Travis - A Scrooged Christmas

by Tracie Douglas

  “I don’t need your help—” She emits a yelp, because true to my word, I don’t ask her again. Instead, I pick her up and physically move her, carrying her to the driver’s side door. She feels light in my arms, and having her body pressed against mine feels good.

  “Get in, crack the window, and wait for me to tell you to turn the key.” Her feet touch the ground and she jumps away from me, her beautiful eyes wide and filled with disbelief.

  I walk back to the front of the car, and this time she listens. She opens the car door and gets in, but instead of the window, she cracks the door. “The window is electric; it won’t roll down.”

  I nod and begin to check the wires connected to the battery. Everything else appears fine. “Try it now.”

  I listen as she turns over the key and the engine roars to life.

  Bingo.

  Shaking my head, I slam the hood closed and turn to find her standing next to me. “When was the last time you had your car serviced?”

  “Just before I moved.” Her voice is soft.

  “You need a new battery,” I inform her and watch as she hangs her head. “There’s a shop in town. Rack, Rod & Roll. Tell them Travis told you to call, and they will get you set up.”

  I look at her daughter, who is no longer holding her hands over her ears but is now watching us both with curious eyes.

  “I’ll call.” She nods, but when I glance back at her, she’s looking away. I can’t help wondering how long they’ve been on their own.

  “It will die on you again.” She brings her eyes back to me, the seriousness in my voice drawing her in. “You don’t have a strong enough battery for this kind of weather.”

  “Travis.” She says my name like she’s testing it on her tongue. I like the way it sounds coming from her mouth, but I don’t respond. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea about me. “I’m Olivia, but everyone calls me Liv.”

  “You don’t want to be stuck outside in this cold with no heater.” I ignore the way her eyes have softened on me and turn away to leave.

  “Thank you,” she calls after me.

  I get into my truck and drive away without looking back.

  That’s not true.

  I watch in my rearview mirror, waiting to see her pull out of her driveway. When I see her safely on her way, I look ahead, vowing to never look back for her again.

  Liv

  “Hannah, can you please start frosting these cookies for the other neighbors? I want to run this next door to Travis, as a thank-you for helping us this morning.” Picking at the cookies for the hundredth time on the plate, I switch one of the oatmeal cookies out for another chocolate chip. He didn’t come off as an oatmeal cookie guy.

  I look up, and Hannah smiles big at me.

  “You like him,” she giggles.

  “Hannah—”

  “It’s okay, Mom. He’s hot,” she exclaims, lifting an eyebrow, daring me to disagree with her. I don’t, but she’s only seven and much too young to understand what hot means.

  “Hannah Elizabeth—”

  “Cassidy says her mom tried dating him once,” she cuts me off. Cassidy is her new friend at school. Thankfully, when we did arrive at the school, we weren’t terribly late. It was a late start day, whatever that means. I hugged my daughter good-bye and watched as she followed one of the ladies in the office to her class, hoping she’d look back and give me one of her million-dollar smiles, assuring me everything was going to be okay.

  She didn’t. And it nearly broke my heart.

  “You and Cassidy sure talked about a lot of things today.” I try my best to sound casual about it all, but I can’t help myself. “What happened?”

  “He’s a serious grinch and hates Christmas.”

  “Hates Christmas?” I ask, looking down at the plate of festive desserts. Crap, this is such a bad idea. “How can anyone hate Christmas?”

  “That’s what I said. But apparently, ever since he moved to this town, he’s never decorated, never wished a single person a happy holiday. He’s been nothing but a grinch.” She picks up a clean spoon and dips it into the frosting before popping it into her mouth.

  The sound of a car door opening and closing interrupts me from asking my daughter—who seems to know an awful lot about the man next door—anything more. I walk into the next room and check his driveway for his truck.

  He’s home.

  But that’s not what sends me flying out the front door of my house. It’s the man standing in front of my car with the hood open. He’s bent over it, doing something, but from my spot at the door, I can’t see what.

  “Get away from my car before I call the police,” I yell, and I see him react to my voice. It probably isn’t the smartest move, confronting whoever it is this way, but it’s too late now. The man peeks from around the hood of my car, and the moment my porch light hits his face, I breathe a sigh of relief.

  It’s my neighbor.

  Travis.

  “What are you going to call them with, a plate of cookies?” he asks, looking more annoyed now than he did yesterday on my front porch. I look down at the plate in my hands and turn, quickly placing them on the flat surface closest to me.

  This isn’t how I planned to give him these, and if what Hannah says is true, my original plan to leave them on his doorstep with a note is a safer bet.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you,” I admit and walk toward the car, stopping when get close enough. “What are you doing?”

  “Changing your battery.” He lifts the crummy-looking battery out of its spot in my car and places it on the ground. He lifts another battery, this one clearly brand new, and places it in the empty spot. I watch him carefully connect the wires, while my brain is firing rapidly. The sight and scent of him leave me breathless.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because you didn’t listen and do what you were told to do.”

  “I have an appointment tomorrow morning to have it done,” I lie because I don’t want him to think me incapable. Parker was always the one to deal with anything car related, so this is all new to me.

  “Where?”

