His last words were drowned out by the shrill of approaching sirens. Two black and white squad cars followed by a sheriff’s department car whipped up to the scene.
Finding herself able to focus more on her surroundings, Dominique looked down the length of her car, beginning with the driver’s door and stopping at the lump of metal that used to be the front fender and side of the hood. The tire beneath was flat, causing the car to lean to one side.
A couple of feet separated her car and the black, newer-model Chevy S-10 pickup that had plowed into her. A quick scan told her the truck had sustained far less damage than her car.
"Figures," she muttered under her breath.
"Did you say something, Miss?" the kind man asked.
Dominique returned her attention to the man. "The other driver, is he hurt?"
"I don’t believe so, ma’am. I saw him jump out right after the collision. I think that’s him over there talking with that officer."
Dominique followed the man’s pointed finger to a butch figure waving his arms about wildly before a uniformed officer. It wasn’t until he turned slightly her way that she recognized the man. Uncontrollable fury rose to heat her face. Her teeth clenched. Before she realized what she was doing, she bolted the short distance and came to a screeching halt at the man’s side.
"You!" she gasped in horror. "You’re that lunatic I threw out of the bar the other night."
"You know this man, Miss?" the officer asked. He held a small, spiral-bound notebook and pen. He had been jotting down whatever it was the other driver had been telling him.
"A couple of nights ago, I threw him out of the bar I work at for trying to start a fight," Dominique explained. Her voice had come down, but only a notch. Anger still spilled with her every word.
"Well, it looks like he found another bar that wouldn’t throw him out," a second officer said, appearing with a half drunk bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand. "I found this wedged between the driver’s seat and the console. There’s also several empty beer cans tossed on the floorboard."
"Sir, you’re under arrest," the first officer said immediately. He shoved the notebook in his shirt pocket, then reached around with his other hand for the handcuffs kept on the side of his belt. He began reading the drunk man his Miranda rights as he slapped the cuffs on his wrists behind his back.
"What are you arresting me for?" the man slurred. "I’m not drunk."
"Sure you’re not," the officer said dryly. "You are being arrested for drinking and driving, reckless driving, causing an accident and anything else I can think of between here and the station," the officer informed him. "Put him in my squad car," he ordered his partner. "I’ll take him in as soon as I get some information from this young lady." Turning his attention to Dominique, he pulled the notebook from his pocket again and asked, "Can I get your name please, Miss?"
"Dominique. Dominique Gabor."
"And your driver’s license." The officer peered at her from under thick, dark lashes.
Dominique hesitated. Her mind was still so rattled she could barely focus on the officer’s questions. "It’s in my purse in the car."
"I’ll get it for you," the kind man with the bald head said, touching her gently on the shoulder.
"Witnesses say the driver of the black truck ran the red light," the officer informed her. "From what I can gather, you were not at fault. I just need to get your personal information for my report, then you will be free to go."
The bald man returned with her purse. Dominique absent-mindedly fumbled through it, pulling out her license and handing it to the officer. "What about my car?" she asked as the officer began scribbling down her information.
"You’ll need to call a tow truck or I can call one for you if you like," the officer said, not looking up from the notebook. "The driver of the truck doesn’t have insurance, so you’ll have to file a report with your own insurance company for the damages."
Dominique’s eyes widened as she digested the officer’s words. She didn’t have insurance either, but she didn’t tell the officer that. Insurance was not required in the state of Mississippi unless the car was financed--which hers was not--and her insurance had lapsed three months before due to nonpayment. Another errand she was supposed to have run this week. She would have to pay out of her own pocket for all the expenses of getting her car fixed!
"Of course, you can file a suit in small claims court for reimbursement of the cost," the officer continued, but Dominique was only half listening. "Everything you’ll need will be on the accident report. You can swing by the station in a couple of days and pick up a copy." Handing her license back to her, the officer concluded, "That’s all the information I need from you. If you’re sure you’re not hurt, you’re welcome to go at any time."
"Th--thank you."
