He handed me an envelope. “Stone wanted me to let you know that we don’t need your services anymore.”
My jaw dropped. “He fired me?”
“Technically, it’s a layoff.”
I took the envelope and stared at the wall behind Tom, while my mind thought of all the repercussions of being laid off. I would no longer be working with Stone, and I would be that much further away from reaching my goal of purchasing a car.
“He can’t do this to me,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry, Dara,” Tom said.
“Is he here?” I asked, hoping that I could speak to him, that maybe if I explained, everything would be all right.
“He hasn’t been here in two days. I don’t know when he’ll be back.”
“You’ve been running the bookstore by yourself?” I asked, afraid that everything that needed to get done wouldn’t get done. Was he helping all of the customers who needed help?
“Yeah,” Tom answered. “The restocking is a little behind, but Stone knows about it. He assured me that it would be handled.”
“Oh,” I said, nodding. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later, Tom. It’s been nice working with you.”
“You, too, Dara,” he said. “I really am sorry.”
I smiled in an attempt to hide the emotions that roiled within me. “I’ll be fine.”
I quickly turned and went back to Granny’s car. When I climbed in the driver’s seat, I sat quietly for a moment, resting my forehead against the steering wheel.
I was normally a glass-half-full kind of girl, but with everything that had been happening lately, I was struggling not to feel sorry for myself.
The only bright spot in my life at the moment was Granny’s upcoming nuptials and the fact that she was deliriously happy.
I stared at the envelope in my hands. My name was written across the front in Stone’s slightly untidy handwriting.
I slid a nail under the edge of the flap and opened the envelope. Taking a deep breath, I pulled out the contents. I had a formal separation notice, which basically confirmed that I had been laid off, and a check for fifteen hundred dollars. Shocked, I read the pale yellow sticky note that clung to it. To help with your car. Sorry things didn’t work out.
Staring at the check, I realized that I now had enough money to get a car, but it was the sticky note that caused a lump of gloom to lodge in my throat. Sorry things didn’t work out. What things? The job? Or our relationship?
As much as I wanted him to be referring to the job, I knew that what he meant was that it was over between us. My heart dropped in my chest, and I fought the urge to cry. If he could discard me so easily, he wasn’t worth my tears.
But I also knew he had been dealt quite a blow. I needed to explain things to him, and if he still felt the same way, then so be it.
Frustrated, I crammed the papers back in the envelope and stared out the windshield. Why hadn’t I listened to my intuition when I had first considered dating Stone? I knew it was easy for him to move from girl to girl, but I foolishly thought that I could be the one, that I could make him love me. He paid me a little bit of attention, and I had allowed him into my heart.
He had been right when he had told me that I wanted him. Even now, it was true.
When I was with him, I felt vivacious. As much as I aggravated him about being conceited, I loved that he exuded self-confidence. I had seen a side of him at the bookstore that I would probably never have seen at school. He had taught me a lot about business and had given me the opportunity to use my ideas to increase sales. I looked at the bookstore in my rearview mirror. That opportunity was gone now, and I would miss working there. I would miss feeling like I had a purpose, and I desperately hoped that Stone’s father wouldn’t close Quail Mountain Books.
But it was the way that Stone made me feel when I was him that I would miss the most. When I was in his arms, all the hurts and sorrows of my world seemed less traumatic. He made me feel things that I had never felt. I would miss the way my heart hammered at his nearness, the smell of his cologne, the way he skimmed his fingertips across my skin. Just thinking about him sent a tingle along my spine.
Realizing that I couldn’t sit in the parking lot all day, I decided to call Chance about buying the car that his father had been holding for me. At least that would give me something to keep me busy.
I went by the credit union to get the cash for the car. Chance had agreed to pick me up at my house and take me to his father’s car lot.
As we pulled out of the driveway in his convertible, he asked, “So, how have you been, Dara?”
I wondered if he had heard that Stone and I had an argument. I had been somewhat vague when telling Crimson and Scarlet what had transpired. While I imagined that some people on Quail Mountain knew that my father had killed someone three years ago, I didn’t think that most of my friends were aware of it, and I certainly didn’t want to advertise it. Also, it wasn’t my place to tell anyone about Luke. If Stone wanted people at school to know, then they would have to hear it from him.
“I’ve been better.”
“Why do you let him treat you like that?” Chance asked, reaching down and squeezing my hand that rested on the edge of the bucket seat.
“Like what?” I asked, feeling defensive of Stone. “He didn’t do anything to me. We just had a disagreement.”
“Dara, the guy’s a jerk. You can do so much better.”
“You don’t know him the way that I know him. Does he do things he shouldn’t? Yes. Does that mean he’s a bad guy? No, Chance, he’s not a bad guy.”
“Yeah, I can tell,” he muttered sarcastically.
“He has a right to be angry with me, Chance.”
“How’s that?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
We rode for a few moments in silence, the warm, July wind whipping our hair. My thoughts constantly revolved around Stone, and I hoped I could catch him at the bookstore soon.
“Why don’t you get back together with me, Dara? I miss you. We were good together.”