  “At the place you recommended,” I volley and cross my arms over my chest. Which is difficult to do in my puffy winter coat.

  “Bullshit.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because I run the place, and no one called today about needing a new battery.”

  “Maybe I called a different auto shop.”

  “Impossible.”

  “And why is that?”

  “I’m the only mechanic in town. There isn’t another shop within a thirty-mile radius.”

  I feel my jaw drop and my skin flush with embarrassment. Caught in a lie, I don’t know what to say, except who the hell does he think he is grilling me like I’m some child?

  “You have no right—”

  “Look, lady—”

  “My name is not lady,” I spit, throwing my arms down to my sides. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you have no right to grill me this way. I said I would take care of it, and I will.”

  “I don’t know if you’ve missed something here, but this isn’t something you put off in the middle of winter. If you get stranded, you could freeze to death.”

  “Thank you for caring—”

  “Oh, trust me, darlin’, this isn’t me caring. In fact, this is the opposite of caring.”

  “Then why in the hell did you break into my car and change the battery?”

  He slams the hood down, bends over to pick up the old battery, and my eyes zero in on his denim-clad ass.

  Holy fuck! How did I miss that?

  When he straightens, my lady bits cry out in disappointment. And when he turns to face me, I feel that familiar throb in between my legs.

  “Your kid,” he explains quietly. “I did it because you have a kid. Just because her mother wants to make stupid choices doesn’t mean she should freeze to death waiting for a tow truck, which, by the way, woul
d come from my shop—”

  “Mom, is everything all right?” Hannah’s voice interrupts him from saying anything more, cutting the tension building in the air instantly. I turn around to find my daughter standing in the doorway with the plate of cookies I put together for our new neighbor.

  He opens his mouth to say something, but closes it before anything comes out and turns to stomp his way back to his house.

  Liv

  A fresh new layer of snow covers the ground today, even though the previous night’s storm didn’t last long. I rolled out of bed determined to right the problem of the battery. After last night, I wanted to be able to wipe my hands and my conscience regarding my grumpy neighbor.

  Hannah got off to school without a hitch, and I’m about to walk into the auto shop to set things right. Some would say after his treatment last night, I’m crazy to subject myself to more of him. I don’t want to be anywhere near him, but not any more than I want to have this hanging over my head.

  “Howdy, and welcome to the Rack, Rod & Roll. What can I help you with?” the woman behind the counter asks. She peers at me through dark-rimmed glasses. She’s a tiny thing with a cute pixie cut. Her eyes are brown and beautiful. She’s dressed in what looks like dirty mechanic overalls, but they are bright pink.

  “Hi, um, I’m looking for a man—”

  “Oh, honey, aren’t we all,” she cuts me off, smiling slyly, and tilts her head to the side. “Are you looking for the kind of man who can peek under your hood?”

  “Well, he kind of already did,” I explain, ignoring the way my answer comes across. “I’m looking for Travis.”

  She leans forward and looks me up and down, stopping on my face. “You seem about the type.”

  “I think you have the wrong idea. I’m not… we aren’t… I’m his new neighbor,” I croak, feeling a flush creep up my face. Trying to avoid eye contact, I pull my wallet out of my purse. “He helped me with my car yesterday morning, and then last night, he changed the battery. I’m here to pay for it.”

  “You’re the one who got his panties in a twist?” She watches me for a beat before finally breaking into a smile. “Wait right here, and I’ll get him for you.”

  “No!” I yelp, and she looks at me with wide, knowing eyes. I catch her name scrawled across the jumpsuit and use it trying to get personable and cover the panic filling my body. “Betty, he doesn’t need to know I’m here. I just want to pay for the battery, then I’ll be on my way.”

  “Do you know what kind of battery he installed?” she asks slowly and picks up a pencil, tapping the eraser on an invoice pad. I swallow hard and shake my head, because I don’t know the brand or anything else. “Then I got to call him in here and get the product information.”

  I close my eyes and take a breath, suddenly remembering my car is outside in the parking lot, with the battery in it.

  “My car is in the parking lot. Give me a moment, and I will go outside to get the information you need.” Without waiting for her response, I spin on my heels and exit the small room, completely focused on getting her the information. Willing to do anything to keep from having to face him again.

  It only takes me a few minutes to pop my hood and get the brand name before I’m back inside, kicking the extra snow off my boots.

  “I got it—” I start, but when I look up from my boots, I come face-to-face warm chocolate eyes. Travis’ eyes. “Where did Betty go?”

  “My aunt is at lunch.” He smirks and crosses his arms before leaning back against the counter behind him. He looks amused and only slightly annoyed. Aunt? That woman is his aunt? I guess it’s possible; they share the same chocolate-colored eyes.

  “She is?” I squeak and look down at my watch. It’s still a little too early for lunch. He’s lying. Betty’s probably off somewhere laughing her ass off at me. I clear my throat, trying to act like I’m in no way affected by him. “Oh, well, then, I’m here to pay for the battery you put in my car last night.”

  “The battery is paid for,” he informs me, his voice deepening with each word. I think I could spend an eternity listening to the sound of it, but then I remember how much of an asshole he has been since meeting him two days ago.

