Page 2 of Don’t Look Back

“I topped up your wiper fluid and filled your tires. You shouldn’t wait so long between services; it takes a toll.”

“I know,” he said bashfully. “I was waiting for payday. How much is the extra stuff?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I brushed off with my eyes locked on the computer screen. “It was nothing for me to do. Go get yourself some new wiper blades and I’ll put them on for you too—no charge.”

“Wow. That’s kind of you. Thanks.”

I gave a one shouldered shrug. “Perks of being the owner’s kid.”

The card payment completed and I stapled the receipt to the invoice. It was only then that I noticed kind brown eyes peering back at me from behind black-rimmed glasses. He smiled, and a dimple popped in his left cheek.

“Have a great weekend,” I mumbled, feeling unexpectedly flustered. my hands shook as he took the papers from me.

“You too.”

Following him to the door, I locked it and leaned against the glass. My shoulders slumped, and I let out a heavy sigh. I checked my phone, still not finding anything to ease my fears.

“Charlie, I’m out!” I yelled through the shop. I didn’t wait for a response. I grabbed my keys from the office and tried to leave, only for Charlie to block the door with her body.

“Please move, I’m not in the mood.”

“I noticed.” Charlie turned a grease-ridden cloth over in her hands. “Look, I don’t know what happened and I’m not the kind to pry, so come out with me and Sawyer tonight. We’re just going to The Hole. Come have a couple beers with us.”

I instantly went to say no but stopped to think about it. Sitting at The Hole with Charlie and her loud, opinionated asshole of a younger brother, or at home—alone. Sawyer was one person that I went out of my way to avoid, but was home any more appealing?

“Fine, but if your brother calls me Betty Crocker again, I’ll stick my whisk up his ass.”

I should have gone home.

It had only been an hour, but nothing good had come out of Sawyer’s mouth since we sat down. I slumped in my seat and quietly nursed my second beer. I had my phone on the table, but the screen only lit up with a text from my dad that I ignored. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.

When I’d stopped home to change after our shift, I knew that something was off the second I walked in—all of Grace’s shoes were gone from the pile by the front door. As I moved through the house, reality struck: She’d actually left.

Half the dresser was empty, along with her clothes in the closet. The counter where her makeup usually sprawled out in every direction was wiped clean. She’d even taken her fruity, low-fat yogurts from the fridge. The absence of the things that used to piss me off now brought tears to my eyes. It was as if she’d never been there at all.

I sputtered, my bottle smacking into my teeth when Charlie tapped the bottom of it. “Dude, what’s up with you tonight?”

“Nothing,” I snapped, now irritated and covered in beer on top of everything else.

“Bullshit.”

Of course I’d been caught. Charlie knew all my tells. Even when my dad was completely oblivious as to what was happening in the life of an angsty teenager, Charlie knew. She always knew. She was the big sister I never had—and sometimes the one I never wanted… such as now. She was forcing me to face my feelings, and I hated it. I set my bottle on the table with a clink.

“Grace left me,” I admitted, my gaze fixed on the bottle’s peeling label.

Before Charlie could react, Sawyer opened his stupid mouth.

“‘Bout damn time. I knew you couldn’t keep a girl like her. I’m stepping outside while you two have your girl talk.”

As people often did with Sawyer, I chose not to address him. It never did any good. I picked my bottle up and drained it. With him out of sight, I relaxed—slightly.

“Shit, man. What happened?” Charlie finally asked. “I thought you two would make it all the way.”

I scoffed. “Thanks for that.” My eyes burned, and I willed the tears away. I wasn’t a crier, damn it. “I don’t know. She broke it off in a text. You’d think after nine years I’d earned more than that. When I got home all her stuff was gone, and she blocked my number.”

“I um… I really hate to hear that.” Charlie rubbed her neck. “Can I do anything?”

“Thanks, but no. I don’t even know what to do right now, much less how to let someone help.”