"I have a cell phone you can use to call a tow truck or a family member if you want, Miss," the balding man offered.
Without a word, still in a complete daze, Dominique followed the man back to his car. Not sure what tow truck company to call, she called her aunt instead, who would make the call for her. She would have to have the car towed to her aunt’s house anyway or risk being evicted from her apartment for violation of the section of her lease that read no broken-down cars allowed in the parking lot.
~ * ~
Joshua slid the key in the knob then swung open the front door of the house just as the phone began to ring. He tossed his textbooks on the coffee table on his way by and snatched up the receiver, plopping down on the sofa as he brought the phone to his ear.
"Joshua? Thank goodness you’re home!" Dominique’s frantic voice filled the line.
Normally the mere sound of that soft, sensuous voice would send a riot of emotions through out his body, but not this time. This time, there was something wrong. She sounded breathless, worried, almost on the verge of tears.
"Dominique, are you all right?" he asked. He sat up straighter on the sofa. His heart pounded so hard he could feel it in his neck.
Dominique sighed heavily. "Yes and no. I need a favor. Kalvin will be getting out of preschool in half an hour and I can’t find a way to go get him. Can you go pick him up for me?"
"S--sure," Joshua agreed, his suspicions rising. "Did your car break down or something?"
"You could say that." she chuckled wryly. "It’s broke, all right. I had a wreck this morning."
The blood that had been pumping frantically through his veins suddenly turned to ice. He felt the color drain from his face. "Are you all right? Were you hurt? Where are you?"
"Yes, I’m all right, no, I wasn’t really hurt, and I’m at my aunt’s house." she answered each question in order. "The car isn’t drivable, so I had it towed here. That’s the other part of the favor that I need. Can you come by here and pick me up after you get Kalvin? My aunt couldn’t leave work, and I need a ride back home."
"Yeah, no problem." Grabbing a pen and paper from the end table, he jotted down her aunt’s address along with the address to the preschool. "Yeah, I know where both of these are. I’ll leave right now."
"I’ll call the preschool and let them know what happened and that you will be coming to get Kalvin. They may ask for identification, so be sure you have your license with you," Dominique said. "Oh, and Joshua…thanks."
A warm smile rose to his face. "No problem, baby."
~ * ~
Forty-five minutes later, Joshua pulled up outside Dominique’s aunt’s house with Kalvin in the passenger seat. The second the SUV came to a full stop, Kalvin bolted across the yard to the door.
Watching from the window, Dominique saw her son running across the yard and opened the door just as he reached for the knob.
"Mommy!" Kalvin shouted. Leaping up, he wrapped his arms around her neck and squeezed with all his might. "Are you all right, Mommy? Are you hurt?"
Tears burned her eyes. She shut them in an attempt to prevent the water from falling. It was scary how quickly something terribly wrong could happen in
life. One second everything could be a bed of roses, and the next, life as you knew it could be gone forever. For a moment, she wondered what would have happened to her son if she’d been severely injured or even killed in the wreck. Brushing the depressing, negative thoughts aside, she thanked her lucky stars she was still alive.
"I’m fine, sweetheart," she whispered, returning his tight embrace. Opening her eyes again, she spotted Joshua striding toward them--worry and fear painted all over his face.
"Thank you so much for doing all of this," Dominique said, easing Kalvin back to the ground. "I know it’s way beyond your job description."
Joshua scowled at her futile attempt at a joke. "I would have been highly pissed off if you hadn’t called me." Reaching out, he brushed a tender thumb over her forehead. "You’re going to have a nasty bruise there."
She heaved a sigh. "Yeah, I know. I hit the steering wheel. No airbag."
"Did you go to the hospital? You could have a slight concussion."
"No, I didn’t go. I feel fine," she insisted.
Except for the sickness I’m going to feel when I find out how much all of this is going to cost me, she added silently. The last thing she needed was a damn hospital bill she couldn’t afford on top of all the rest.
"It looks way worse than it is. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about my car." Her gaze moved to the cherry red Honda Accord parked in the driveway.