  “How? I haven’t paid for it.”

  “I already took care of it.”

  “No, that’s unacceptable.” I cross the room, pull my debit card out of my wallet, and place it onto the counter in front of him. “I’ll pay for the battery.”

  He looks down at the card as if it’s going to stand up and bite him, then looks back at me. “I told you it’s taken care of.”

  “No, it’s not. It will be once you pick up my card and slide it through your little machine there.” I point at the credit card machine resting next to one of his computers on the counter. “Now, I have things to do, so if you would do your job, I can be on my way and you can get back to whatever it is you were doing.”

  We fall into a stare down, but I’m bound and determined to win it. Minutes pass, how many exactly, I’m not sure, but he finally picks up the card and runs it through the machine.

  He hands me a receipt and a pen. I sign it, but not before checking to make sure he’s charged me right. The amount seems fair, not that I know how much a battery costs, but I sign the receipt and give it back to him. I hold out my hand for my card, but instead of handing it back, he lifts it higher in the air.

  I huff at him and stand up on my tiptoes, making myself taller to grab my card. When I snatch it from his fingers, it takes everything in me not to yell at him over childish antics. I peek up at him through my lashes and watch as he lifts an eyebrow in surprise. I ignore the look on his face and turn to walk out of the shop.

  I don’t know what he expected from me, but clearly it wasn’t my ability to keep my mouth closed. If it were another day, he’d get an earful, but today, I have shit to do.

  “You think I’m an asshole.” His voice stops me.

  “It doesn’t matter what I think,” I murmur and glance over my shoulder at him. “You made it perfectly clear the first day, Travis. We might be neighbors, but there is nothing neighborly about us.”

  “Liv—” he starts, but I don’t want an explanation.

  “I didn’t cross that line, Travis. You did. Twice. I’ve made it possible to redraw it.” I slip my purse strap over my shoulder and take a breath before walking out the door.

  Travis

  I watch her pull out of the parking lot with a smile. My new little neighbor has fire inside, and though she controlled it today, I find myself wanting to experience the power behind her burn.

  “What was that all about?” Betty asks, coming back into the front office. The spritely woman is my aunt and the main reason why I settled down in this town.

  While I don’t regret leaving my life in Atlanta behind, I sometimes wonder if she really needed me all those years ago, or if she called because she knew I needed the escape. Her shop has plenty of employees who would have been able to help her run it during treatment without worry.

  “New neighbor. She bought your old house,” I explain, running my fingers through my hair. “Her car wouldn’t start, so I helped.”

  “Before or after she got a taste of the asshole you can be?”

  “She didn’t listen.” I hang my head, feeling like the world’s biggest asshole. It’s just this time of year. It always puts me on edge.

  “You were an asshole to her.” Betty shakes her head. “You know, one of these days, you’re going to have to stop hiding—”

  “Betty…” I trail off, wishing she would stop and skip the path of bad memories.

  “Don’t you ‘Betty’ me. You know I’m right. It’s been four years since that shit happened with Caroline—”

  “I’m not doing this.” I turn on her, the mask I use with the rest of the world firmly in place. Betty closes her mouth and purses her lips. She knows not to push me, but one of these days, she isn’t going to hold her tongue anymore. “I’ve got a lot of shit to do today,
then I’m heading to The Broken Tankard.”

  I leave the room to get back to work.

  Four years ago, Betty was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I needed a major life change. The move to Heartland to help her run the Rack, Rod & Roll couldn’t have come at better time in my life. I knew enough about cars to get shit done after all the time I spent with Betty when I was a teenager. She taught me everything I knew about the business.

  It was always my dream to follow in my aunt’s footsteps, but it was my mother who insisted I go to college and make something of myself. I did at law school, and I was very successful at it, moving up fast in the ranks. I had the life my mother always dreamt I would have, and then came along Caroline.

  My ex-wife.

  It took a single moment in my old life to make me realize the life I was living wasn’t the life I wanted. When my aunt called days later to offer me a spot in her shop, I was relieved and ready to live the life I dreamt of.

  After undergoing a double mastectomy, Betty’s been cancer free for nearly three years. She’s perfectly healthy and able to take back the shop, and while I have considered moving on in life, I can’t imagine walking back into a stuffy courtroom.

  When I pull into the parking lot of The Broken Tankard at the end of the day, I lean my head against the steering wheel and take a deep breath. There’re only a few weeks left of this damn holiday, and then I’ll be in the clear.

  I simply need to avoid Betty’s probing eyes and forget about the curvy blonde next door. The latter is completely doable, now that she’s redrawn the boundary line.

  Travis

  I pull into my driveway and notice a small shape sitting in one of the wicker chairs Betty insisted I put on my front porch, even though I never sit on them.

  The shape rises with my approach and steps into the light.

  It’s Hannah.

  I exhale and look at her through tired eyes. I had a few drinks tonight, not enough to inebriate me, but it’s all because of the girl’s sexy-as-fuck mother.

  Why is she here waiting for me? Whatever it is, it can’t be good. Liv was clear today. She doesn’t want anything more to do with me. The last thing I need is another reason to get tangled up with her.