I looked at Chance. He was sweet and handsome, a nice catch, but he wasn’t Stone. It wouldn’t take him long to find a girlfriend once he decided to move on.
When I didn’t answer, he continued, “At least go out with me.”
“Chance, I can’t. We agreed to go our separate ways, remember?” I smiled at him.
“I think we made a mistake.”
I didn’t respond immediately. I felt bad enough that I had lied to Stone. I didn’t want to hurt Chance, too.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” Chance asked.
“Even if he wasn’t in the picture, I don’t know that I would want to get back together. But since I met Stone, I can’t get him out of my head, you know?”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Chance answered, staring hard at me and giving me a sad smile. “I don’t think he deserves you, but I hope he realizes how lucky he is.”
“Thanks, Chance.”
“And if you ever change your mind, you know all you have to do is call me,” he said as he pulled into his father’s car lot.
“If I ever change my mind, you’ll be the first to know.”
He pulled up in front of the building. “There she be.” He pointed to a shiny, red compact car. “My father had his mechanic check her out for you to make sure everything is in working order. She has a lot of miles on her, but she’s still a good, little car.”
“I love it!” I squealed, hopping out of his car and running to peer in the windows.
“It’s open,” Chance said. “I have the keys in my pocket. You want to take her for a test drive?”
“Yes!” I slid in behind the steering wheel, admiring the black, cloth interior. While it wasn’t perfect, the interior was in good shape, and it was extremely clean.
He handed me the keys. I put them in the ignition, and she cranked beautifully. “I’m so excited!”
We drove around town on the nearby streets. When I pulled back into the ca
r lot, I couldn’t wait to pay his dad and officially make it my car.
“So, do you want it?” Chance asked.
“Yes, yes, yes!” I exclaimed.
He laughed. “Let’s go see my dad.”
Mr. Murray was seated at his large, mahogany desk, working on paperwork. When we entered his office, he peered at me over his reading glasses and smiled. “Hello, Dara. How are you?”
“I’m good, Mr. Murray. You?”
“Better than I deserve. Did you like the car?”
I beamed. “I love it! Thank you so much for helping me.”
“You’re welcome. I’ve already spoken to your grandmother to make sure she agreed to the purchase, and I gave her all the information, so that she could arrange for liability insurance. I had everything inspected, so it should be in tip-top shape. If you have any problems, let Chance know or just give me a call.”
“I will.” I handed him the money, and he pulled out the paperwork from a stack on his desk.
He insisted that I read all the documents, so that I would be fully aware of what I was signing.
“Okay. You’re done.”
“It’s mine now?”
“She’s all yours. I’ll apply for the tag and the title, and you should get those in the mail soon.”
I stood up and shook his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Murray.” I couldn’t prevent the silly grin that spread across my face. I finally had my own car. Then I realized that it wouldn’t have happened without Stone’s generosity. Of course, if he hadn’t laid me off, I could’ve continued working until I had saved up enough money.
Chance walked me to my car.
“So what’re you going to name her?” he asked, leaning against the front quarter panel.
“Name her?”
“Yeah. Every car has to have a name.”
I looked at my little, red car. I had no idea what to name her. “I don’t know. I’ll have to give it some thought.”
“You need to. You can’t properly bond with your car if she doesn’t have a name.”
“How do you know it’s a she?”
“Because they’re all named after women. Just like boats.”
“Maybe my car’s a guy,” I suggested.
“Maybe it is,” he agreed, chuckling. “If that’s the case, then you should name it Chance. Add a little swag to your first vehicle.”
I slowly nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“That would be the whole point. To keep me in mind,” Chance clarified.
I cracked a smile. “You’re relentless.”
“Yeah, well, I screwed up. I should’ve never let you go. Now, you’re in love with someone else.”
“I never said I was in love,” I corrected.
“You didn’t have to.”
I stared at him in stunned silence.
“Well,” he said, pushing himself away from the car, “I’ve got to go. My mom wants me to check on my grandmother.”
“Okay. Tell everyone I said ‘hi’.”
“I will. See ya later, Dara.”
“Bye.” I watched him as he walked to his car. Then, I hopped in my new car, letting the thrill of the moment wash over me. I knew Stone wouldn’t be at work today, so I tried to decide where I should go first. I finally decided to start with Granny, and then I would find Crimson and Scarlet.
Disappointment that I couldn’t share this moment with Stone settled in the pit of my stomach, but I refused to allow it to put a damper on my first day of having my very own car.
I cranked the engine, relieved that I had met my main goal for the summer. But my heart was already setting another goal, even though my head had reservations.
Make Stone mine.
***
It was the first day of August. A little over a week had gone by since I had purchased my car. I had texted and called Stone, still with no response, and it was making me crazy. I had given him space, thinking in a few days, he might contact me, but my theory had been a complete failure. So I had made the decision to go back to the bookstore. I was up bright and early, showered and dressed, waiting for it to open. If he would just let me explain, maybe we could put this behind us and move forward with our relationship. I had considered explaining in a text, but I really wanted to do it in person, to see his response, to let him see my face and feel my sincerity.
