Page 21 of Defining Us
Sometimes the simplest things—a ride home here, a compliment there—could shift your entire world. And as she approached the exact location where her car had broken down, it was evident that another significant moment was destined to transpire. This time she’d have the courage to embrace it fully.
Because her earlier thought was right on the money. She’d played it safe for too long. Last night’s events notwithstanding, of course. She swerved to the side of the road and parked her car. The roads were quiet, but she put her flashers on as a precaution and grabbed her cell phone. As expected, the dating app took a while to generate, thanks to the spotty service.
When she pulled up her matches page, her heart plummeted to the ground. Joel’s profile was gone. He must have deleted it completely. There went her brilliant idea to message him. To use it as a tool to put herself out there and clear the air between them.
Go big or go home, Mallory.
She scrolled through her call log and found the number for Foster Auto Body. With bated breath, she waited for the call to connect.
“Hello, you’ve reached Foster Auto Body. We’re sorry we can’t come to the phone right now. Please press one to leave a message, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. If you need emergency assistance, please press two.”
This might not constitute an emergency in the grand scheme of things, but nothing felt more important to Mallory. She pressed the correct button, still unsure what she’d say if Joel picked up instead of his cousin. Thankfully, Tony’s voice reached her ear.
“Foster Auto Body,” he said. Faint noise echoed in the background, almost as if he’d stepped away from a gathering.
“Hi, Tony. It’s Mallory.”
“Ah, the librarian. Hello again.”
His tone was playful as usual, and she suspected Joel hadn’t told him about last night’s events. It strengthened her resolve to follow through on her impulsive plan.
“My car’s broken down,” she lied.
“You’ve got shit luck, huh?”
“You have no idea. But I’m hoping that changes soon.”
He laughed and asked, “Where you at?”
“Same exact spot as last time.”
There was a slight pause, and she could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. “What a coincidence.”
“It is. Any chance you can send the tow out?”
“I’m in the middle of something right now…but pretty sure I can get my cousin to take care of it,” he quipped, catching on straightaway.
“Don’t tell him it’s me, okay?”
“Why not?”
The memory of Joel’s distraught face hardened her throat. “I’m afraid he won’t come if he knows.”
“Lovers’ tiff?”
“Something like that,” she conceded.
“I’ll tell him it’s a helpless old biddy, how’s that?”
Close enough,she thought wryly.“Perfect. Thank you.”
With the plan in motion, she sent a message to Tyler, apologizing profusely for canceling their date at the last minute. He replied back almost immediately, showing a gracious level of understanding, and suggested rescheduling for the following weekend. But there was no point in pursuing things further. Not when her sights were set on only one man. After respectfully declining Tyler’s offer, she deactivated her account on the dating app.
The minutes passed as she waited on the side of the road, her heart and hope on the line.
SEVEN
Headlights brokethrough the haze as the tow truck approached a half hour later. Like last time, it parked in front of her vehicle but idled for several seconds. Joel didn’t emerge, suggesting he’d recognized her car and put two and two together.