Joshua walked toward the car. A low whistle escaped his lips.
"Holy cow, Mommy!" Kalvin exclaimed, skipping around the front end of the car.
Dominique turned her focus to Joshua’s face. "Judging from your statement I would say it is as bad as it looks, huh?" She folded her arms across her chest for comfort.
"Well…" He stepped around the car to see the full amount of damage from all directions. "I’m no mechanic by any means but…"
"But how much do you think it’s going to cost to get it fixed?" she jumped in. Her tone bluntly said, "Stop beating around the bush and give it to me straight."
Joshua bit his lower lip thoughtfully. "This is just a guess, but I would say a few thousand easy."
Dominique’s heart fell to her stomach. Her eyes slammed shut. That was far from the news she had wanted to hear.
So much for catching up on the bills.
"Who’s fault was it?" Joshua asked, planting a fixed glare on her.
"Not mine," she answered a bit too quickly. "I was taking off at a green light. I had just reached the middle of the intersection when the guy ran the red light from the other direction and plowed into me." She didn’t want to worry him further by telling him it had been the asshole from the bar who had been driving the other truck, or that he had been drunk at the time.
"Did you get his insurance company?"
"He doesn’t have any insurance." Dominique’s gaze fell to the ground.
"Oh, no, and neither do you," Joshua concluded from her statement. "And you have no way of making him pay for it unless you take him to court."
Dominique shook her head, feeling the tears rise to her eyes again. "I had insurance, but it was canceled a few months ago. I was going at the end of the week to get it back. Now it’s--it’s too late." That was it. All the tears she had been holding in began to burst from her eyes in one uncontrollable gush.
Joshua gently took her hand, pulling her into his arms. "Pull yourself together, baby. It’s going to be okay," he said soothingly. He caressed the back of her head with the palm of his hand. "I just thank my lucky stars you weren’t hurt or…"
Dominique forced herself to pull from his tight, comforting embrace, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand. She looked up at Joshua’s taut face, and she froze.
He cares. He really cares. And that’s not just general concern in those eyes. It can’t be. Oh my gosh!
"Mommy." Kalvin’s little voice broke the sexual tension that had began to build in the air.
"I’m all right, sweetheart," Dominique assured him, wrapping an arm around his tiny shoulders. Looking back at Joshua, but careful to avoid those breathtaking eyes, she asked, "Can you take us to the apartment? I only have a couple of hours to get ready for work."
Joshua angled his head toward her. "Are you sure going to work tonight is such a good idea? Dominique, you’ve been in an accident. You should really go home and rest." He sounded more like a doctor than her babysitter. "I’ll still stay and take care of little Kalvin so you can have the evening to yourself."
A night in the house alone with Joshua and Kalvin--oh, how many times had she fantasized about that? Too bad it couldn’t happen. Damn! There were so many reasons she could not let that happen.
"I have to go to work," she said stubbornly. "Now I really need all the money I can get," she added, casting an angry gaze toward the car.
"Fine," Joshua said. "Then you can take my SUV to work."
"No!" Dominique said quickly. "I mean--I can call a cab. Thanks for the offer."
"It wasn’t an offer. It was an order." Joshua’s brows popped up. "There’s no sense paying out the wazoo for a taxi when I have a perfectly drivable vehicle sitting right there." He nodded toward his midnight blue sports utility vehicle. "I can’t go anywhere until you get home, anyway."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive, now let’s go." Sliding an arm around her waist, he propelled her forward to the passenger side of the SUV. He waited for her to get situated in the seat, then closed the door. For several seconds, he gazed at her with an statement she couldn’t interpret before walking around the front of the truck and hopping behind the steering wheel.
Eleven
Later that evening, Joshua hung up the phone from his third conversation with Dominique that night and stood to pace the carpeted living room floor. She had called to check on Kalvin, who Joshua had just put to bed, as she always did when she was away at work. However this night, her calls weren’t just casual. She was in desperate need of someone to talk to, someone not downing booze at the bar. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on with her. She was stressed to the max, worrying out of her mind. She probably hadn’t eaten a decent bite all day.