I paced impatiently, unable to eat breakfast. When it was finally time for the bookstore to open, I drove my car to town, feeling incredibly nervous about our impending confrontation.
I parked in my usual parking space, turned the ignition off, and sat quietly, trying to psych myself up. I checked my makeup in the mirror, took a deep breath, and opened the car door.
On my way to the front door, I rehearsed what I would say over and over in my mind. When I thought about some of the things that I had gone through in my life, this seemed like it shouldn’t be quite so difficult. But Stone was important to me. He had shared his innermost secrets with me, and I had lied to him about mine.
It felt like a thousand needles pricked my skin as I walked through the glass door, the bell chiming, and headed toward the counter.
“Hey, Tom,” I greeted.
“Hi, Dara. He’s not here.”
“He’s not?”
Tom shook his head. “I guess you haven’t heard.”
“Heard what?” I asked, apprehension flowing through my body like hot lava. “Did something happen to him?”
“No, Stone’s fine, but his father’s closing the bookstore.”
“Oh, no,” I moaned. “Why?”
“We missed the profit level that he set for July by about nine hundred dollars, so he’s pulling the plug.”
“Just nine hundred dollars? Can’t he give it another month?”
“He’s a businessman. He’s not emotionally attached to the project. It’s all a numbers game.” Tom adjusted his glasses.
“But it’s important to Stone.” I realized that it was important to Tom, too. “Will you be out of a job?”
“I don’t know yet. His father may find me a place with one of his other businesses, or I may have to start sending out my resume. I should know next week.”
“Nine hundred dollars,” I repeated, thinking Stone was so close to meeting his father’s goal. Then, a horrible thought occurred to me. “The fifteen hundred dollar check he gave me? That’s what made him come up short, isn’t it?”
Tom started to open his mouth, but closed it again.
“I feel horrible.” I sunk against the counter, palming my face.
“Dara, he and I had a discussion about that. He knew there was a good chance that he would fall just short of his father’s goal. It was a risk he was willing to take. He wanted you to have that money.”
“If I still had it, I’d give it back to him, but I bought a car.”
“Good,” Tom said, patting me awkwardly on the shoulder. “That’s what he wanted you to do.”
“When you see him, will you tell him that I came by?”
“I certainly will,” Tom promised, pushing his shaggy hair away from his eyes.
“Thanks, Tom.” I smiled at him. “Good luck. I hope Mr. Hamilton finds you another position.”
“I appreciate that. Good luck to you, too.”
I gave him a slight wave as I turned and left the building.
Sitting in my car, I couldn’t help but feel guilty. If Stone hadn’t given me the money, his father wouldn’t be closing the store. I justified it, thinking that Stone shouldn’t have laid me off, but either way, it didn’t matter. What was done was done. We needed to find a solution.
I texted Stone, begging him to talk to his father, to tell him how important the bookstore was to him and how it reminded him of Luke. I had never met Mr. Hamilton, but if there was any decency in him at all, surely if he knew that Stone wanted the store as a tribute to Luke, he could find a way to keep the store open, at least for a little while longer.
Despair closed in on me. It was bad enough tha
t Stone was angry with me and refused to speak to me, but now he would lose the bookstore, too.
I cranked my car engine. I needed to talk to Granny.
Chapter 14
Stone
Despite the fact that my parents were home, the house was quiet, most likely because my parents and I were avoiding each other. Every time we spoke, it turned into a shouting match. I knew I hadn’t been helping matters. I was still pissed that Dara had lied to me. She claimed that she hadn’t known it was her father that had killed Luke, but how could I believe that? How could she not know?
That wasn’t the kind of thing one kept a secret.
Just when I thought my life didn’t quite suck, it bit me in the ass to remind me just how screwed up everything was and that there was no escaping.
I stared at the ceiling as I lay in my bed. I had no desire to get up. There was no one to see, nowhere to go. Why show up at the bookstore? Tom assured me that he had it handled, and it would be closing soon, anyway. Not to mention that Dara wouldn’t be there. The motivation to work had been sucked out of me, leaving nothing but the hollow feeling of worthlessness in its place. I ran my fingers through my hair. How much more screwed up could my life get? I couldn’t even call Jess now. There was no way I was going to contact her after she had professed her love for me when I didn’t feel the same. I knew everyone thought I was a prick, but I didn’t screw with girls’ feelings, which is why I normally chose to hang out with girls who were as emotionally unattached as I was.
There were other girls I could call, but Dara had changed things.
I rubbed my bare chest. I had tried to block her from my mind, and I had been successful at ignoring most of her texts. I did open one that she had sent me yesterday, and although I hadn’t responded to her, I thought about her words. She wanted me to talk to my dad about the bookstore, and while her arguments made sense, I just didn’t know if I was up for sharing my feelings with my father. We weren’t touchy-feely kind of guys, and I had no intention of starting now.
A knock sounded at my door. I said nothing, hoping that whoever it was would think I was asleep and go away.
“Stone?” my mother’s voice called cautiously.
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