No, I'm not bitter, and yes, I have totally told my family about our breakup.

Okay, maybe I forgot to tell my sister about the breakup. But she's so OCD, she'll have an absolute freak out if I tell her I no longer have a date. The seating arrangements, numbers, etc., they'd all be thrown off.

And maybe I just neglected to give my parents that little detail too, since they would of course spill the beans to my sister.

Okay, okay, you got me. I have been sending my family fake updates for the past few weeks. A breakup of this magnitude is an 'in person conversation' when you have a family like mine. Trust me.

I'll figure something out about the wedding. But I have bigger fish to fry at the moment, like my plan to drive through the night until I arrive tomorrow, a few days early for her wedding. Why drive? Well, I have my fear of flying to thank for that.

Did I mention I'm a little OCD?

I walk around to the front of the car and open up the hood. Smoke billows out. I cough and stumble in my heels. For a minute, I stare at the engine and squint like I actually know what the heck I'm looking at beneath the hood. The truth is, I have no freaking clue, outside of the coolant fluid. I check that, and the levels look good.

"Dammit," I mutter to absolutely no one. My voice reverberates through the emptiness of corn fields on the side of the road.

I pull out my phone and do a google search for mechanics near me. The closest one is over a hundred miles away. I call. No one picks up. I call again. Nothing. I try again. No service.

I run a hand through my hair and throw my head up toward the sky. The sun is already dipping over the horizon, and although it's not dark yet, it will be soon. There isn't a single streetlight in sight, not a single car has passed me in two hours, and the world around me is dead silent. If I don't start walking now, I could be totally sleeping in my car.

I bite my lip. About two miles back, I pulled past a sign that said "Blackwell City Limits."

There has to be a mechanic in Blackwell, right?