Putting one foot in front of the other, Joshua wracked his brain, wondering what he could do to resolve the situation. Her car was the first thing on her mind. He knew that. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything he could do about that tonight. Still, he had to find some way to lift her spirits, even if just for a few minutes. The idea of cooking a gourmet meal and having it ready for her when she walked in the door at midnight came to mind. That would help. At least then he would know that she had gotten her nourishment for the day.
Picking up the pace, he went to the small L-shaped kitchen only to discover that the limited supply of food items it contained blew that idea to smithereens. He sighed. Leaning against the counter, he bit his lower lip thoughtfully. He couldn’t go to the market. The closest one was over two miles away, too far to walk with a sleepy five year old in the dark, and he had insisted on her taking his truck to work. Damn! Pizza was out of the question, which was unfortunate since it was the only place in town that would deliver.
"Not necessarily," he said aloud, as an idea came to him. In a flash, he was across the apartment, picking up the phone. "Natalie? How’s my sweet little sister doing this evening?"
"Oh, boy." Natalie’s quirky chuckle flooded the line. "What are you up to, Joshua?"
"Oh…close to six foot I believe," Joshua kidded, twirling the phone cord around his middle finger.
"Cute," Natalie said dryly. "You want something. I can tell. You never call me anymore, and certainly don’t butter me up for nothing. So spill it."
"Geez, so much for small talk." Joshua attempted to sound hurt but failed miserably. "I need a huge favor. Can you run by the grocery store for me?"
"Why can’t you do it yourself?"
"I don’t have my truck. Dominique was in a wreck this morning."
Natalie gasped. "Oh my gosh! Is she al
l right?"
"Yeah, she’s fine. Physically anyway," Joshua added. "Mentally, she’s a basket case. The car’s got a lot of damage. The guy who hit her didn’t have insurance and neither does she. Anyway, she was going to take a taxi to work tonight, but I insisted she take my truck instead."
"And now you need it," Natalie concluded.
"Well…yeah. The woman never buys groceries--not good ones anyway. I wanted to cook dinner and have it ready for her when she got home tonight, but there’s nothing here to cook."
"You’re cooking dinner for her." Natalie sounded intrigued.
"Don’t read to much into this, sis," Joshua warned. "I doubt she’s eaten all day and I just want to be sure she doesn’t cause herself more problems than she already has. Now will you go to the store for me or not?"
"Yes, I’ll go for you." Natalie sighed. "What do you want?"
"Umm…let’s see." Joshua thought a moment as he sauntered back toward the kitchen. "Pick up some skinless chicken breast. She loves chicken. And some teriyaki sauce, a couple of red and green bell peppers, onions and rice."
"Doing a Chinese cuisine, dear brother?" Natalie asked. Amusement rang in her voice. "Is that all?"
"Sounds good to me. I just hope she likes it." He scanned the empty winerack. "Oh, and can you swing by and pick up a bottle of Chardonnay from the liquor store?"
"Now we’re talking," Natalie teased. "Anything else?"
Joshua thought for a moment. "No, I think that’s it. I’ll pay you back when you get here."
"And where do I bring this?"
Joshua gave her Dominique’s address, then said goodbye.
An hour later, Natalie arrived at the apartment, her arms weighted down with the bag of groceries and the bottle of wine. "There’s another bag in the backseat of the car," she informed him. Wandering inside, she spotted the kitchen and headed straight for it.
Joshua retrieved the last bag from the car. It contained only one item--a French Silk pie. "You bought a pie?" He angled his head at his sister as he joined her in the kitchen.
Natalie tossed him a glance over her shoulder. Her back to him, she rummaged through the cabinets. "You’ve got to have something for dessert. Since you ordered me not to read too much into this dinner ordeal, I figured dessert should be edible instead of extracurricular."
The Devine Babysitter Page 12
