“That’s what I thought.” Ali began putting lids on the food containers and loading them into the fridge.
“Not really a fair bet.”
She set the last container back on the counter and rested her hands on either side of it. “I’ve had a really long and not-so-great day. I’m tired, and I have to get up really early tomorrow to figure out how in the hell I’m going to get all the way down to Virginia without it costing me a fortune. So, if you wouldn’t mind…”
“I told you I’d give you a ride.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I won’t forget about you again, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’ll stop in the garage before I go up to my apartment, and put the battery on my seat.” I saw the hint of a smile.
“That’s how memorable I am? The only way you won’t forget about me is if you almost sit on a big black box?”
“It would just be a precaution.” When she shrugged, I knew I had her. “I’ll even get coffee for the road.”
“What else?”
“For the road?”
She nodded.
“Um…” I’d already delivered the gyro salad; that wouldn’t be good in the morning, anyway. “Yogurt with granola and fruit.”
“Okay.”
“Okay, you’ll ride with me tomorrow?”
She covered her mouth with her hand, yawned, and nodded.
“Goodnight, Ali,” I said, walking over and standing right in front of her. “We’ll leave at six. That will give me time to look at your car before I have to be at the courthouse.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“I want to.” She looked dead-on-her-feet tired and so fucking beautiful I wanted to pick her up, carry her into the bedroom, and…tuck her in.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
I smiled. “Like what?”
“You know.” Ali took a step to the side and walked around me. “Goodnight, Cope.”
I got on the elevator, feeling like I’d just won some kind of prize. Why did I feel so elated when I was the one doing her a favor?
The next morning, when I got in the car after Ali did, I wished I hadn’t brought coffee. She smelled so damn good when she stood next to me while I unlocked the passenger door and opened it for her. It wasn’t perfume; it was just her. The smell of coffee, though, overpowered the smell of her. I smiled and rolled my eyes, remembering the conversation we’d had the night before.
“Last chance if you want to change your mind about our bet.”
“No, thanks.”
I pointed to the two stainless steel travel mugs of coffee sitting in the holders. “One’s black, one has cream and sugar.”
“Which one is yours?”
“Whichever one you don’t want.”
She picked up the one closest to her, opened the lid, closed it, and took a sip.
“Black, huh?”
“I don’t like sugar in my coffee.”
“Noted.”
She turned her head away and looked out the window. “I doubt it’s knowledge you’ll need in the future.”
“There’s food in a bag on the back seat,” I said as I pulled out of the garage and onto the street. This early in the morning, it would only take us a little over an hour to get to the area where the garage and courthouse were. My guess was it would take me thirty minutes to switch out her battery. The courthouse didn’t open until nine, so we might have time to kill.
“Everything okay?” I asked when we’d been on the road for a half hour and she hadn’t said anything.
“It’s nice to be able to look at the scenery. This is a prettier drive than the one back yesterday.”
“This is my favorite way to go when I have time.”
“Do you have to drive to the courthouse often?”
“Not the courthouse, but the area.”
“What’s there?”
“Lots of cool things.”
She turned and looked at me for the first time since we left the parking garage. “Like what?”
“A few museums, stuff like that.”
“What museums?”
“One is a Civil War museum.”
“That does sound cool.”
It was one of my favorite places. My grandfather used to take me there when I was a kid. Now, when the stress of my job got to be too much, I’d jump in the car and drive down there. Just sitting on a bench and people watching, like my gramps and I used to, was enough to melt my tension away.
“I’d like to see it sometime. It sounds interesting.”
“Yeah?”
“There’s nothing like that in California.” She laughed. “Lots of Spanish missions, though.”
“I’d like to see a mission sometime.”
“Yeah?” she asked like I had.
We spent the rest of the drive talking about the places where we grew up. They couldn’t have been more different.
The mechanic wasn’t open when we got there, but we only had about fifteen minutes to wait.
“I shouldn’t have drank so much coffee,” I heard her mumble.
I started the car back up and drove down the road to a diner I knew was open. “I need to use the facilities too,” I explained when I parked near the front door.
I waited for her by the entrance after I’d used the men’s room.
“Hang on,” she said, holding up a finger when I opened the door to go out.
“I was wondering if I could get a piece of that pie to go,” she said to the waitress behind the counter.
“Of course, darlin’. You want that warmed up?”
“No, thank you. I’m not going to eat it until later, anyway.”
“Here you go, doll,” said the woman. I watched Ali hand her a five-dollar bill and turn to walk away. “Miss,” called out the woman, “don’t forget your change.”
“That’s okay. Please keep it.”
“I brought yogurt,” I said once we were back in the car.
“I know. I just think it’s rude to use the restroom and not buy anything.”
“I think they’re used to it.”
She shrugged. “Maybe I’ll be hungry later. Or you will.”
There was something about her simple act of courtesy that shamed me. I doubted I’d ever be able to use a restroom again without buying something.
When we got back to the mechanic’s, it was open. “Wait here. I’ll be right back,” I said, parking in an open space near her car.
I told the kid behind the counter why I was there and that “my girlfriend” and I had had a miscommunication the day before. She didn’t realize I’d already purchased a new battery when she had the car towed.
“You want us to put that in for you?” he asked.
“I can do it, since I didn’t purchase it from you.”
“Have at it,” he said, handing me the keys.
There were at least five things wrong with what the kid had just done, but rather than lecture him, I took care of Ali’s car. The sooner we were on our way and this was behind us, the better.